I can hardly believe it’s been a month since I landed on solid ground! For those of you who’ve been following my journey, it feels almost surreal that I’ve been on terra firma for this long, but I can’t even begin to describe how crazy it feels for me.
Here’s a rundown of what’s happened since Moderation and I arrived in Australia:
I needed about a week to recover and get some distance from Moderation—sleeping in a real bed, using a proper toilet, and just unwinding with friends and family was a welcome change.
But then it was time to get Moddy out of the water and start the cleaning process. Since this was my last ocean row and the final expedition with Moderation, I wanted to make sure everything was in top shape before shipping her back to Colorado and preparing the next team for success.
In that first week, I got some amazing news! The Ocean Rowing Society officially recognized Expedition 2 as a successfully completed row!
During this expedition, I collected 50kg of personal waste and plastic from the ocean. I met with our sponsor, CRDC, who will transform this waste into incredible construction materials.
At sea, I dealt with some serious skin blistering, which has been one of my biggest challenges since landing. Being out there for so long really takes a toll on the body, but I’m grateful that the UWC team doctors are keeping me healthy and in good shape.
Moddy is now cleaned and safely prepped for her journey back to Colorado. As for me, I’m not heading home just yet. It took being on an airplane for it to really sink in that I crossed an entire ocean alone and survived. I know I’ll never look at life the same way again, and I’m incredibly grateful for everything this expedition has achieved.
Expedition 2 raised over $70,000 to stop plastic from entering the ocean. I’m now on my way to Indonesia, where we’ll be installing 8 more barriers!
The row may be complete, but our mission continues! Help us tackle the ocean plastic crisis by making a donation today. Just $1 to United World Challenge removes 30 bottles’ worth of ocean-bound plastic. Let’s keep pushing forward!
