While I’m not ‘that kind’ of social scientist, here are some silly statistics I compiled aboard the Sea Dragon using top secret methods:
Number of crew aboard the Sea Dragon for Algalita’s North Pacific Expedition: 13
Number of countries represented: 7
Nautical miles sailed between July 7 and July 27, 2011: 2995
Miles actually sailed in the right direction 2343, or 78%
Chance that the person sitting next to you had substantial sailing experience: 1 in 4*
Percentage of guest crew that experienced seasickness: 90
Approximate number of days where better conditions were ‘just 2 more days away’: 5
Average number of additional photos taken each time Jin declared ‘one more’: 4
Number of digital image capture devices on board: 62, or almost 5 per person.
Number of books packed with the intention of being read: 33
Number read in their entirety: 5
Divide between those electing to sleep facing the stern versus bow: 50/50
Relationship between sleep direction and something important: 0
Number of sharks sighted throughout entire 20 day voyage: 4
Times elapsed between first shark sighting and swim time: 50 minutes
Number of trawl samples collected: 38
Percentage of samples containing plastic: 100
*While I couldn’t resist the juxtaposition, I must confess that most miles in the ‘wrong’ direction involved beelines direct north for better weather, chasing debris and zigzagging through the accumulation zone rather than lack of experience.
Kim De Wolff 