I just got off watch to report that it’s been another exciting day on
the Bobby C! Chock full of new
challenges to conquer and lessons to learn.
We tangled with a couple of light squalls today, but it has otherwise
been picture perfect. A great morning to
be on bow watch, we crossed paths with many schools of flying fish that made
for a great spectacle.
A few highlights from class today: A loverly science presentation from
C watch (Walter, Soda, and Martini representing). They discussed the observation based on
current profile data that we have been generating with onboard ADCP that we
passed through an anticyclonic eddy over the last day and a half. For those who don’t know, anticyclonic eddies
cause downwelling, which is bad for supporting life, but good for keeping our
physical oceanographers happy. And it
looks like the temperature profile data we’re generating corroborates with this
downwelling story, as the thermocline appears to have lowered while we’ve been
inside the eddy. Another effect of the
eddy is that it has slowed forward progress to Palmyra. In that vein, we ended class with a hands-on
lesson in line and sail handling with the thought that picking up the crew’s
efficiency will help get us to the Line Islands on schedule.
Something that I’ve been thinking about quite a bit since we got off
the dock last Friday is that this cruise is a wonderfully rare opportunity to
live in a near approximation of a closed system. With few exceptions, while out at sea we are
limited to what we bring out with us, heightening awareness of personal
consumption. More interesting still,
we’re in the middle of a fabulous social experiment. For these few weeks, we are 40 individuals
who have unified together in a common journey for biological research and
self-growth. Packed like sardines, we
trust our lives in the hands of one another.
We are living in a shrunken world, where cause and effect become clearer
and it’s impossible to ignore the consequences of our actions. It’s a chance to trust in the kindness of
others and show it in return… and to test that kindness and patience with
little sleep, a busy schedule, and competing interests.
Thankfully, I find myself sailing with 39 kind, interesting, and
wonderful people that I am lucky to share this opportunity with. I can’t wait to get to know everyone better
and am excited to see how this community develops and flourishes!
Even though time is beginning to seem nebulous, I think it’s about time
for me to sign off and get some shut eye.
Cheers!
-Felicia
4 comments:
happy birthday felicia! i hope you're having an especially great birthday and amazing trip so far! wish I could be there with ya... :)
What an amazing birthday! One you'll never forget I'm sure. enjoy. I love your deep sense of gratitude.
Thanks for a great post about anticyclonic eddies and closed-system living! And belated happy birthday!
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