The Darwin 200 Project

I am here in Chile because I will be participating in the Darwin 200 Project. This is an ambitious, global project to recreate Charles Darwin's famous voyages around the world in the HMS Beagle. Darwin's voyages revolutionized the sciences and changed the world.  This project is called Darwin 200 because it will involve up to 200 young scientists, up to 200 countries, and it's (close to) the 200th anniversary of Darwin's original voyages. This new voyage will take place on the Dutch ship Ooosteschelde:

It's a three-masted topsail schooner built in 1917 (!). It's 50 meters long and has sleeping berths for up to 24 passengers. Much more info about the ship can be found by clicking on the link above.

The entire round-the-world voyage is broken up into 32 legs, and the participants can join for one or more legs, I will be joining for Leg 17 - Easter Island to Mangareva in French Polynesia. This is a scientific expedition and I will be assisting the biologists onboard with their field research.

In the next post I will discuss Easter Island, probably the most mysterious island in the world.

I have been planning this voyage for more than 2 years and it will finally come to fruition in a few more days. For now I will end this post with one of my favorite poem with a nautical theme:

"Sea-Fever” by John Masefield (1902)  

 

I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, 

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,

And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking, 

And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking.

 

I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide 

Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied; 

And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying 

And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

 

I must down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,

To the gull’s way and the whale’s way, where the wind’s like a whetted knife;

And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover, 

And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.

Note: during the voyage there will likely be no internet access but I will continue to write daily blogs posts on my laptop and these will all be posted once I reach Mangareva or Tahiti.