All entries under Seattle

It is the third day of our trip from Seattle to Portland. I have to say that the sail has been surprisingly smooth. None of us felt sea sick during this whole trip, and there was no need for the buckets. I hope I did not speak too soon. There is still a few hours left before we reach Portland.

A few of us learned to tie knots from Capt. Mark. I learned the bowline knot, and with Maura’s help, can do it with my eyes closed. I hope I have done it enough times to not forget it. The second knot which I learned, but not practiced much is the water knot. I am sure these will come in handy.

Yesterday, we spotted some whales at a distance. Unfortunately, the sound of the motor did not bring them any closer. Maura, our unofficial photographer was responsible for most of the pictures we have from this trip. I have seen Jeremy take some, and I took some videos with my camcorder. There isn’t a whole lot of exciting things going on around us to keep us busy taking pictures!

One of the highlight’s of this trip is Hannah’s cooking. It is amazing how she can prepare wonderful meals for 9 of us using bare essential camp-style stoves. I should say that I have not had such healthy and nutritious food for three days in a row!

Right now, we are sailing along the Colombia river. It is going to be a long journey to get to Portland, and I am sure we are all eager to get to land. Overall, this would likely be my smoothest sail ever. I still remember the last time I went fishing in the pacific- it was not a pretty sight! I will definitely miss the crew- Capt. Mark, Brent, Maura, Hannah, and Jake), and my fellow passengers, Andy, David, and Jeremy. I hope I will have an opportunity to get onboard 2041 one more time before the voyage ends in 2012.

• Vasanth Mohan, U.C. Berkeley Haas School of Business

I find naps to be much more satisfying than long hours of sleep. It was about 4:30 this morning when I decided to get out of my bunk. We haven’t quite made it into open ocean yet, that won’t be until around noon. I find the trip relaxing though, and that may be in part due to the fact that there’s not a whole lot to do if you aren’t part of the crew, but I’m enjoying myself. We watched Mad Max last night after dinner, or at least part of it. It’s a pretty good movie and I think I’ll be watching the rest when I get back. The crew is such an interesting group of people! There are so many interesting stories they have to tell, especially the Australian. I’m going to try to catch some pictures of the sunrise in a couple minutes, so I’ll be on my way!

• David Green, University of Portland

After an incredible chicken burrito bar dinner last night (thank you Hannah), we anchored just offshore of Port Angeles for the night. The temperature dropped throughout the afternoon, and by the time we pulled in for the evening, Mark was getting snowed upon up top. After dinner, Brent made an executive decision to watch Mad Max 3- Return to Thunderdome, and we were all a bit disappointed when the computer file it was stored on cut out about three quarters of the way through. We all called it a night and went to bed around 10pm.

Mark and Brent woke at 3 am and pulled anchor. When I woke up at 9 am, we were just pulling out of the sound and raising sail. The wind was light and the seas calm. The clouds from last night had drifted off and it was a beautiful day. The rest of the day was a tour of the rugged Washington coast off the port side, and a beautiful open blue ocean off to starboard. A great day for sailing.

• Andy Boespflug, University of Portland

This morning, the crew of ‘2041’ welcomed our very first passengers onboard for the leg from Seattle to Portland, OR. We are very excited to finally have guests and be able to share this experience with them. We have four student passengers onboard (that makes 9 of us sleeping on the yacht) and you will be hearing from many of them in the next few blog entries. The weather has been ultra cold, with intermittent sleet and snow and yet all of our spirits are high and we are really excited to be back on the water! I will sign off now, so you can hear from our guests.

Cheers, Maura

20:00: Today we departed Seattle and are on our way to Portland, OR. Currently we are in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and are making our way out to sea. The ship is amazing and the crew is great. There are 3 other students onboard and we are having a blast. Tonight I believe we will make a very brief stop in Port Angeles, before heading out to sea very early in the morning. I am looking forward to the rest of the voyage.

Jeremy Fisher, University of Portland

As each day blends into the next it’s all of a sudden time to set sail again. Three days in Seattle and the only Seattle flavor we got to experience was a quick sneak away to the famous Pikes Place Market where Brent, Jake and I grabbed a cup of Joe at the first Starbucks ever and then bought some fresh produce for the next leg of the journey. I could have spent hours picking fruit, smelling flowers and watching freshly caught fish get thrown across the crowd but we absorbed the smells, sights, and sounds and got back to the boat where there is always work to be done. Cleaning up from one journey and preparing for the next takes a lot of energy and leaves little room for free time so I think it is safe to say that we are all ready to get back to sea where the solitude and (often) the madness of the open waters is therapy for the soul.

At each port we give tours of the boat and today Maura handled the tours and surprise radio interview with grace. I was running around trying to stock the boat with enough food for 9 hungry sailors! This afternoon, in the midst of it all, 300 gallons of soybean oil was fed into the belly of 2041. She’s a hungry beast and the task took over 4 hours but she’s full now and ready to take us where we need to go. In the middle of the daunting task my dad and stepmom arrived with fresh Washington grown asparagus….enough for every day of the voyage. Yummy. I snuck away to a delicious seafood dinner while Brent and Jake stood in the surprise spring hailstorm that Seattle so graciously bestowed upon us and with freezing fingertips they filled her up. Thanks guys.

So….Round one- Success. Round two- here we go. Happy Sailing.

Hannah Huntley

We arrived in Seattle yesterday after 8 days straight at sea. Living in close quarters with 4strangers on a 67 foot yacht in rough weather conditions is no small feat. I am proud to say we all survived and are better and stronger for it. The yacht held up like the champion she is – braving up to 40 knot winds and all sorts of weather. Each of us on board could learn a thing or two from this boat. She is steady, confident and silently goes about her duty. She seems to be clear about her mission, having traveled around the world spreading hope for future generations. She may have a fresh coat of paint these days, but her soul shines through and speaks loudly to all who are near. I feel like after these eight days, the crew is really coming together as a team. We come from very different walks of life – we are a fabulous mix of Americans and an Australian, naturalists, biking fanatics, sailors, kayakers,stunt men, biologists, business people, world travelers, students, activists and dreamers. The one thing we all have in common is that we are dedicated to making a difference in this world. Here is to a fantastic start to the voyage! I look forward to all that we can create together as a team during Phase 1 of the Voyage for Cleaner Energy.

Sweet Dreams Seattle.

Cheers,

Maura, ‘2041’ Communications