The Getting of Sea Legs
[Written on afternoon of 6/3/08. Position -58′ 0″ latitude and -56′ 0″ longitude. Temperature 1.1C
Ah, the getting of sea legs. The water turned rougher on Monday morning, and the Scopolomine, though I’m sure it’s helping, apparently has its limits. I have spent much of the past two days in bed. (See photo of my cabin.) The ship is rockin’ and rollin’ for sure, and for me, it’s much easier to tolerate if I’m horizontal. I apologize for the brevity of this post, but looking at a computer screen is kind of the kiss of death.
That said, it is beautiful out here. The slant of the sun is such that even at its highest, the light has the wonderful coppery tint of sunset. This morning we awoke to a light fog, which gave way to a triple rainbow as it burned off. (Though there is some disagreement as to whether this was a rainbow or a sunbow. I’m not certain what the difference is.)
Activities on the ship have been low-key since we got underway. Tim Shaw and Ben Twining have taken some water samples in an effort to determine whether ash from Chaiten volcano is present here, and if so, what types of nutrients it is adding. At yesterday’s science meeting (daily at 10:00 a.m.) Tim said, “We may be witnessing a massive natural experiment in ocean fertilization.”
Meanwhile, Steve Rock’s multi-beam echosounder (sonar) has been checked out and is working properly. The radio-controlled airplane team have been cleaning and repairing the plane, getting it ready for its vital mission, which will happen tomorrow, weather permitting. If the wind is higher than 15 mph, it’s a no-go.
And now, back to bed, hoping my sea legs will arrive in the night.
Lots happening, huh? Orange is a good color for all of you! I’m very sorry about the limits of Scopolomine. Believe me when I say I can really sympathize with you. I hope it passes quickly. Your cabin looks pretty good. Carpet on the floor? How do Tim and Ben know which nutrients are in in the water to begin with, and which have been added by Chaiten? Also, it looks like the ship rides pretty high in the water. What’s the reason for that? Is that typical for icebreakers?
Thinking and worrying about all of you. Joe too.
xoxome
Sorry to hear that the weather’s taken a turn. Hope your sea legs kick in soon!
Say hi to everyone from the Smith Lab’s shorebound contingent! The lab hasn’t blown up yet. I’ll keep you updated on the exploded/unexploded status as events warrant.
Can’t wait to hear how the airplane’s first Antarctic flight goes!
looking forward to hearing about the plane flight and the dropping of the football 😉
regards to all from onshore here at MBARI – blue skies, a little breezy and the weekend coming up soon.
cheers
George
It is great to follow your adventures as your adventures are my son’s, Cole is one of the assistance working with Dr. Shaw.
Please be for warned, when you ask a scientist a question, he will answer. I
n all seriousness, I truly look forward to your blog as it allows me to peak into the life and current events of Cole and where his studies have taken him.
Gee, that cabin is WAY nicer than the gun-metal gray I’d imagined. Hope you don’t have to keep looking at it too long though.