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CWF Africa to the Americas

Day 1 – Launch & slow going

Greg here at mission control — No direct contact with the crew as of yet since launch at 11:30GMT this morning. Per Erinn (photographer), the swells were fairly sizable today, which is to be expected based on recent wind data. Due to the new schedules, the rocking bout, and I’m guessing some great bouts of […]

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CWF Africa to the Americas

Last-minute prep

In a single conversation: “Hey where’s X?” “I don’t know, didn’t YOU pack it?” “I thought you did.” “I swear it was in here when the boat left the States.” “Well it’s not on the inventory and I can’t find it.” “Hhhhhmmmm.” …Muttering to convince each other it wasn’t important in the first place… “Well […]

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CWF Africa to the Americas

Senegal’s Paradox

A paradox exists on the beautiful, littered beaches of Senegal.  The biosphere here is incredibly productive. Nature provides. Life flourishes. And the flourishing natural world provides a lot for humans. The basics of human life – food, shelter, love, time to simply ‘be’ – are abundant here. Here is the paradox: Nature provides abundance and […]

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CWF Africa to the Americas

What about the pirates?

“What about the pirates? The war, disease, and AIDS?” These were common questions that were asked of us when we spoke of traveling to Senegal, which apparently has had the misfortune of being located somewhere in Africa. Contrary to popular western beliefs, Africa is indeed much more than a continent filled with hunger, child soldiers, poverty, and thieves. Unfortunately, this […]

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CWF Africa to the Americas

Bamboung

… That afternoon. Famara guides us through the mangroves. Pat shares a kayak with him. Markus and I follow them through the maze of mangroves. Roots reach into the water like fingers and we forgo the paddles to pull us along the roots. We emerge and scare a half dozen pelicans. The smell is fresh […]