Dear followers,
I am sincerely sorry for the delay this past week in sharing information on the status of our journey.
I am responsible for not finding a solution faster on how to efficiently share our latest updates with you while respecting the communication needs of our media partners. I am honored to have Seeker and Discovery as partners and grateful for the work they are producing to share our story. There are obvious obstacles when transmitting video and other information from the Pacific but we are working together to provide information in the most timely and complete manner possible.
I would like to take this opportunity to thanks all of you for your support and following our progress. We can all make a difference, and I will always keep on pushing to do my part.
Following is my log entry from day 47, the day we made the decision to go back temporarily on land.
Day 47
Our lives at sea are pulsing at the beat of the weather, everything we do and how we do it, is influenced by it. In good conditions we can progress with our mission; I can swim and the crew can collect data, but in bad conditions, all activities are put on hold. In some situations it is not too clear what is safe or not and when those situations occur, as a team, we tried to take all input in and come up with the best decision, safety always being our top priority.
This morning the information we got from WRI, our weather forecaster and router partner, didn’t leave any space for interpretation or speculation. Two typhoons are coming from the east and moving in our direction with winds of 80 knots and 20 meters waves: urgent, we need to sail back west now!
This is another curveball from the weather and there is nothing we can do about it, we can only control our decisions. Here the decision was pretty clear, sailing back west. The silver lining, if there is one, is that we need to get our Torqeedo parts and getting back will help us do that. We were still hoping we could set a rendezvous though.
Nothing around us gave us any indication of what was yet to come, the sea was calm with about 10 knots of wind. It was a sunny day and we removed anything that needed to be aired out and bleached on deck. Mold had started to creep on some of our clothes and bedding. The heat, humidity and lack of ventilation down below deck were the perfect conditions for the mold to grow.
Maks put a fishing rod in the water for most of the day, his only catch was a plastic bag…he was more successful at night, he caught a fish that looked like a barracuda. We didn’t find any trace of plastic in its stomach and we kept a sample of its meat for microfiber content analysis which will be done on land by the researchers.
Ben
13 thoughts on “[DAY 47] Avoiding the Typhoon”-
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Dear Ben, dear all, thank you for this updating. Almost daily I have a look to the logbook and live tracker, and I was pretty sure you had to go back for some important reason. I am talking about your mission every time I can, I am really thankful for the commitment of you all. Safety first, well done! You’ll be swimming soon, with the support of so many friends in different parts of the world.
Hello Ben &Team,
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Euphorie every you with the comment below and und am sure you with restart your mission as soon as possible! Safety should always be the first option. Our community of followers Jolie understand that.
Now I can spread in my community let you all are in good shape and will restart your mission asap.
Willst stormy gab shows of all that mother nature does not obey to the human wishes! Chance for human to realize that we depend on nature but nature does not depends on us. Human activities will destroy and manage the variety of nature, however nature will have the longer breath.
Blessings to your journey and greetings from Germany
Brigitte
Hi Ben and Team. Thank you for thinking of us, the folks who are following your journey. I think when nothing is posted for a while here, then we do assume that something more pressing has come up for you to deal with. Not to mention the mental and physical fatigue that you all have to deal with from one day to the next on a cutting-edge expedition such as this one.
I am so happy for you guys that you can access those critical spares now!
Ben,
Im an English teacher in Korea and my student and we have been following your trip since the day you left Japan. Safety comes first and we hope to live track you once the typhoon pass. Good luck, be safe, and hope you could swing by Costco again to fill up.
Ben and Crew,
I have been entranced by your mission and so impressed by your efforts. I am sure it feels like a huge setback to return to land, but the most important thing is to be safe. Hope the weather will soon turn for the better.I am spreading the word about the serious ocean pollution problem and about your goal. I am rooting for your success all the way.
I was very concerned when I didnt hear for several days. Thank you for the update. I am a teacher in Minnesota and think of your team frequently and the important work you are doing. Keep up the great work!
Safety comes first. The team work you are presenting during the journey as you have done preparing for this, is more than incredible. You have already achieved so much with more to come. Keep encourged, you are encouraging so many around the world.
Thank you for the update. Safety first always!
Hi Ben, guys,
Thanks for sharing!
Take care
From Paris, ??
I love being able to follow your incredible journey, from dry land! (dry for now at least, being in Oregon!!) Seems like all that happens contributes to the bigger story and experience, yes? Much to be thankful for that you could return to a safe place, as safety has to be the highest priority. And, not only get the parts you need, but also stock up on fresh food again! A few plusses to ease the disappointment. Thanks for the update!
Great to hear you and the team are safe and well.
Don’t be discouraged, safety first!
Hi Ben,
I saw an article about a typhoon threatening Hawaii and immediately checked the tracking page and logbook. I am so happy to hear that you are taking the prudent course and seeking safe harbor. You’re work is too important to all of us to sacrifice safety for a few extra kilometers. Rest up and know how much we all appreciate your efforts!
Bob
Dear Ben,
We are worried about the typhoons but we know both you and your Team will be stronger than any natural disaster.
We support any kind of decision you take and our thoughts are with you all.
Warm Greetings from Portugal
Paula and Ines