Jon T. Howard - North Atlantic Gyre Blog #6

I feel like I am playing catch up after missing most of the week due to illness but luckily I have some very productive last few days. My priorities have been to continue to reach out to possible sponsors and gathering my gear for the trip. I still need to figure out my return flight from the trip too. I will either need to get a hopper flight from Bermuda back to St. Thomas or I will need to book a one way from Bermuda. Either way it will probably work out to be about the same if I had booked one ways to and from each destination. On the gear front I am excited to have Hybrid Lights "Solar Lite" along for the voyage. They have offered to give all the crew one of their super cool, water proof solar flashlights. I used a smaller version camping over the summer and they are great. They hold a charge for up to 3 years and are super bright. Thank you Linda Aguas for making that happen. I also went to Sports Authority to get some basic gear since so much is on sale for the holidays. One thing I am focused on is making sure I am as comfortable as possible on the trip regardless of conditions. We have been told to expect every kind of weather so warmth is key. I picked up some Pepper long johns, a Columbia fleece jacket, a pair of fleece pants, an Asics Thermopolis long sleeve shirt, a couple of The North Face beanies, 2 pair of thick WigWam socks and 3 different type of gloves for various conditions. It's a start and over the next week I will gather a few more things especially socks. I also picked up a small Martin Guitar for the trip. I was leaning towards taking a Ukelele but I gave into a guitar. I didn't want to take any of my expensive guitars that I use for recording or touring so I got the Martin. I have wanted one for a while and since I had a $50 off coupon at Guitar Center and it was on sale I couldn't pass it up. So that means I will be making music on the high seas and I hope I am inspired to write some new songs too. Stay tuned......

Jon T. Howard - North Atlantic Gyre Blog #5

It's been a few days since I last wrote due to the fact that I have been under the weather since early Tuesday morning. There has been a stomach flu bug going around for a while and it finally caught up with me. Being sick really does set you back that is one thing that is for sure. Now I feel like I have to catch up on everything I needed to due over the last 3 days. I started off Monday great and it went downhill from there. I had gone down and rode my bike 8 miles along Balboa Creek where it runs into the Pacific Ocean to shoot some video of the plastic accumulation after the first major storms. The most shocking thing wasn't how much plastic I saw but how much Styrofoam debris there was. After that I headed to EcoUsable and did some work and ended my day with a 3 mile run. Then the bug hit with full force. Sometimes you just have to give into it and rest so I did. Luckily I was feeling well enough to book my ticket to St. Thomas US Virgin Islands last night and I started making a list of equipment and clothes I will need. I am set to leave LA January 4th and arrive in Miami then catch a flight to the Virgin Islands. Everyone has been asked to arrive 2 days before departure so we can get acclimated and do emergency training. I can't believe it is now less than 3 weeks away! I have to go try on some Keen shoes today so I know my size and I am hopeful they will get me a pair as one of the sponsors. I also reached out to GoPro HD cameras to see if we can get a few cameras for the voyage to capture anything we happen to see in the best quality possible. Until next time...

Jon T. Howard - North Atlantic Gyre Blog #4

It's Monday and I know I have a bunch to do to get myself ready for the trip. I have been getting correspondence over the last few days from some of the others who are going on the adventure. So far I have heard from Leslie Moyer and Stiv Wilson. The funny thing is I only know Dr. Marcus Eriksen his wife Anna Cummins from my work with EcoUsable and now I am embarking on a voyage with 12 strangers on this voyage. One thing is certain we will all know each other much better after this trip. Marcus said they met with Pangaea the other night to get some of the details on the trip and conditions to anticipate. This is what I know so far... it's the North Atlantic Ocean in winter which sounds like it could be cold. Everyone is really excited about this adventure and we are all trying to work together sharing knowledge and gathering supplies. Stiv mentioned in an email that he is hoping to get the opportunity to swim with dolphins... wow I didn't even think about that but how cool will that be. I am certain I will experience things I never have and the biggest thing for me right now is preparation. I am reaching out to everyone I know for gear and sponsorship to insure I have everything I need to maximize the experience. Since I will be the resident musician on the trip, everyone is asking if I am bringing a guitar. Not sure on that one yet because of everything I may need to take but I will definitely take a ukelele to write with and keep me company out on the open ocean. As a matter of fact the crew are already requesting a song for me to learn so we can record an "eco" version. I always like challenges so I will give it my best shot. Well that's the word today....

Jon T. Howard - North Atlantic Gyre Blog #3

It has been a productive day so far today because I have been at an event connecting with many of my friends and business associates in the green world of LA. I had a chance to meet with Linda Aguas from Hybrid Light and I spoke to her about getting some of their great Solar Lights for the trip. Also I met the owner of Bambu Dru who makes very cool organic clothes made of bamboo and hemp that I hope to get a few T-shirts from for the trip. Everyone I have told about the expedition are very excited and curious and are offering their support in every way they are able. I may even have some great organic dark chocolate to take along if I am lucky. Hopefully the momentum will continue to build and others will step forward to lend their support either with product or small cash contributions to help pay for flights and hotels. I reached out to Apple Inc. yesterday and I hope they will join the journey too. Anyway that's about all today on this very wet day in Los Angeles.

Jon T. Howard - North Atlantic Gyre Exploration Expedition Blog #2

Today is a cold crisp day in LA after a badly needed rain last night. I am working on my list of things I am hoping to get from some sponsors and will start reaching out to them later today to assist me on my exploration expedition to the North Atlantic Gyre. I just spoke with Anna Cummins from Algalita Marine Reasearch Foundation about some logistics and she said Keen may be willing to give us some footwear as part of their sponsorship deal. That would be great because they have amazing stuff and I really need some proper shoes for the voyage. There is so much to do over the coarse of the next 3 and a half weeks especially with the Christmas holiday season thrown in. Besides all of todays planning, I am hoping to get down to the LA River sewer wash where it drains into the ocean today to shoot some video of the plastic build up after the first major rains of the season here in LA.

Planning and making arrangements

This is the first in a series of blogs that I will be doing leading up to and during my trip with Dr. Marcus Eriken and Anna Cummins of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation to explore the North Atlantic Gyre. I feel honored to be asked and I am very grateful that EcoUsable Inc. has given me this great opportunity to go on a once in a lifetime journey. Algalita is one of the worlds foremost researchers of the North Pacific Gyre and now are on a quest to research the 4 other gyres known in the world. So into the great unknown we go.... I will be joining a crew of 14 that includes researchers from AMRF and Pangaea aboard the Sea Dragon, Pangaea's 72 foot research vessel as we set sail from St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands to Bermuda on an 11 day voyage of exploration. We will be examining the role plastic pollution plays in transporting Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the marine environment. I have so much to do and thankfully I recently updated my passport. I have a list of essential things I need and I am looking for clothing & equipment sponsors to join me on the trip. I will post a list of necessities in the next few days....