We’ve spent two days at anchor in Tor Bay while waiting for the Force 9 nine winds to pass. This morning the wind has dropped sufficiently for the divers and scientists to do survey work. I join the scientists again on the beach plastic survey, this time surveying Elberry Cove (rocky) and Broadsands Beach (Sandy). The method is to mark out a 100m line parallel to the shore and count all non natural items found up to 1m either side. The items we find include pieces of fishing line, cable ties, sweet wrappers. The scientists will record this data at each beach we visit, and separately identify factors that would affect how much plastic is found, such as whether visitors are encouraged to do a “2 minute beach clean”. The surveys don’t take long and we’re about to head to a local pub when the ship calls and says to be ready to go back in 20 minutes.
In the afternoon we head out to sea, travelling towards Plymouth. It’s good to be at sea once more after 2 1/2 days in the same place. The weather is sunny but the swell makes several people uncomfortable. I’m on the 8pm watch and I do port lookouts for half an hour, with sunglasses as we’re heading straight towards the sun. It’s surprisingly chilly once the sun sets. Some dolphins appear very briefly alongside the ship but I don’t see them. As we approach Plymouth there’s a warship on the horizon. We drop anchor in Cawsands Bay at 10:30pm and head down to bed.