Jon T. Howard North Atlantic Gyre Blog #27

I headed to the airport before the crack of dawn on Thursday January 21st. After making my way through customs, I departed Bermuda in route to Miami just as the sun was rising to begin a long day of travel back to Los Angeles. As the American Airlines plane lifted into the new day I could see the Sea Dragon docked in the bay and I was suddenly hit with the reality that I was heading home. It was a great trip of scientific discovery, new friendships and truly an experience of a lifetime. I realized during my flight as I started to wade through some of the photos and video I had shot that my work was just beginning. In all I shot about 10 hours of video that I will need to edit and at least 2000 photos that I plan to use for exposure in the press and media to bring more awareness to the situation. I am also planning on making some educational videos and a power point presentation to use at schools. I feel honored that EcoUsable http://www.ecousable.com/ believed it was important for me to be apart of this exploration voyage so I could be a first hand witness to damage the plastic pollution is having in the North Atlantic Gyre. After 9 hours of flying, I was greeted by the heaviest rain Los Angeles has had in years. As I shot pictures during our final approach into LAX of the swollen LA River and storm drains flowing to the Pacific Ocean I couldn't help but be deeply sad. All the bottle caps, milk jug rings, lighters, deodarant balls and the shot gun shell I had seen over the last 2 weeks in the Atlantic Gyre all begins on land somewhere. It gets washed out to sea and since plastic was made to last forever it floats on an endless journey around the world slowly breaking down. Along the way it becomes a million times more absorbent and leaches with things like pesticides, mercury and the toxic chemicals we've recklessly dumped in the ocean. Eventually it breaks down small enough to become food for the fish, turtles and birds which unfortunately then comes back to haunt us as part of our food chain. If I learned anything on this amazing trip it's that we must break the chain of plastic... NOW!

Jon T. Howard North Atlantic Gyre Blog #26

I've been spending the last the few days getting caught up in Bermuda and staying active with the Sea Dragon crew working on various projects. I got in a good long run along the coast which was absolutely picturesque. I also checked out some old forts and even collected 16 bottles for my Running For Mother Nature Campaign. It doesn't matter where I run there are always bottles and cans along the way. Yesterday I had finally had access to a computer long enough to add some photos to the past blogs so please check them out when you get a chance. I will be adding video once I get back stateside in the next few days. Last night we invited some of our gracious hosts from Bermuda to a big crew BBQ with some local Speckled Hind fish, polenta and cold beer from Portugal. We all finally had a moment to really relax and just hang out for a while. This morning we were picked up early by a local dive expert named JP Skinner who is from the Bermuda Institute of Oceanograhpy. We all loaded unto his fishing boat with our wetsuits (http://www.bodyglove.com/) and snorkling gear and headed out to a ship called the Spirit of Bermuda to speak with some school children about our North Atlantic Gyre voyage and mission. Every 13 year old in Bermuda attends the program where they live on the boat for a week, learn about sailing, and go snorkeling to explore their local world class reefs and sunken ships. I told them how lucky they were to live in such a beautiful place and how important it was to help preserve it. I showed them my EcoUsable bottle and encouraged them all to use stainless steel bottles. It was great to see a few kids already using their own stainless steel bottles. Marcus spoke to them about the harmful affects plastic have on the marine life and how it all eventually leads back to us when the fish eat the plastics. After that we joined them for some snorkeling at a reef off Non Such Island and then checked out a huge sunken ship from World War Two that was full of colorful fish and quite a sight to see. The sad part about it all was there was so much plastic washed up on Non Such Island which has come from all over the world via the North Atlantic Ocean Gyre. We also picked up some plastic in the bay on our way back to the Sea Dragon. What can I say, there is plastic everywhere it shouldn't be these days and unfortunately plastic is made to last forever. We must do something about it... now!

Jon T. Howard North Atlantic Gyre Blog #25

We reached landfall at approximately 8:30 am on 1/17/2010... It was a beautiful serene sunrise with very calm conditions as the Sea Dragon cruised into the port of Bermunda. After 9 days out in the North Atlantic Ocean it was great to step off the boat and feel the ground again though I must admit I really always felt extremely comfortable on the boat regardless of conditions. We were allowed to go take a walk around the town of St. George to grab some breakfast and coffee but expected to be back to the Sea Dragon to do a complete cleaning of the boat. Sightseeing would have to wait until later. It is amazing how dirty it got but with 9 people living in very tight quarters for the last 12 it was hardly shocking. Everyone was assigned a cleaning duty and off we went like bees to get it all done. I was in charge of wiping all white surfaces and rinsing the deck after we all scrubbed it with soap and brushes. The great thing about our captain Clive Cosby www.highperformancedevelopment.co.uk/teamprofiles/clive_cosby.php is since he completed the world's toughest yaht race, the around the world Global Challenge http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Challenge in 2004, he has been a team builder and trainer for corporations and companies so he really focuses on us working together to make the boat run smooth. Everyone had to pull their weight no matter what which is best considering all the conditions you encounter out at sea. After we finished cleaning we all dispersed for some R&R and to find some French Fries and cold beers...

Jon T. Howard North Atlantic Gyre Blog #24

It is a calm beautiful night and even though it is cool up on deck, the stars are crystal clear and it feels very exhilarating to take it all in. We are listening to some Bob Marley and are just beginning to see the glow of Bermuda far off in the distance on the Sea Dragon’s port side. This is our 8^th day out in the North Atlantic Gyre and it has been a very productive day of gathering evidence of plastic pollution. The further north we have trawled the more plastic we have continued to find. We are now about 50 miles south of Bermuda and planning on arriving there around 8 am on Sunday January 17^th. We spent today doing 3 hour trawls every 50 miles with Anna and Marcus’s goal of getting 20 completed by the time we reach Bermuda. Along the way we happened upon another large Windrow where the Sargasso Sea weed was very dense and there was plastic mixed in throughout everywhere we could see. Large, small and tiny pieces of plastic every shape and color were fished out while we filmed and photographed the pollution to document it as best as we were able. As successful as we feel to have found the debris we are all saddened by its first hand truth. I can only hope that the more www.EcoUsable.com, www.5Gyres.org, www.Algalita.org, www.panexplore.com and www.BlueTurtle.com work to bring attention to this issue with research the more the world will realize we must find better solutions to this serious problem. We are all very excited to be on land and after regrouping in Bermuda for a few days I will be heading back to Los Angeles on January 21st. The Sea Dragon will leave for its next leg January 28^th and head across the North Atlantic to the Azores as they continue to study different parts of the North Atlantic Gyre.

Jon T. Howard North Atlantic Gyre Blog #23

I spent last night’s shift completely layered up with fleece and covered with my foul weather gear from head to toe. We were using the engine to push north due to the winds being so unfavorable. The winds were 20-30 knots from the north creating conditions that forced us to head directly into the swells. The Sea Dragon usually rocks side to side but we spent 12 hours through the night consistently rocking forward to back which caused quite a few of the crew to get sick. The temperature has dropped considerably in the last few days and it was a cold crisp night for stargazing. Waves breaking over the bow provided a constant spray of salty sea water that you never quite get used to. Staying warm and dry are the keys because even though the conditions were pretty poor I really enjoyed being up on deck. The first mate, John Wright, and I had a constellation chart we used to pass the hours while we pounded through the night. It is a very exile rating feeling unlike anything I have ever experienced. We have definitely changed course and will not be able to get to the main section of the gyre we were heading to due to the approaching weather towards Bermuda. Our captain Clive Cosby made the decision late yesterday for the safety of us all and they have decided to trawl that area once they leave Bermuda heading towards the Azores. Other than that, everyone is already making plans for an iced cold beer and some French fries once we hit land…

Jon T. Howard North Atlantic Gyre Blog #22

Our shift ended at 2 am and we headed to bed to get 4 hours sleep before our 6 am – 6 hour shift was set to begin. The North Atlantic was still tossing the Sea Dragon around mercilessly and I didn’t get the best sleep. The great thing about the 6am –Noon shift is you get to watch the sun rise which from an ocean view is very majestic. Once we had the light of day, it was great to ride the swells sailing full steam ahead. Around 9 am we had our first dolphin sighting as a group of them swam with the ship crisscrossing from side to side surfing in our wake.. One of them even leapt out of the ocean right along the side of the Sea Dragon. Amazing! Late in the morning we had another encounter with another tanker/freighter ship but the closest it came was about 3 miles. That still looks really close after not seeing anything but a few birds for days. Due to the heavy swell conditions we will not be trawling today but pushing North because we are trying to beat a low pressure system that is due to hit Bermuda and according to our skipper Clive, we do not want to sail through it. It is expected to bring gale force winds up to 50 knots and create some very rough seas. Hopefully the weather will cooperate so we can beat the storm. Now time for a nap, my next shift starts in 4 and a half hours at 6 pm…

Jon T. Howard North Atlantic Gyre Blog #21

Birthday Post from Jauary 13, 2010

I woke up today at 10:30 am after getting to sleep around 6:30 am. I was greeted with a big bowl of oatmeal Anna had made for me since it was my birthday. My next watch was set to begin at 12 noon but I could hear everyone up on deck very excited so I rushed up to see what was going on? Marcus was on the bow pointing at a long line of Sargassum and telling everyone to grab the nets and cameras and keep a look out for plastic. Sure enough there it was mixed in with all the Sargassum.… everywhere. Marcus explained it is all pushed together due to a Windrow which is where two currents converge and push the Sargassum and plastic together. We spent the next hour fishing out as much as we could reach. We found a bunch of bottle caps, a plastic bag, fishing line, broken fragments of plastic large and small and even a large fisherman’s boot covered with Barnacles. As excited as we were to find evidence it was also a sad reminder that we must do something about the world’s dependence and use of plastic now. That is why www.EcoUsable.com is here as a sponsor and seeing it firsthand really drove the point home to the need to get people to stop using single use plastic before it is too late. We marked the coordinates with our GPS and the Latitude and Longitude of the find was 25 33 18 North - 62 26 47 West. We were over 400 miles to the closest land and there was a garbage patch to be seen as clear as day. Everyone said we were lucky to find the patch because it was my birthday. I don’t know about that but I am sure I will still talk about this birthday for years to come. About mid afternoon the weather quickly took a change for the worst and the winds picked up again. We spent the next 14 hours rocking and rolling while the sea tossed us around like a toy. On a high note Stiv Wilson who is the editor of Wend Magazine (www.WendMag.com) made me a chocolate cake and everyone sang Happy Birthday. The crew is a great group of people and I feel honored to be a part of this special mission.

Jon T. Howard North Atlantic Gyre Blog #20

I was up through the night on the 2-6 am shift helping Anna and Marcus do some night trawling and videoing the samples we found. I shot some great footage that I will post when I get back to land in Bermuda. I am very thankful to have the Tactical Solar Lites that Hybrid Lights http://www.hybridlights.com/ gave the crew for the mission because we have been working every night and it is very dark once the sun goes down especially when there is cloud cover like last night. Every trawl has come up with some bits and pieces of plastic but not as much as Marcus says www.Algalita.org has found in the North Pacific, That is the good news but the bad news is we are still at least 500 miles from the center of the gyre where they believe there will be a denser accumulation of debris due to the currents in the Sargasso Sea. After we pulled up the trawl this afternoon we finally put up our main sail and jib(Yankee) sail for some great sailing. The feeling is so much different from when we are using the Sea Dragons engine to push through the swells. Make sure to follow our GPS at www.panexplore.com and also check out the videos being sent to www.5gyres.org/whats_happening_now . As night approached the captain, Clive Cosby, gave us the news during dinner that the winds would be picking up significantly and we would be in for a rough night. He wasn’t kidding at all and halfway through the night we were being pounded by winds up to 30 knots. The winds whip up the swells and had the Sea Dragon rocking and bouncing heavily all night long. We had to pull out our foul weather gear and layer up because the temperature dropped rapidly and we were being drenched with waves and spray for hours at a time during our watches. Let me give you an idea how it feels. Imagine getting on a ride at an amusement park that shakes, goes up and down and side to side for hours on end and you know you can’t get off. You are at the complete mercy of the ocean. That is what we dealt with for over 12hours while we waited out the winds. In the early morning of January 12^th we encountered a large cargo ship that at one point was heading right for us. I watched as the approaching ship appeared bigger and bigger through the binoculars until it was as clear as day in front of us while we worked to maneuver around it. It’s hard to imagine something getting so close out in the open ocean after not seeing anything for at all for 3 days. Luckily we have radar and GPS and our captain made contact with the other ships captain and we sailed safely behind the cargo ship.

Jon T. Howard North Atlantic Gyre Blog #19

My day began at 5:45 am and our first task of the day was to put out the trawls for another round of gathering debris and marine samples. It was an amazing sunrise and the beginning of a beautiful clear warm day. During my 6-12 shift we pulled in our first large piece of plastic floating in the middle of the ocean. I was on watch at the front of the ship and spotted 5 other smaller nylon ropes and colored plastics floating by as we made our way north towards Bermuda. After lunch I rested and did some reading while the A watch took over helping Anna and Marcus with their research. Late in the afternoon the swells and winds were small enough for us to stop the Sea Dragon and go for our first swim. I pulled out the gear Body Glove (http://www.bodyglove.com/) had provided for the trip and jumped into the big blue ocean off the deck. The water felt so good and was perfect to swim in. I snapped off a few pictures of everyone swimming and got a picture of the EcoUsable (http://www.ecousable.com/) logo on the side of the Sea Dragon. What an awesome treat it was and everyone including the captain went for a dip. The water is such a deep blue and with my goggles I studied the complete underbelly of the ship. It was an amazing feeling to be swimming in the middle of the open ocean surrounded by nothing but blue. You feel very very small in the big scheme of things and no one wanted to drift to far from the Sea Dragon..

Jon T. Howard North Atlantic Gyre Blog #18

Today was our first day of research and trying out the equipment to gather specimens. Working as a team we deployed the Manta Trawl to pull alongside the boat and did visual observance for plastic debris. When we are working with the trawl we have to slow the Sea Dragon down to between 1- 2 knots for 3-4 hours at a time so that we are able to gather as much of the surface debris and sea life as possible for analysis. Both times we deployed the trawl we captured fragments of plastic. We also spotted a few large pieces of plastic junk floating in the ocean and even picked up one with the net around midday. Between trawling we are able to put up the sails utilizing sail power which is a completely different feeling then when we use the engine. Other than that, we had a flying fish jump onto the boat that Anna Cummins dissected to see if it had any plastic in its stomach. Luckily it was all clear. We rotate taking turns cooking and tonight Ivan and I were in charge of dinner. We whipped up a hardy leek stew with beef, mushrooms and broccoli and big pan of corn bread for our 9 person crew. Everyone loved it and had seconds which is always a good sign. Our first mate John Wright from England had never had cornbread and really took a liking to it. We have been very fortunate that the meals so far have been very tasty. Last night Stiv and Steve made fish tacos from the fresh Mahi Mahi Steve caught off the coast of St. Thomas. As we run out of food supplies we will have to be a lot more creative and anything more than pasta will become a real luxury unless we are able to catch more fish along the way.

Jon T. Howard North Atlantic Gyre Blog #17

We officially departed St. Thomas at 3:00 pm Friday January 8, 2010 and the Sea Dragon headed out around the southern westerly side of the island and then pushed north toward Bermuda. It is an 800 mile journey of Open Ocean to Bermuda but our plan is to go east of Bermuda into the center of the theoretic accumulation zone of plastic. The total miles will be approximately 1100 miles. We are hoping to travel about 100 miles a day and average between 6-7 knots. About an hour into our journey 4 of my crew mates began to feel the effects of the ship's constant rocking. Between pills and patches everyone was doing everything they could to get comfortable and acclimated. Luckily so far so good for myself and I am really enjoying being on the Sea Dragon. We began our shifts at 6 pm just as the sun was beginning to set and started settling in for the night. We have an A & B group of which I am in the B group. Our shifts were 6-10 pm and 2-6 am with a four hour sleep break from 10-2 am. It was great to get out of the Haven Grande port and feel the cool sea breeze especially at night. Other than a few passing ships far off in the distance which we must track it was amazingly serene. As the golden waning moon rose from the horizon it looked like a boat sitting off in the distance. It was quite a sight to see along with the millions of stars that filled the sky once the clouds cleared. Priceless...

Jon T. Howard - North Atlantic Gyre Blog #16

We are heading out to sea today and everyone has been busy since early this morning getting the ship final prepped for the voyage. To say everyone is excited would be an understatement and we are all ready to go. We spent yesterday learning about the various equipment that Dr. Marcus Eriksen has made and will be using to explore and grab samples. We will be using a "Manta Trawl" that will be trawling with fine nets grabbing surface fish and plastic. We are also sending a Benthic Grabber "Sediment Scoop" to the bottom of the ocean to pick up material from the ocean floor that can go as deep as 5 miles. It is all some very innovative equipment that has never been used before. Check out the video on the equipment at http://www.5gyres.org/whats_happening_now. We also went through the ship again to secure everything and made an inventory list of food and supplies. Our ships owner Ron Ritter of http://www.pangaea.org/ left late yesterday afternoon and headed back to California where his wife Portia is 8 months pregnant so he could be there for the birth of their baby. I know he would love to be along for the voyage but he has been sailing since September bringing the Sea Dragon down from the UK stopping along the way in ports of Portugal, Cape Verde, Morocco, and The Canary Islands en route to the Caribbean. They are putting the EcoUsable and Blue Turtle sponsor decals on the Sea Dragon as I type this blog and I want to say thanks again to http://www.ecousable.com/ for allowing me to be here. As I ran along the beautiful coastline yesterday afternoon I found another 16 bottles and cans. The people in the cars next to the pathway were yelling thank you every time they saw me pick up the debris. All the plastic starts with us and on the land and works its way to the oceans and waterways. Someday I hope we eliminate the single use plastic bottles and all switch to using our own stainless steel water bottles like EcoUsable. North Atlantic Gyre here we come. I will update as I am able from the sea...

Jon T. Howard - North Atlantic Gyre Blog #15

We woke up today with a light drizzle and though the sun has been trying to break through, so far it hasn't had any luck. It looks like we will be staying an extra day in St. Thomas while we wait for some equipment but the plan is to depart tomorrow late morning. We spent yesterday going through the ship with the captain getting detailed instructions on where every thing is and how the Sea Dragon operates inside and out. Everyone was assigned life vests and foul weather gear that is coordinated to our bunks. Mine is #17 and it's very important to create complete order because in the event of a sudden change of weather or an emergency we all need to be clear about where things are and the proper procedure. Captain Clive Cosby from the UK has been very thorough and is great a teacher which makes any of the work and learning so much better. The one thing he has stressed more than anything is safety and taking every thing about our assigned tasks serious. After our morning of training we actually

took the Sea Dragon out sailing for a while so we could all learn how to operate the wenches and sails. The ships owner Ron Ritter who sailed the ship down from England took photos and video from the dingy as we went through some basic maneuvers with the sails on the Sea Dragon. So far so good and I really love getting as involved as possible. The experience the captain and his first mate John Wright have is lifelong and I hope to learn as much about sailing as possible on this voyage. We will all be working around the clock doing 3 man crews of 6 hours on then 6 hours off during the day and 4 hours on and 4 hours off and 4 hours on through the night. They have stressed over and over that rest and down time will be very important as well as eating well and drinking large amounts of water. Well I must report back to the ship for some duties...

Jon T. Howard - North Atlantic Gyre Blog #14

Yesterday was a busy and full day getting organized on the boat and helping out where I was able. I was sent on a mission with one of the crew members named Steve Amato to find propane to fill a couple of the tanks used on the Sea Dragon. We took the dingy out of the port across the harbor and around to the other side of the island looking for the St. Thomas Gas Company. It was strange being in such a small boat as we traversed across the harbor in the shadows of the massive cruise ships. Unfortunately we were given some wrong directions not once but twice and it ended up being a seek and find mission. The next thing I know Steve and I are walking down a busy street pushing a shopping cart we found loaded with the tanks. It all worked out in the end but not after quite an adventure. As soon as we got back to the Sea Dragon, Anna, Stiv and Ivan (http://www.blueturtle.com/) were loading the dingy to go for a swim and snorkeling at a little beach area Stiv had found earlier in the day. They asked if I wanted to join them and off we went. It was great to test out the new mask Body Glove gave me while we swam and looked at fish in the late afternoon. We we returned to the ship I headed out for a 3 mile sunset run. On a side note, I have been putting together a non profit program called Running For Mother Nature where I pick up plastic bottles, cans and glass bottles during my runs and donate the money to environmental organizations. The idea is, if there was a nickle or a dime on the street most people would pick it up but since people view bottles and cans as trash most individuals just leave it and walk past it. I think if we change the mindset of runners and walkers across the US to show them they can help by cleaning their neighborhood and raise money for organizations that actually are working for solutions it is a win-win for all especially Mother Earth. During my extensive traveling this year, I have tried it in Florida, Texas, Missouri, Northern California, Southern California, The High Desert of Joshua Tree, Hawaii's North Shore, Utah, and now St. Thomas. I picked up 8 bottles or cans on my run in St. Thomas which is considered a paradise in the world. No matter where I have run I usually find an average of 5 bottles which equates to about 20 cents. I run an average of 4 times a week so that is 80 cents a week. I know that isn't much but there are a lot of runners and walkers out there and if each one gave even $12 on a quarterly basis and there are 100,000 people participating, that works out to about a 4.8 million dollars a year that could be generated for organizations that really need funding. I hope to launch the program in the spring of 2010 and give to an organizations that study and try to solve our world pollution issues. Beyond all that the rest of the crew came in late last night and today we begin safety training and head out sailing for the afternoon to get a feel for working the sails and procedures. I can't wait...

Jon T. Howard - North Atlantic Gyre Blog #13

I arrived at the Haven Grande port in St. Thomas last night around 9:30 pm after leaving LA at 6:00 am. Needless to say it was a long day and four time time zones later I was finally at my destination. I was greeted on the Sea Dragon by Anna Cummins and Dr. Marcus Erikesen from 5Gyres.org with a cold beer and a warm meal which sure felt good. I was given a quick tour of the boat and then just did some unwinding after my day of travel. I woke up this morning January 5th, 2010 to a clear blue sky and 85 degrees. I had a great nights sleep being gently rocked on the boat but I know that won't be the norm once we hit the open ocean on the 7th. While I slept, the port filled up with huge cruise line ships and private luxury yachts from around the world and the Haven Grande Yacht area is bustling with tourists this morning. I have the morning off to get acclimated to the area while the crew gathers the last few things we need for our voyage and we wait for the rest of the people joining the adventure to arrive. I am currently nursing a large iced Americano at a local coffee shop called Bad Ass Coffee with Stiv Wilson from Wend Magazine (http://www.wendmag.com/). It is great to be working with such a cool group of people who really care about the environment and are trying to figure out ways to make things better. I am truly grateful for the opportunity that EcoUsable (http://www.ecousable.com/) has given me to be apart of this crew. Here is what I have learned so far... The Sea Dragon is nearly 100,000 pounds of wielded steel and has a zero class rating. It is capable of sailing during any conditions the weather and seas present and has been around the world twice. It began it's journey to St. Thomas out of the UK and went down through Cape Verde, Portugal, and Morocco before heading west to the Caribbean Islands. They are saying the first week should be warm and sunny but as we head further north the weather get much cooler and the winds will pick up. Once we set sail our global position will be posted via a GPS satelite on http://www.panexplore.com/. Until next time...

Jon T. Howard - North Atlantic Gyre Blog #12

Well this is my last Blog before I depart for the US Virgin Islands tomorrow morning. My flight out of LAX leaves at 6 am which means I have to get to the airport around 4 am due to the recent increase of extra security measures. I head to Miami and then catch a flight to the Virgin Islands. The last few days have been a real whirlwind to say the least. Between doctors, getting equipment, a new super short haircut and a ton of laundry I have been very busy. Most of it has been exciting but unfortunately my bulldog Sassy who was a few months shy of 14 had to be put to sleep yesterday. She had been suffering with a bunch of ailments over the last year and had really taken a turn for the worst in December. After consulting with her vet we all felt like it was time because her quality of life had deteriorated so bad and there wasn't anything the vet could do to help her anymore. RIP Sassy... you were an amazingly gentle, loving animal and a true friend for over 13 years and will truly be missed. It was hard to get back on track after yesterday's loss but I spent today hanging with my son, watching some football and picking up a few last minute items like DVC tapes, an extra set of Martin guitar strings and some snacks. I also put together a complete list of clothes and gear I am taking which I will post during my layover in Miami. Here are a few essentials - I am bringing 2 video cameras(1 HD) and my new Flip HD. Thank you Witz Cases for the helping me protect all my electronics. Besides that I am bringing an old fashion underwater film camera and a digital camera. Should inspiration strike, I am bringing my Little Martin LXM guitar to play and write songs on while I am out in the big blue ocean. I also have a huge variety of music on my iPod shuffles and Zune. They recommended bringing DVD's so I packed season 2&3 of Curb Your Enthusiasm plus some live music DVD's of Dave Mathews, Bob Marley, and Bluesman John Hammond. I have some great dark chocolate from Trader Joes and a mixed variety of Guayaki Yerba Matte, Starbucks Via ready brew and Yogi Teas (my favorite is Classic Indian Spice). Other than all of that I want to thank Joey Mendelsohn, the CEO of EcoUsable for making all of this possible and seeing the importance of this voyage. I also want to thank Body Glove, Hybrid Lights, and Witz Cases for their generous support of me on this mission. Godspeed...

Jon T. Howard - North Atlantic Gyre Blog #11

Happy New Year!!! Just a few days until I fly to St. Thomas US Virgin Islands. I will fly out of Los Angeles early Monday and arrive in St. Thomas late on Monday after stopping in Miami. The crew will do some acclimation and emergency training for a day or two then head out on our voyage to the North Atlantic Gyre. Since I last blogged I have continued to be very busy getting everything in order for the trip. I headed to Best Buy on Tuesday and picked up a small laptop to use for blogging on the boat. I also stopped by Verizon to get the low down on international emailing, texting and tethering using my Blackberry with the laptop. It is outrageously expensive so I have to keep all updates short and sweet. Besides that I picked up a few writing journals and the book "Fast Food Nation" from Borders Books. I spent most of Wednesday at my Chiropractor Dr. Michael Lau's office getting some adjustments and treatments to my back and then I headed to UCLA medical offices in Santa Monica for a full exam by Dr. Jeffrey Goldsmith and to get prescription for some sea sick medicine patches called Scopolamine. Lastly on Wednesday I dropped by Dive and Surf in Hermosa Beach and picked up the Body Glove snorkel, fins, and mask that Body Glove's VP generously donated for the trip. Thank you Billy. Hopefully I will get a wetsuit tomorrow to help deal with the conditions in the Atlantic and other than that I am pretty sure I have everything I will need. As I start packing I am compiling a complete equipment list that I will post before I leave. One last thing check out www.5Gyres.org so you can get an idea of the mission of the voyage and see everyone who is involved.