(CNN) -- CNN picked the brains of the Plastiki's crew members before they set off on the voyage. From the importance of the mission to a pint of Cornish cider, skipper Jo Royle tells CNN about her hopes and fears, how she plans to get through the voyage, and what she looks forward to most at the end of it.





CNN: What did you want to be when you were young?





Royle: I wanted to engineer a way to spend as much time on or by the ocean as possible.





CNN: What's the one characteristic that has led you to where you are today?





Royle: Thriving off the feeling of living just outside my comfort zone.





CNN: Who inspires you?





Royle: Everybody!





CNN: What's the most important lesson you've learned about yourself from the Plastiki project?





Royle: Put your energy into your beliefs, think outside the box and it will happen.





CNN: What's your biggest hope for the expedition?





Royle: To communicate to as many people as possible that our oceans are our umbilical cord to life, without healthy oceans we are not healthy, no matter where we are in the world we are directly connected to the ocean.





CNN: At what point would you define the Plastiki a success?





Royle: The Plastiki is already a success, it has proven that we need to think about the way we consume, the way we manufacture products, how we need to think about a products end life before it is created. Most importantly it has proven that no one is as smart as everyone; the Plastiki is a success because she has created a platform for many incredible minds to collaborate and engage in conversations on how we can ensure we leave this world in a better condition than we found it for our future generations. At the moment this feels like a tough ambition, but an exciting one!





CNN: What are your favorite sea creatures?





Royle: Jellyfish, as we know so little about them, but their increasing population is a direct indication of the health of our oceans. Dolphins, as they are our true companions when sailing across oceans. Seals, as they look so lazy and fat, but if you get on the wrong side of them they certainly show you who's boss.





CNN: When is the last time you personally used a plastic bottle?





Royle: I'm not sure, but we still get guests aboard the Plastiki who leave plastic water bottles behind! Have you tried to spend just one week without consuming anything plastic? I have, and it was impossible, I had to steal my flat mate's toothpaste when I ran out!





CNN: What do you most value about nature?





Royle: The way she makes your life feel like such a speck in the grand scale of things, your little worries feel so insignificant, the way she can make us feel like a visitor, but has her welcoming arms wide open. If we listen and open up she naturally teaches us how to live a sustainable, healthy life. She is always boss, we can choose to respect that, and live our lives as a caretaker, or not, but in the end she will always be here.





CNN: What's the one creature comfort you'll miss most when you're at sea?





Royle: Cycling my bike through the countryside. My buddies and a good pint of Cornish cider!





CNN: Name 3 books you will bring with you on the expedition.





Royle: I will be researching my Masters dissertation on populations displaced because of human influenced climate change, so lots of journals. If anyone has anything on this topic please send it to me! I'll be taking Sylvia Earle's latest book, which I am currently reading, but not finding the time to finish. I also might take a copy of Jim Dodge's "Stone Junction".





CNN: If you had to choose a theme song for the expedition, what would it be?





Royle: "Plastikians" by Jerry Zeiger (written just
What did CNN ask? Who is the captain of  the voyage? What will she do for her MA research? Who asked crew members?
you want to be when you were young? Jo Royle Masters dissertation on populations displaced because of human influenced climate change, CNN
question: What did CNN ask?, answer: you want to be when you were young? | question: Who is the captain of  the voyage?, answer: Jo Royle | question: What will she do for her MA research?, answer: Masters dissertation on populations displaced because of human influenced climate change, | question: Who asked crew members?, answer: CNN