Fog and Some Interesting Finds
June 28, 2018
Day 181/10
Noon Position: 42 28N 149 26W
Course/Speed: N5
Wind: WSW10
Bar: 1027, steady
Sea: SW3
Sky: Overcast, fog
Cabin Temperature: 67
Water Temperature: 56
Sail: Motoring sailing for a few hours to charge batteries.
Noon-to-Noon Miles Made Good: 138
Miles this leg: 1432
Avg. Miles this leg: 143
Wind went aft and died right away this morning. I started to motor just after breakfast, largely to charge batteries. After lunch we were sailing again on poled out twin headsails, though winds remain light and the sails whip themselves to ribbons. It’s deeply aggravating to see one’s excellent sails–needed for another 40,000 miles–abused by a wind disinterested in blowing and a rolly sea .
During our hours of slow motoring, I saw some interesting debris and was able to bring some of it aboard. An Asian-labeled water bottle with the lid on, floating high and carrying only two barnacles; a Head and Shoulders shampoo bottle (just my brand!); and a Ramen Noodle bowl. The last two were submerged and covered in barnacles. Pictures below…
Deep fog in the morning cleared to high cloud and has now descended again to deep fog. I joke with Monte that we must be near home because we’re under an interminable marine layer. He’s shivering at his post and grumbles that this must be my fault, that I must have said untoward and this is our punishment.
“Because this is not summer, Senior. Almost it is July; this is not right. Did you say something against nature, even think it? (Monte is not ever so familiar with North Pacific weather.) “Because, Senior, back in my village one must do 407 Hail Marys and 328 Our Fathers and then sweep the priest’s front porch every Friday for six weeks–sometimes just the latter will do–if his thoughts or actions bring on weather like this.”
Is it fair to sat that the Japanese Sunami caused an incredible amount of plastic and other stuff to be in the Pacific. ??
Oh Captain Pete, What we do not know WILL hurt us!
Large volumes of plastic enter the water daily from our own waste stream – some is litter, some has already broken down from photo degradation and enter as particles. There is a book called Plastic Ocean by Capt Charles Moore who has used his inheritance to devote the second half of his life to study this issue and to look for solutions. (The plastic is deadly to sea life and bird life.)All this is not to say that the Tsunami didn’t also dump a lot of plastic and other debris into the ocean, but it was merely added to an already grave problem. There is also a lot of trash from fishing boats and cruise ships – and who knows where else (pirates?!). Hopefully the cruise ships have now stopped dumping trash.
It is a subject worth reading up on because it’s one we have control over and can do something about. It is the reason that municipalities are starting to ban grocery stores from giving away plastic bags.
I hope this information is useful.
Aloha,
Mary