Programs Blog

Carly Cooper, University of South Carolina

Me, Nate, and Carolyn taking a selfie (wizard bill is also in there).

Ship’s Log

Position
20°47.4’ N x 156°30.1’ W

Taffrail Log
3871 nm

Weather
Winds: N Force 5

Souls on Board

So many feelings to feel.
So many thoughts to think.
So many experiences to process.
So many mental images swarming around in all our minds.
So much that is so good.
So much that is so pure, so magical, so full of life…
Both on the boat and outside of it.
It’s overwhelming.
It’s breathtaking.
It’s encouraging.
Coexisting with the Earth day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, second
by second, moment by moment.
To live in harmony with the Earth is to be human.

One way to do it is to go out on a sailboat and at one point find yourself in the middle of the ocean

This voyage has been and still is quite the remarkable journey as I’m sure all can attest. Several of us were met face-to-face with all sorts of different challenges affecting us each in different ways and to different extents. We were put in uncomfortable positions that required a mindset geared towards attentiveness and compliance. There were times where it was necessary to compartmentalize and focus. There were also times when the unexpected seemed to mount up almost to a point of becoming intolerable, yet somehow, this feeling would only last for a little while before it dissipated. It would dissipate because you would have to bring yourself back into the present moment, you would have to refocus and shift your attention to the task at hand.

Being challenged and being put in uncomfortable positions allowed all of us to grow. It made us stronger. Having to think quick on your feet and set all else aside forced us to live in the present moment, the here and now. Constantly being reminded to live in the present is a good thing. It keeps humans from living too much in their head and reminds them that they have a heart, spirit, and soul—a body that needs to be nourished, that needs to stay in tune with the Earth around them. Someone on the boat told me the present is a gift. It’s true no?

Life is difficult whether you are on land or at sea, however, being at sea the ‘difficulties’ were more bearable even when they weren’t. Perhaps it was because of this sense of unity, this shared experience, or maybe it was because there were fewer distractions and less input, whether that input is from technology or from the day to day hustle and bustle of U.S. society. Either way, it’s special when 40 or so people can get together on a boat, strangers for the most part, and live together for a month and a half sailing their way across the Pacific Ocean; not to mention being optimistic all the while. Even when times were hard there was no outright anger or resentment ever shown. This made the experience so much more beautiful. Everyone’s positive attitudes have made this trip just that much more fulfilling and wholesome, that much more meaningful and profound. We were able to focus on the sailing, the science, nature, celestial nav., and learn about ourselves and others. This trip was definitely way more powerful than I could have foreseen.

The thought of leaving the ocean and the sailboat along with all the people I have met makes me sad, but it brings me joy to think about all the things I have learned with them/alongside them and hope that I will meet other people in the world similar to the ones I have met on this boat in terms of mindset. We are also just a phone call away from each other back on land.

Who knows, maybe when the time is right some of us will meet up again and go on some other wild adventure. The future really is limitless and you really can put your mind to anything you want to do. There is so much potential in each and every one of us. Each of us are so special and have something so valuable to offer the world. Please, please, please don’t forget it. If you do, then look out at the sea and remember the whales you saw for almost two hours underneath the moonlight—you will feel warmth and comfort. Look up in the sky and see the birds and remember the boobies perched on the yards and bowsprit’—you will laugh. Look up at night and remember those shooting stars that would glide across the sky for 3 seconds with purple, red, yellow, blue tails—you will be left in awe. Look across the horizon of the ocean and remember that feeling of being out in the middle of the Pacific—you will be left with inspiration. Look at the fish in an open body of water and you will be reminded of the brightly colored fish you saw when snorkeling near Maui—it will be humbling.

When you look at lights remember the flashing bioluminescence in the ocean—you will be able to tell yourself that everything is more than okay and that if these small organisms could bring light into their darkness why can’t you? Feel the wind then think of its variation throughout our voyage—you will remember that change is constant. Never stop being open to change, never lose your ability to come up with creative and original thoughts/ideas, never stop taking perspective and being self-aware, never stop being curious, always stay true to yourself and follow your gut, and remember…the time is now.

Here’s to an incredible experience! This entry is dedicated to all the people on the Robert C. Seamans S-301 voyage, may you always have/be able to find a space where you feel loved and at peace,

– Eva Hart

Side note: (Hope you are doing well mom and dad, I’ll see you in Kona so soon mom!! Can’t wait. Miss ya millions. Love you Luke, hope life isn’t treating you too bad:)