It was a beautiful Swedish sunny Saturday the 9th of August when the crew for leg 3 of this Baltic Sea Expedition gathered in the harbour of Sandhamn in the archipelago of Stockholm. We were all excited when approaching this magnificent sailing boat, the Sea Dragon, that was about to be our home for the next seven days. The aim of this trip is to set sail for the northern parts of the Gulf of Bottnia in the Baltic Sea and take samples of the water along the way.
Read MoreDisaster struck last week when our most important (and most advanced) sampler broke down. While enjoying nice temperatures on deck in the Swedish subtropical climate, the control unit of the 3-stage sampling pump just gave up. After several attempts to get it started again we had to accept that one part of the electronics had burnt out. Not an easy task to get this fixed in the middle of the Baltic Sea.
Read MoreI know – never challenge the Captain. But as the Scientific Officer on board I thought I might have a chance.
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After a steaming hot day in Sandhamn the discussion topics on deck last night seemed to be endless. Sea sickness, sleeping schedules, sailing strategies, Spotify lists with boat theme …..
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Jessika Hagberg (Örebro University) and Louise Hedenskog (Thorén Business School, Örebro) throw the manta trawl in the water between Sweden and Germany in the southern part of the Baltic Sea. This excercise is repeated twice a day and trawling takes an hour each time most days of the expedition.
Read MoreFor the first trawl, the Manta went in by a ten point throw by Bert and Jonas, and the rest helped get organized for the remaining sampling using the pump and the bucket. When the pump was in the water, we where thrilled to get 15 minutes for a swim off the boat. It was absolutely fantastic!!!
Read MoreAlthough the research and plastic pollution is my main focus on this trip I would like you give my opinion on the interior design. This boat is a Mecca for all fans of compact living. Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of IKEA, would go green from envy if he saw all the great storage solutions onboard. So. I want to show you the best bits of this gorgeous, boho-chic and somewhat retro 72-ft home.
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At this writing, I find myself at the Sea Dragon in the strait between Helsingborg and Elsinore. We had a stormy afternoon with heavy rain and strong winds, the feeling of the salty splash and strong winds are terrific.
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We disembarked Sea Dragon three days ago, and waved goodbye to the most beautiful of homes. Since then, I have woken religiously in the middle of the night and it’s taken me a good while to realise that no, I am no longer at sea. And with this comes a deep thwack of regret.
Read MoreWe’ve had a great few evenings of talks, by the artists on board – chatting, collaborating and showing their work – and Rodrigo and Belinda, sharing their extensive experience around the world filming and researching whales. One of the best things I learnt, which I mused on last night as we followed the full moon through the murky darkness, was that humpback whales may navigate by the moon…
Read MoreWe could be the last people on earth, if it weren’t for the fact that we are passing through the oil fields of the North Sea, and strange alien like constructions breach the horizon where a few days ago we hoped to see whales. The first rig I saw was named ‘Heather’. Orbited by the lights of protective supply ships, fire spurted from her innards, like dragons nesting.
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“A distillation of all the magical notions I had conjured up for myself about this area of the world.”
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