Day 3
We are feeling pretty seasick in the morning so we didn’t t help with the measurements After lunch we felt better. Nico was giving Dan a haircut while the wind was light, the crew can do anything!
Being on Tara has a magical feeling to it. You can feel the thousands of mi!es it has covered and all the adventure it has been through. It is also awesome that even if the language on board is French, you can come into the common room and you’ll hear French, English, Spanish and some Italian, giving it a nice multicultural atmosphere.
The people on board are not just there to enjoy the cruise, but they all feel strongly about the purpose of this expedition and the importance of the message of ocean conservation they want to transmit. Eveyone here cares a lot about the health an future of our oceans, and they live on the front line. They live in unison with the ocean, and through their work they show how our the oceans is changing trough climate change. It is a privilege for us to learn from and work alongside these scientists, it definitely makes us feel like we are part of the project.
Day 4
We are feeling better today. In the morning we helped out with the plankton net tows, filtration of samples and collection of a water sample for iron analysis (a proxy for chlorophyll and primary productivity in the ecosystem). After lunch an after the daily compulsory nap, we helped out with various tasks, not all science involved, that gave us an idea of life on board. We watched Month the divemaster service some of the scuba regulators, then Nico, the second chief, showed us how to fix damaged ropes. All handy tasks when at sea and, it s good to learn new skills and help the crew out. We helped out tightening up some of the sails an we turned one engine back on, because the wind dropped.
Then, an amazing sunset surprised us an we all went on desktop observe an sink into it. It is such a beautiful occurrence, we all watched in silence for a few minutes.
After that, another daily routine, our yoga lesson on deck. Michel, one of the scientists, is also a yoga teacher and he s being going lesson s to us every day. It definitely helps and it a good to stretch out.
Now, we are waiting for dinner, lasagne tonight yum!
Life on board has been fantastic, and it’s awesome we are getting to experience all the aspects of it.
Charlotte Borra
Blake Tara Ambassador 2017