Day at Sea

So today was our first full day at sea. Getting into the swing of things was made easier by our delay as I was able to grow accustom to live aboard the ship while still in port. Yet the constant rocking did require some adaptation. Showing becomes a balancing act. Everything has to be secured at all times. Leaving anything free for a moment will lead to it being on the floor. The gentle rocking also has a soothing affect. More then once today I found myself starting to doze.

Sea sickness has not been a problem as of yet. I took some Bonine to be on the safe side but have felt great today. The crew all say that once you sleep a full night on the ship, your body will become accustomed to it and you will gain your sea legs.

A couple of hours out from port yesterday we had our first test cast of the CTD to ensure all the instruments were working properly. Seeing the CTD go into the water for the first time was amazing. Finally we were performing some science.

The CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth) enter the water. You can see the 24 gray Niskin Bottles which will collect water samples at various depths. Also on it are a host of sensors tracking temperature, depth. salinity and much more

30 hours after leaving port we will arrive at our first real sampling station and we are awaiting samples as I write this. I fear my reports will be rather dull for the next couple weeks but I will continue to comment on ship life and any little excitements that occur on board. One such notable excitement occurred today around 19:00. Through no conscious word or announcement; as if by the sheer will of nature, the whole crew was drawn out to the aft deck just as the sun was setting. How we all managed to independently feel the urge to watch this sunset I cannot say, but I think that it speaks to the nature of humans. We are drawn to the natural beauties of this world and few of natures treasures can compare to a sunset on the open ocean. And so we watched in silence as the sun sank below the horizon; painting the clouds with the colors of fall leaves, amber, crimson, pink, and orange.

22.5N 152W