Above: Leg 2 crew of eXXpedition 2026 South Pacific voyage collects microplastic samples. Photo by eXXpedition
In this second part of a two-part blog series, Erica Cirino and Jackie Nuñez will discuss their eXXpedition voyages in 2018 and in 2026, to show how the issue of plastic pollution has evolved over the last seven years. In addition to sharing insights from their journeys, they also show the strength of women—one group of people most vulnerable to the effects of plastic pollution—in sailing, science, and solutions. You can find the first blog post here.
On May 13, 2026, a crew of 13 women from 7 different countries set sail aboard S/V Wind Shift from Bay of Islands, on the east coast on New Zealand’s North Island, to Tongatapu, Tonga’s main island, the second leg of eXXpedition’s 2026 voyages in the South Pacific. Facing heavy winds and high seas from the start, the voyage was challenging, but the team made landfall in Tonga on May 27. Along the way, the crew stopped to explore and snorkel in calmer waters at the submerged coral atolls of Minerva Reef, a nice break from the rough conditions.
Below, Erica asks Jackie questions about what her recent voyage was like, and what is gained from studying plastic pollution in the oceans.
Erica: Why did you apply to participate in eXXpedition?
Jackie: When I was given the opportunity to participate again on an in-person eXXpedition after my previous voyage was turned virtual due to the covid-19 pandemic, I was looking to expand my plastic advocacy bubble and diversify my networks. When connecting with people outside of my work colleagues, I noticed that there is still a lot of what we consider “basic information” about the plastic pollution crisis that the average person and even others in environmental spaces often do not know. At the time eXXpedition reached out, I was engaging in opportunities to speak and participate in events and conferences adjacent to, but outside of the usual spaces solely focused on plastic pollution. I applied and chose Leg 2 of eXXpedition’s South Pacific voyage, the ocean crossing from the Bay of Islands to Tonga, because I hadn’t previously done an ocean crossing, having primarily had experience gathering scientific data on land and on inter-island sailing trips. Also I was in Tonga in August 2015 when the video of the turtle with a plastic straw stuck in its nose went viral. It was the “straw felt around the world.” That one video propelled my project The Last Plastic Straw from a local to a global movement. I knew joining this eXXpedition voyage would make a full-circle moment returning to the place and people I was with where I realized my years of effort were coming into fruition and the world was finally having its collective “Last Plastic Straw” moment. The viral turtle video was the pebble (or plastic straw) that dropped, sending one of the first major ripples out towards the wave of awareness about impacts and absurdity of single-use plastic.
Erica: eXXpedition highlights each participant’s “superpower” in addressing plastic pollution. Can you tell us a bit more about that, and what your “superpower” is?
Jackie: Having your crewmates tell each other what their superpower is was a moving and interesting group exercise to participate in and to experience. Although nerve-wracking to sit there and have everyone tell you what they thought about you, we all had a good time letting each other know what we knew to be each other’s superpowers. It was an incredible group of women who were chosen for our crew, so it was quite easy to find the words for each other to describe our superpowers. We had all given presentations about ourselves which was a great opportunity to learn more about each other. I was the one whose dedicated work was solely focused on solving the plastic pollution crisis, so it was refreshing to get to learn from an amazing group of leaders in their own fields and share my experience and knowledge of the subject. We also shared our moment when we became aware of the problem and wanted to do more.
My self described superpower is being an instigator, by telling my story, the truth about plastic, and the ability to plant a seed wherever I go about the plastic pollution crisis. When I received my round of superpowers from the crew, I was told I was a: “passionate, dynamic, dedicated, inspiring, fiery (in a good way) change maker, living and speaking my truth, radiating, intentional, practical idealist, and uncompromising (in a good way).”
Erica: I heard sailing conditions made it tough to conduct science at sea. What kinds of research were you able to do and what did it tell you about plastic pollution in the region you were sailing?
Jackie: Yes, we had unsettled, confused seas, with 3–5 meter (about 9–16.5 ft) swells, rain squalls, sustained winds of 25 knots with gusts up to 35 and the occasional 40 knots (about 46 miles per hour) at times.
We did not get many calm days for our scientific sample gathering and had only a few windows of opportunity to launch the manta trawl on the sea surface to collect microplastics when we got into the calm waters off of Minerva Reef. We may have only done about 5–6 trawls in total. There was a microscope on board to identify what were plastic pollution fragments and what were natural materials. We also used the Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) machine to identify the plastic resin types of our plastic pollution samples. We documented what we had, and our data and the samples will all be sent to the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia (USA). We found surprisingly little microplastic pollution in the stretch we sailed, but our trip leader, Rowan Henthorn, said our findings were consistent with some of the models she saw about the area we sailed through, showing that—due to the way the winds and currents worked—there were not big concentrations or accumulation of microplastics there.
Erica: Interesting, that’s consistent with the results that a crew I sailed with in the South Pacific found in 2017. However, we know from other research that the overall amount of microplastic in the ocean is increasing overall—despite small regional differences due to local conditions. What does that tell us about plastic pollution more widely?
Jackie: The growing presence of microplastics in the ocean underscores to us that there is no “away,” there is no diluting plastic pollution. We know that 80% of plastic pollution in the ocean comes directly from land-based sources, with only about 20% polluted at sea from fishing and other ocean activities. Overall, more plastic in the oceans means more plastic is being produced—and whether that’s polluting the sea or land, that’s a major problem for our planet and human health. In using the FTIR, you can start to see the origin story of some of the pollution we are encountering in our oceans. I was also surprised to see how some of our samples were rapidly contaminated with the plastic on our ship, such as chipping paint from our boat and painting on the mantra trawl along with fibers from our flags.
Erica: What was life like on board? What about in port?
Jackie: Life on board was a different experience for each person. The conditions were pretty consistently rough for the first 6 to 7 days. We were all in survival mode, and I felt myself going inward with my head down and trying to keep my food from coming up. I was grateful for the seasick pressure point bracelets that were given to me from another boater at the dock the night before our launch in Pahia, Bay of Islands, New Zealand. I also borrowed a heavy duty marine foul weather gear jacket and joked that I felt like a turtle with my head retreating back into my hood. I spent most of my watch looking out of that pulled in hood with only a small gap to look out of. Our rotating 4-hour shifts at all times of the day and night were primarily to take turns steering, and standing watch on deck, and to prep and cook food for lunch and dinner; breakfast was our own responsibility. It was a challenge to cook in the small kitchen and the stove was not gimbaled, which made things interesting with life at a 45-degree angle.
Every once in a while, a wave would crash into the boat over the gunwales and smack the hull. It would drench the crew on watch and send a jarring slam to the boat, tossing those inside the boat trying to move about or sleep.
I checked my notes, which I thought I would be diligent about writing everyday, and saw that I barely had anything written down before approaching Minerva Reef. I did have this entry on Day 4:
“Our Team Leader along with our Skipper and First Mate have been working double duty keeping the boat on course and us all fit and fed. Now I know why we were wished ‘fair winds and following seas’ by fellow sailors when they learned of our expedition. We are into day 4 of our journey and although we haven’t had favorable weather, today has shown some glimpses of sun, plenty of rainbows, and I am in better spirits and able to hold down some food. The crew has bonded in unexpected ways and we are looking forward to sharing our stories and doing science aboard when the weather allows.”
There were a lot of funny, touching, and heartfelt moments that broke up what felt like eternity.
We did enjoy a good number of rainbows, shooting stars, morning meditation exercises, beautiful sun rises and sunsets, and a sighting of a pod of pilot whales that passed by our boat one morning.
With the constant banging around and the majority of the time on a starboard tack, we were all very sleep deprived, and almost all of us got sea sick more than once. We all bonded and took care of each other, and when we got to Minerva Reef we had a much-needed reprieve. It was good to finally be in calmer water, get some science done, set anchor, clean the boat, jump in for a swim, and enjoy some sunlight while washing our clothes in a bucket and hanging them all out to dry on the lifelines around the boat.
I was thankful that we could finally have a movie night while at anchor and we were able to screen the community 1-hour version of The Plastic Detox film after a late dinner. I was happy to see that the crew was able to stay awake to watch it, and they asked great questions and shared personal stories about health, fertility, and how toxic chemicals and plastic pollution are regulated and “managed” in their diverse communities from Oman, the UK to Norway, and beyond. We discussed how, while it’s essential to stop plastic pollution at the source, it’s also possible to reduce our individual exposures to plastic if we choose to do so—even if you’re just starting to learn about plastic pollution. (Check out Plastic Pollution Coalition’s Beginner’s Guide to Reducing Plastic in Your Life here.)
Once we got to Tonga and cleared customs, we were able to disembark at port, and enjoyed a great team dinner during our first evening onshore. We were all still “moving” on flat land; in fact, it took a good four days to not feel like I was still moving while standing still.
The next day we did a supermarket plastic audit and a plastic pollution transect on land, and then gathered at a local church for a community event. We gave a brief presentation on who we are, where we came from, and what we are working on. At the community event we also heard from local folks working for the Tonga Department of Natural Resources and learned from the students and leaders about the problems they were facing with plastic pollution. We had time to mingle with the high school students and community members present. One of the students came up to us to apologize for the “litter” in Tonga, and my Crewmate Kendell Miller was quick to let them know that they should not apologize, that plastic pollutes everywhere and then showed them a photo she took from New York City Harbor and said “it’s worse at home.”
A good part of our group stayed a few extra days in Tonga. We had a great time exploring together and finally had our “hot girl summer” moment with great weather and a side snorkeling trip to an off shore reef and small island, organized by our crewmate Kendall Miller to celebrate her birthday.
Although the inclement weather for most of the trip may have kept us from doing the amount of trawling samples and data gathering as we had planned to do, I do believe that the amazing women that I got to know and spend time with in close quarters and challenging conditions really made the expedition a success. Knowing what tremendous leaders they are in their own lives, I believe that this experience and what they learned will be transferred to their communities and become part of the work they do. I look forward to keeping in touch and working together towards solving the plastic pollution crisis at home and abroad.
