…..so, here I am again aboard the 2041. I was hoping I might find myself back one day soon, but I never thought it would be only two days since my previous journey! I had so much fun and such a positive experience on Monday’s sail from San Diego to Newport and just had to return for more. One of favorite parts of this journey that keeps me coming back for more is the people. All of come from different and diverse backgrounds with so many colorful stories to share, but I think we all have one common goal in mind. We are all driven by a passion to find solutions to global problems and create positive change in order to secure a brighter, cleaner and more livable future for our children and our children’s children.

Hannah makes a mean veggie pita that I have gotten to enjoy twice now! She knows what’s up when it comes to sustainable, locally grown organic foods that taste amazing. Jake, well he doesn’t say much, but when he does you should listen, it’ll be worth it. His commitment to past 2041 voyages and his hard work on this one really prove his loyalty to the cause. On the other hand, Brent always has something to say even if I cant understand half of it. I think I’m catching on though. His wisdom on his neck of the woods down under make me realize that even though we are a world apart we all face the same issues and are all in this thing together. What can I say about Mark (the captain). It would be easier to say what can’t I say about Mark. He is truly a vast wealth of knowledge on all subjects. Or at least all subjects that I have a genuine interest in! I seem to hold a lot of the same views as he does, but he just seems to express them so much better in such a simple manner. Mark is living proof that chasing your dreams and doing what you love will always get you where you want and need to be. That’s a little something for all the naysayers!

Now what can I say about the passengers? Its as simple as good stuff all around! It was a real diverse group that were a lot of fun to talk to and sail with. Donna from BP was super awesome and had interesting things to say about her work and projects that she is pursuing. She has been a part of the environmental movement since way back and has some great stories. Jessie, a graduate student from UC Irvine, was great to talk to as well. It sounds like he is really doing some great things all over the world and is as passionate as ever. Amanda is a real go getter to say the least. Her work with e3 at SDSU has been nothing short of amazing! She has some great ideas to get sustainability related issues and coursework implemented into the curriculum at our school. I know when she gets in a situation like this, connecting with others that the wheels start turning and the light bulbs go on (CFLs of course!). I really gotta thank Kyle for all his film work. It is crucial that people know what is going on and what this is all about.

That’s the point, right? Keep up the good work. So that brings us to Marjan. All I can say is rockstar! Moving from the UK 48 hours ago with only 4 hours of sleep since? A true soldier in the Army of Change. Keep in touch, we’re going wakeboarding. Don’t worry, when solar panel powered boats hit the market your conscience will be clear! So that just leaves me and I’m just doing my thing, trying to spread the message of change and a better way. I couldn’t do it without all of you though. Thanks to everyone who has made this amazing journey possible. It really is electrifying and provides me with hope that together we can all change the world! O.K., I’ll stop rambling now. Sorry Maura, you know I can’t help it! Signing off from the ‘2041’ sailboat. Best wishes and safe travels.

P.S. Oh yeah, the cruise from Newport was awesome. The weather was great and we even had a bit of wind to get us moving!

Scott Schaad (a.k.a. “PITA”)
SDSU Student, ClubE3

Today was my first real sailing experience. What better way to take the adventure head-on then to take your first sailing ride on boat 2041, a 67 foot yacht traveling the world on a“Voyage for Cleaner Energy.” After seeing Robert Swan tell his crazy and enthusiastic stories at my school, San Diego City College, of walking to both poles, sailing around Africa and speaking to students and country leaders on the affects of human actions on the environment, the only way I wanted to spend my twenty-second birthday last Wednesday, May 7, was touring the boat that carried such an amazing message. With a little persistence, and a return visit the following day for a second tour (where I also was able to take a bay tour and meet the full crew) I annoyed Maura enough to allow me to come with the crew for a sail up to Newport Beach. This was an amazing opportunity, there’s no way I was going to pass it up! I was invited alongside my Anthropology professor Steve Boucaren, a student from San Diego State,and a couple of fellow City College students, Beau and Marsha.

The morning started off. . . interesting. I awoke later than expected and got to the Harbor as fast as I could after picking up Beau. We boarded the yacht a little after 7:15 AM. Being that this was going to be my first real sailing experience, I was a little nervous as to how my Ohio-born, land-locked body would react with the motion of the ocean. To take extra steps, I bought some Dramamine the night before. We got on and got all settled in by running through a quick intro of ourselves to each other. The eclectic collection of different individuals aboard was the element that excited me most for the day ahead! As we departed the harbor, we put on our harnesses and became familiar with the boat. Hannah, the crew chef on board, brought up some muffins as a muncher for breakfast. This was the only thing I ate so far. The morning was actually a lot colder than I thought it would be with gray skies and cool winds. I think it was the first morning in San Diego since I have moved here where I wore jeans, two shirts, a fleece sweater and winter hat! The ride was smooth at first as we passed beautiful San Diegan cliffs and departed from the harbor. I was feeling great, until about twenty minutes later. . . .I most likely tripped my mind out and could not ease it as I kept thinking of the possibility of sea sickness. For precaution purposes, I took a couple of Dramamine, but it was too late. Within an hour after taking them, I could feel my mind swimming in nausea and all of the blood was sucked out of my face. I went to the bathroom and looked in a mirror – even my lips were white! It didn’t take long for others to catch on as I sat their quietly in the doghouse, hands folded in front of my turning stomach with a grim, green face. After multiple remedies from ginger, to fresh air, to simply taking deep breaths, I proudly puked my guts up onto the beautiful and great yacht that is 2041! I left my mark! I felt terribly embarrassed and even worse when the deckhand, Jake, had to help me clean it up.

I knew if I just started over,I could get myself together. I napped in one of the bunks for almost 2 hours and it was awesome. I never thought sleeping on a boat (especially after puking all over one) that it would be that peaceful. I slept like a baby in a rocking cradle that was the ocean. I awoke a million times better and was stoked to enjoy the rest of the day with my new friends and the sea. Today, there was never a dull moment. I got my sailing experience as I tugged a few ropes and manned the jib (I have no idea what that means or if that is what I really did, but it’s a learning process, right?!) From great conversations with educated, aware, interesting and passionate people, to catching fish, to great meals, to the relaxation that only floating upon the sea can bring you, to even the pukers (I was so happy to hear I was not the only one who had barfed up their pride). When I woke, Hannah prepared us hummus and pita chips for a snack, and a delicious pita-turkey-swiss-possibly Italian dressing-sandwich with a perfect pink lady apple. I chatted up with Brent, the laid-back handy man and first mate on board, on Aussie politics and the open sea. Maura, the paparazzi and group coordinator, had so much to say about her passionate biology-related knowledge and cool hiking stories. (I was excited to hear that she was a Berkeley Alumni and even more excited to go!) The Captain did a great job at explaining the workings of all the technicalities on board, from the bio-diesel engine to the solar panels overhead, and was knowledgeable in sailing, the environment, and sea related topics. Hannah had so many great experiences from her past to relate to, especially from her time with the Peace Corps and being stationed in Malawi. Jake, the deckhand, was a quiet student that was chosen as a student to go to Antarctica. He said he had to just get up and go the day after they called! Pretty amazing people.

I spent alot of time on the front deck of the boat. It was so amazing to look out and just see open sea, and only the horizon. At the very front, I just sat there, with no other view of the ship in front of me, and it felt like I was floating alone along the sea. It was an ecstatic and very blissful moment. I was eventually joined by the rest of the crew and guests and we just got to know each other more and laid out in the sunshine. Later, as if they day could not get any better – we started to see at a distance what looked like fish jumping up out the water, all over around the boat. We turned around and we didn’t have to go far to find a massive pod of dolphins swimming all around us. There had to be way more than a hundred in the pod, as they surrounded the area around the boat. They playfully rode next to us, getting so close that they were actually hitting the bottom of the boat. Gliding back and fourth and cutting rapidly through the water, they jumped up out of the water and cut across each other, showing us tricks and turning over on their bellies. We were just as interesting to them as they were to us.

I am so happy to have experienced today on this boat. It symbolizes action and hard work of those that are fighting to make a difference in this world and live through earth, not just in it. At the same time, Maura put it perfectly today: “See, working for a cause and living the right way can be fun!” Indeed it can be, as today I participated in learning how to live a sustainable lifestyle and act respectively toward the environment, and it was all a blast! Thank you to the crew of 2041 for this amazing experience. I hope I can join the cause even further in Antarctica one day.

• Ryan Ballard, San Diego City College Student

I must say today was my favorite day of all so far on the voyage. We had our first official boat tour in San Diego , and I wish I had a microphone running below deck all day and night. We had tons of amazing students, researchers and boaters on board non-stop and the conversations ran the gamut from awesome new solar technologies to farmers markets and San Diego book clubs. We had groups from San Diego State University, Scripps Institute, San Diego City College , and fellow sailors. At one moment today, I looked around the boat and saw Robert Swan speaking to students in the cockpit, Mark the Captain speaking to a group in the doghouse, and students chatting away on deck about their ideas and dreams. I could feel the energy zipping around between us and it felt great to be involved in such a melting pot of ideas and inspiration. I want to say “Thanks!” to all of you amazing people who came to see the boat and share your ideas and stories. I was truly inspired to hear about how many cool things you are all doing in your lives. It gives me a lot of hope for our future to know that your spirits are at the helm. A special shout out to Scott and Matthew from SDSU ClubE3 (www.clube3.org) for your enthusiasm and input (love the donate a book idea!) and also to Cyrus for the pep talk after your 4-year voyage. Y’all are amazing and it was a pleasure meeting you. Now get back to work doing all that cool stuff we talked about !

Maura Fallon-McKnight

Waking up at 2 am for my night watch is becoming a regular routine. Brent is usually at the navigation station and Jake is sitting across from him but when I woke up they were both missing. I came up on deck where I found them standing under star filled skies watching the underwater lightning streak of dolphins swimming along side us. Lit up by phosphorescence, their bodies were glowing bright against the darkness of the seas. As they raced each other against the speed of our boat, they left lightning streaks in their wake. It’s 2 a.m. and the night was silent. It was a moment that was for us. You can’t capture the awe we felt or the magic we saw on a camera.

The next morning, as we made our way into San Diego , we tried to share our enchanting moment with everyone else but I think it is most vividly held in our memories. Arriving in San Diego after a fantastic sail down from Morro Bay- sunny days, sightings of dolphins, whales, and sea lions and a cinco de mayo fiesta- we didn’t want to let the passengers go. It’s always a relief to have students on board who are motivated, active, committed and, most importantly, who are dreamers of a healthier mother earth. Smile.

Hannah Huntley

After a night of phosphorescent waters causing the trail behind our motor to glow blue and sharing stories aside our Cinco De Mayo decorations, I woke up this morning feeling refreshed. I walked outside to greet good ‘ol California ’s May Gray. The waters here about 30 miles off the coast of San Diego were a little choppier than those through the Santa Barbara Channel and the Channel Islands . I am originally from San Diego and am getting excited as we near my hometown with a perspective from which I have rarely seen her. I spent some of my morning reading and greeting dolphins and birds as we neared the shore. I have a particular interest in Native American culture and had recently just before this trip picked up an Ethnobotany book about Southern California ’s Chumash Indians. It was exciting for me to sail through the Channel Islands where many of the Chumash had navigated many years before. I am interested in their culture because they were true masters of living off the land and in a completely sustainable manner. I try to look to our country’s history and culture to serve as a guide for life, so no time is wasted in making the same mistakes that those in our past made. And so I can use the good ideas and systems of life to build upon for today’s modern society.

I am a fourth year Environmental Management student at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo . I am with the Cal Poly Surfrider Foundation Club, Empower Poly Coalition, and work at the Cal Poly Organic Farm. Through the club and coalition I am involved in I was given the privilege to host Robert Swan’s Voyage for Cleaner Energy at Cal Poly’s Earth Day. Since being on the vessel ‘2041’, Robert’s word and teachings have become even further engraved in my mind. I have taken advantage of all of Robert’s literature and the wonderful crew’s plethora of knowledge regarding pressing issues in our world today. Everything I have taken in has beyond inspired me, and I cannot wait to get back to my community at Cal Poly share my experiences to inspire others to help make change. I am also going to take advantage of Mr. Swan’s Antarctica program and hopefully make the voyage set for next March 2009. Signing off…..

Drew Gaffney
Cal Poly Surfrider Foundation Club
Empower Poly Coalition
Cal Poly Organic Farm
Environmental Management Student
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo

We finally got some sailing in this morning, just before pulling into San Diego . It’s a bit chilly but everyone on board is in good spirits. The crew is ready for a short break in port and we passengers still can’t get over the fact that four days ago we were worried about what schoolwork we had to finish for the week. Not even knowing we would have had the opportunity to sail 400 miles around the Channel Islands and meet new people whom we will say in contact with throughout their inspiring journey, and hopefully for the rest of my life. The last two and a half days I have been inspired to change the overall course of life. Time at sea has made me realize it might be the lifestyle that is suited for me and how being one with the ocean can be fully sustainable and fulfilling at the same time.

I am a fourth year construction management major at Cal Poly SLO about to graduate and go out into the corporate world. But I am not really sure if that is for me. I am focusing on sustainable building practices as a concentration in my major and am currently studying for the LEED exam. I hope that once getting into industry this will allow me to further progress the green movement that has already begun in the construction industry. The experience of the last three days came at the perfect time and was exactly what I needed to kick my butt into high gear and figure out what I can change in my life to better myself and the world.

Just wanted to thank the 2041 crew for everything: great food, great stories and good times, all you need for an epic trip.

Nick Harvey, Cal Poly student

To start off, FELIZ CINCO DE MAYO BABY! This has definitely been the most eventful and amazing Cinco de Mayo of my eighteen years. Last night we had a great couscous stir fry dinner with naan (beats campus food any day). My portion ended up in the Pacific after several rounds of sea sickness. Drew beat me to it though and lost the bet he had started in the first place (who’d get sick first). This morning was really laid back and we’ve been chasing clouds all day with little spurts of blue skies. Sea lions have been poking their heads up every once in a while. But nothing compares to the humpbacks and dolphins. Within a ten minute period Drew, James, and Jake jumped in the water to salvage old helium balloons that sea turtles would probably otherwise try to eat or get caught in; We decorated the boat with these recycled balloons. The next minute we saw dolphins playing and swimming with the boat. Hannah then brought out the chips and Mexican music and we had a fiesta! Hooray!

My name’s Stacy Shutts and I’m a first year Forestry major at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. I found out about 2041 through Empower Poly, the Grand Poo Bah of all environmental clubs. I’m here and there with different groups, doing beach clean-ups with Environmental Council. I occasionally work on the organic farm which is a blast. Learning about organic farming techniques and which fruits and veggies are in season is pretty intriguing. It’s great to listen in on the sustainable conversation on the boat because a lot of these people know what they’re talking about a lot more than I do. I’m trying to pick up on some of the boating terminology as well. Maura had some sort of concentration in Natural Resources when she was in school and it’s great to see someone out on a mission like this with a similar major. All of this is pretty inspiring. It’s awesome to see people actually doing what they love. Thanks to the crew for their hospitality and letting us invade their boat for these two days. This is a great trip and definitely beats 9 a.m. math class!

Stacy Shutts,

Student at Cal Poly

I am one of four Cal Poly students on board, and this experience has enabled me to get another perspective on the aspect of global warming, renewable energy, and sustainability, which is going to help in several projects I have going on right now. I missed a midterm which will not be able to be made up, a class which if I miss one more I fail, a lab class that can not be made up, but it doesn’t matter. This is college, this is my time. This is something that I have to do, and I have learned much more from this day than an entire week I could have spent in class. And the best part is that I actually care about it, and it is something that is going to affect us all in the near future. JUST SAY YES!

I am currently the president of Cal Poly Biodiesel, a group of student on campus currently in the process of building a reactor to turn waste vegetable oil from on-campus dining services to usable biodiesel fuel for the many tractors, vans, and other machinery on campus that currently use diesel. It has been a long and hard process, but our findings and process have proved that something of this magnitude can be done, with cooperation from the college, Campus Dining, and students. Our goal is to create a model program for other schools and campuses around the world to follow, using the information we have gathered, our hardships and how we overcame them, etc. For more information, please email: cpbiodiesel (at) gmail (dot) com. A website will be up in the next month or so.

James Pickering
President, Cal Poly Biodiesel
General Engineering Department, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

It has been a wonderful week in Morro Bay, CA. We have had some great responses to the boat from the people of this fine land. So many folks here are already converting their cars to veggie oil or installing solar panels, riding bikes, and recycling but I already knew this about the area you see I live here in the small hamlet of Los Osos, just a few miles south at the end of the bay. I love this area, but mostly I love the people here. I cannot tell you how fantastic it felt to return home and hug my wife Jennifer and daughter Sierra and watch her give a tour of the boat to her friends – so excited to play and jump around the boat. Even at 5 years old, they are interested in why 2041 is a special boat, connecting to the idea that we need clean energy whether they understand what that means or not. I could not be out here trying to help inspire people to “preserve the world”, if not for the great strength of my wife Jennifer and all our friends that help support her so “3 CHEERS” to you friends of Spooners Cove – you are the best anyone could hope for. A deep thanks to all the friends new and old who came to see the boat and offer words of encouragement – you have inspired me to continue on.

We have a full boat on this leg to San Diego with four more warriors for sustainable energy aboard. I am looking forward to a day at sea passing the Channel Islands and learning what’s happening at Cal Poly from a student’s perspective about sustainable energies. The sky this morning has been grey with fog and cold but now the sun is burning through, our shoes are off, and finally we are headed to the warm climes of southern California, where our next adventures await. This time we are armed with shorts and sun screen as opposed to the gloves and goggles of up north. I hope the people of San Diego are ready for us because we have a mission to get their attention, to try and inspire them to make some changes and help our planet to thrive for their children and their good friends and all the good people we share this world with.

Fair winds, Capt Mark