Photograph courtesy Adventure Ecology

During 128 days at sea Plastiki proved sturdy and seaworthy, but life aboard the ship meant experiencing the ocean up close and personal—as this soggy crew member can attest. From the dock in Sydney Plastiki’s happy skipper, British sailor Jo Royle, said the relationship was one of the journey’s great benefits—and a universal reality they tried to share with others.

“A lot of us don’t feel a connection to the sea and we live without realizing that every breath we take, every drop of water we drink is connected to the ocean whether we’re living in San Francisco or Idaho,” Royle said.