TransParentSea

It’s day 20-something and we’ve had quite the ride. By no means has the journey been easy, but that’s exactly why it has been the adventure of a lifetime for me and the entire Transparentsea team. The Pacific has taught us all lessons, such as how important reading the quickly changing wind patterns are or learning to be patient and to finding comfort in extreme situations. Through thick and thin, throughout all the adverse weather patterns we’ve experienced, our team has taken our routine to the next level.
Life at the moment is a fuzzy blur of experiences, pruned feet and observations but I’ll do my best to channel a few high points.

Lucky Day
Our faithful S4C co-founder Howie Cooke joined our group after his six-month gypsy journey around the world (see Howie’s entry below). He has an astounding history of environmental activism and he brings an awesome lightheartedness to the group. Needless to say we are all excited to have him with us on our journey and I think the cetaceans were too … within an hour of Howie joining us at sea, dolphins and humpbacks greeted us.

I enjoy watching the moment each guest experiences the wind catching their sails for the first time, being thrust along the coast and the excitement they receive from close encounters with various sea life. The power of experience one receives from direct contact from whales and dolphins tends to change one’s life instantly.

After some mindless wanderings south, Dave snapped from one his meditative trances and began yelling: “Dolphins! Dolphins! Dolphins!”  Within moments we were both surrounded by a 30-strong pod of striped dolphins, playing and riding the wakes created by our crafts. The spirited, euphoric energy dolphins bring had both Dave and I screaming. We peddled like madmen to try and match their speed, as they frolicked in the water on every side, crisscrossing in front of one another just inches beneath the surface.
After ten minutes of stimulus they suddenly stopped and our heartbeats returned to a normal rhythmic pattern.

At 3:33pm (a time of significance among our crew) I spotted a bottle floating off the portside of my vessel and I tacked to grab it. As I pulled what I thought to be trash onboard, I realized I had just found my first ‘message in a bottle’. In disbelief I opened it and read the letter inside, a group of children sending some good vibes. They had also included a five-cent piece that apparently was to bring me (the finder of the bottle) good luck in my future.

After a 20-minute bliss-fest, the rest of the day was quite full on; the wind died well short of our targeted goal, forcing us to peddle many kilometres as the sky faded black. We stepped on land, as the night settled in. I called the number on the note and was told by the kids’ dad they had only placed the bottle in that morning, after being inspired by a bottle they found in 1987. To keep the spirit alive I’m planning to add another note from the Transparentsea crew, replace the plastic for glass and set it off to sea when we are deep at sea.
We slept soundly under the stars at our camp that night …

Rock Stack Jungle
We trekked into an amazing cove and found a fun wave to hide away from a nasty southerly wind. After an all-day affair, we worked on sweeping the beach of trash and fueling up on some nuts, oranges and H20. As we were about to leave, the Yeti (Dave) started working on a rock stack, next thing you know the whole crew went nuts on rock stacking, wood hangings and sand diagrams. In its essence it was pure creative expression, a close link to age-old structures made by hands and one hell of a good way to create something that will dissolve with high tide.

Morning of The Earth
The headlands around Point Plomer are pure magic. The cliff faces are teaming with strong ancestral spirits of the land. As we passed a large profile of a man facing a nearby beach break, we spotted a couple waving a board in the air. After a sketchy beach landing, we were frothing on the fun offshore peaks scattered down the coast.
Turns out the few people on the headland were Alby Falzon and his partner Robin. Their entrance across the sand was greeted with a golden glow, smiles and some damn fine driven board art.

Alby Falzon

The rest of the day was spent sharing waves, stories and keeping a close eye on building north wind to set in. Spending time with Alby and crew in such a casual setting was surreal; his mellow, humble and passionate approach for his work gave us all inspiration for living a meaningful life. I learnt amazing info regarding his passion for Kangaroo rescue as well as knowledge regarding the local fauna of the area. The small gathering of positive forces gave us all the energy to push through a massive afternoon of 25 plus north winds and deep-water wave riding.
All the best, Chris 11