We’ve Landed

Today around 5pm we docked at Catalina Island and we were all, needless to say, ecstatic! The site of dry land brought a smile to my face and after three days of cloudy weather we spent nearly the entire day on the bow in the sun.

After we anchored, we stepped on solid ground for the first time and I nearly fell over from “dock rock.” Apparently there’s a condition that causes you to feel like you’re swaying back and forth after being at sea for a while. Something to do with your inner ear, which controls your sense of equilibrium. All through dinner I had to make sure not to stand up too quickly, and I was told that standing in a small bathroom can be a particularly disorienting experience.

Photos by Bonnie Monteleone

After stumbling onto the island, we grabbed dinner at The Lobster Trap and met two of Captain Moore’s fans! Two blonde girl scouts came up and asked if we wanted to buy Girl Scout nuts. Now first of all, have I been at sea for so long that Girl Scouts no longer sell cookies? In any case, Bill bought some nuts from one of the girls-six-year-old Faith, and she and her friend both asked for Moore’s autograph on a couple of napkins.

They were so excited to hear about the journey and thanked him repeatedly before leaving the restaurant with their parents. It’s amazing that he encounters fans nearly every where he goes.

We’re now back on the ship, Bonnie, Jeff and I holed up in the galley working on our blogs while sorting through photos.
Tonight we’ll sleep on the ship, which is docked outside Catalina and tomorrow we’ll head to Long Beach for the last hurrah. It’s been an unbelievable trip and something that Bonnie recently said struck me.

Photo by Bonnie Monteleone

She said during one day of sampling, the sight of all that plastic make her feel sick to her stomach, like she was nauseous. “It was a sad awakening,” she said. She wanted one sample, just one to come back free of plastic, but that never happened. Each sample had more plastic than the last. The sight of all that plastic made her queasy and the tragedy of it all, she said, made her realize exactly what we’ve done to the ocean.