Today: hard time, rough sea and big block of polystyrene.

This is hard, my friends! I did not remember that rowing was such a sweat. I can hardly believe I lived for 300 days in such conditions.

I know I was much younger when I made my Pacific crossing but I hope the fatigue I am experiencing now is not just down to my age.

Feeling like this, I didn’t much care for what surrounded me during the day, but in one of the few moments when I gave myself some breathing space I noticed a big block of polystyrene.

What makes polystyrene stand out is that the UV degradation is much more visible than with other plastics. Polystyrene breaks down into very fragments – down to its monomer, styrene.

Some say that the oceans contain microorganisms that would eat it but that doesn’t solve the problem because polystyrene is the most widespread type of plastic. Recycling it has proved a failure because it is often food contaminated (think about that next time you have a picnic) and has a low value.
Here ends today’s lesson on polystyrene.

Now I am going to lie down in the hope of falling asleep.

Thanks for your much-appreciated support.