21 November - Last Minute Details

So what does one need to pack before leaving for a month-long research cruise in Antarctica ?  How about everything. There aren't any stores you can swing by and pick up something that you forgot so you have to plan ahead. Of course, there's always some last minute improvisation when you're on the boat and realize -- oops, I forgot [RANDOM CRITICAL ITEM].

A lot of our equipment and supplies were actually packed back in September. We ship them off to California where they are loaded into shipping container which travels (by boat) down to Punta Arenas, Chile.  Of course some items haven't arrived at that point or were needed for other research projects, so there's always a fair bit of gear that comes down on the planes with us.

I've been handing off bags to various members of the research team to take with them on the plane. And that includes myself. This was the scene in my lab on saturday morning the day before I flew down to Punta Arenas.

Just a few last minute items. Wolfie (the Stony Brook mascot) is coming with us on the trip.

Of course, all the items you forgot to pack til now are usually the bulkiest, heaviest, most-oddly-shaped of all the gear.

ok, time to catch my flight. Next post will be from Punta Arenas, Chile.

-Joe