Programs Blog

Date: April 24, 2025

Time: 0900

Location: Southern South Pacific Gyre (32º 53.8’ S, 151º 42.6’ W)

Weather: Windy (force 5), overcast, 8ft seas, 21˚C  

The birds along our cruise track have provided us with great company throughout our time in the Southern South Pacific Gyre, and at this point I consider them my companions in a similar way that the ship’s crew are. Hello, my name is Brigitte Walla, and I am “the bird girl” here to give you a rundown of everything seabird.

The last two-and-a-half weeks underway have been quite eventful for both bird life and me- so here is a synopsis of both! First, a few personal updates for the context of many events in this post: I have overall been enjoying my time on the Bobby C. immensely, but early on in our trip I sustained a somewhat severe ankle injury, which required us to take a “pit stop” in the Chatham Islands to seek out medical attention. The worst part of this endeavor was that if the x-rays we were seeking out on Chatham indicated I had broken my ankle, I would have to depart the ship and head home—which as you can imagine, was devastating news.

While we were motoring our way from the middle of the ocean back to land, one of the first things I started to notice was the stark change in bird life from offshore to coastal waters. On the way out of port the first time, it was quite easy to overlook these changes, as we had so much to focus on regarding the ship; I overlooked the sudden drop-off of red-billed and southern black backed gull sightings within two days of getting underway. I overlooked the changes in physique of open-ocean birds vs those that rely more heavily on land. And finally, I overlooked the general comfort that I had found in observing offshore bird life.

The big wingspans and pointed primaries of the South Pacific were replaced by rounded bodies and less aerodynamic builds. I could see my dreams of wandering albatross sightings fading fast as land came into sight. For those who don’t know, my main “aspiration” of this trip was to experience wandering albatrosses—some of the largest birds in the world. These animals spend almost their entire lives in offshore waters and range widely, but because of the remote, salty conditions that they prefer, most people go their entire lives without encountering one. We had seen many of the smaller albatrosses at this point (nicknamed “mollymawks” in New Zealand), which remained plentiful even as we pulled into the harbor in Chatham, but I had started to kiss my dreams of sailing with aerial oceanic giants goodbye.

After meeting with doctors and nurses at the tiny medical center on the remote New Zealand island (they had a cat named Bruce, too), they determined that my ankle was not broken- just sprained- and as long as I wore a brace, I could return to the ship for the rest of our cruise track. We motored out of the harbor, and I exchanged ecstatic hugs with friends and eagerly watched land shrink behind us. Ironically, the first bird I glimpsed when I was back on the Bobby C. was a one-legged, red-billed gull; to me, this was a sign that I was in the right place despite my injury.

The next morning, I awoke to Zach calling my name from outside of my bunk saying “Brigitte, there are 30 albatrosses circling the boat, you have to come look!”

I was completely awake as soon as I heard that “A-word”. I quickly jumped out of bed, grabbed my camera, and ran to the quarterdeck where I was indeed greeted with gigantic black and white wings ten feet from the boat.

I couldn’t believe my eyes—what a convention (Gabi decided that a group of albatrosses should be called a convention)! This felt like the ultimate celebration of being able to keep sailing, and I still remember it as one of the ultimate highs of the trip so far. The birds swooped back and forth around the boat for hours, riding the wind that was creating the big seas around us. I have been blown away by the support through the hard times as well as the shared excitement in the good times here on the Bobby C. Between constant offers of help navigating an unstable ground with a bad ankle, yells of “Brig, look!” whenever there is a cool bird around, and general constant good vibes, I will truly cherish this crazy experience for the rest of my life.

Even as I find myself wishing I had some albatross wings so I had to rely less on my ankles to live normally in this moment, the memories and experiences I have had here are unlike anything else, and I cannot wait for everything that is to come. Turning left (north) this week marks a new leg (or foot, ha-ha) of our journey towards French Polynesia, with new species of birds to come along with it. Everything is constantly changing out here, but the birds will always be flying right along the boat with me, and I am confident that the memories I have made (and continue to make) here will remain with me similarly.

Shoutouts:

Mom, Dad, and Yvette: Hello guys! I hope everything is going well at home and school with the big move!! And yes, I promise I am doing fine out here. Say hi to Charlie, Lola, and Shadow for me please.

Eliana and Gabi: Ciao!! I miss you guys and hope Italy is continuing to go well. Have so much fun while you’re there.

Molly, Rochele, Ange, Chloe, Phoebe: Keep holding down the smollege fort (plus Chile for Phoebe)—sending lots of hugs your way. Miss you all.