From the Southern Ocean – A Letter to Santa

Dee Caffari, skipper of Turn the Tide on Plastic, penned this from the Southern Ocean:

It’s been a physically relentless day of manoeuvres as Turn the Tide on Plastic pushed through the 7th day of Leg 3 in the Southern Ocean. The pace is expected to continue over the next 24 hours. But despite the countless gybes and the little sleep the crew onboard Turn the Tide on Plastic have made sure to get their Christmas wish list to Santa.

Dear Santa and on behalf of the crew of Turn the Tide on Plastic, for Christmas, we would like a couple of things:

• Liz would like a general heater system for the boat, like everywhere, a drone, dry socks, dry wet weather gear, an ice-cream machine, a dry sleeping bag, and a teleportation machine to put us next to Mapfre.

• Elodie wants to be 300 miles forward, a dryer, and a surprise, because she likes surprises.

• Nicolas a stabilized navigation desk with an integrated bed and a rotating chart table, and a chocolate box.

• Dee would love a podium place, a leg win, a cold diet coke, a dryer boat.

• Martin has a long list so probably a book where he can write it all down.

• Lucas wants the Omega watch I’m wearing…

• Bleddyn wants a bike and a new neck because he’s getting soar.

Finally the others were sleeping so I personally thought about this boat and how we could, together with you Santa make it better for everyone:

• there is a big empty space next to me in the middle, we could have a massive fridge full of fresh food, a freezer section to have some nice plates ready to be eaten and prepared by the best, not to forget an ice-maker for the cocktails.

• A micro wave because having pop corn on deck could be quite a trip.

• A heating seat and a heating bunk, as well as a special drying compartment like they do at the best hotels in ski resorts.

• An automated stacking system where basically everything just slides from one side to the other without doing a thing.

• A projector in the front compartment of the boat so we can play video games while we’re in the toilets and watch movies when the wind is very light.

• A full audio system for the boat so we can dance or relax at night and keep the sailors awake on deck.

Anything else you might think of please send it through, we accept any kind of deliveries.

Our current address is 43 South, 72 East but we will mainly be moving around in the Southern Ocean for the next few days. One last thing, there are 6 more like us around, we are the blue and white one with the sail that says CLEAN SEAS on it, your reindeer can’t miss it.