FAR AT SEA

June 5, 2007. Aboard the SSV Robert C. Seamans. We're 550 nautical miles from the Hawaiian Islands and sailing with a strong northeast wind on our bow. It feels as if we're fighting to go uphill against the wind. We're working on projects, enjoying the sailing, and watching the Southern Cross sink into the nighttime horizon. Today, we are the farthest from land. Except for the occasional petrel, no seabirds are in sight. -- Barb Block, chief scientist