Spectacular – one word that encompasses it all. The 360 degree horizon line, the flying fish, the sunlight reflecting off the surface of the water. Touch wood, both of us have finally found our sea legs after a few rough days but I guess the true test will be when the wind picks up again. It’s surreal walking down the halls Sir Peter Blake once walked down, you can feel his presence everywhere. The framed portrait of his face is the first thing you see when you walk into the cabin. He smiles at me and I smile right back. We have done two plankton tows in the past 24 hours, one late last night looking at bioluminescence and a routine one again this morning. The filtrations are relatively simple procedures but require preciseness that large ocean swells often don’t allow – huge respect for these scientists! Conversations with the crew during night watches has to be the highlight. Stories of near misses with storms, first hand experiences of the effect that climate change is having on our world, french lessons and in return teaching them the Haka. Lying down on the deck looking up at the night sky, spotting constellations and thinking that there is something about being out there at night looking up that places us on the surface of the globe. Whoever says that one person can’t make a difference, obviously hasn’t met the people of Tara… Blake would be proud.