Two days out to sea now, and many here on the Gould seem groggy and a little bit queasy. We entered the Drake Passage in the late afternoon of the 26th (yesterday) and that’s when the boat really started rocking. Never having been at sea before, I wasn’t sure if I would be affected by seasickness, but once we entered the Drake it didn’t take long to find out. I was quite uncomfortable to say the least. The results clear, I climbed clumsily into my bunk where I spent the remainder of the evening drifting in and out of consciousness and being tossed about as the waves lobbed the ship from side to side.
The ride being as bumpy as it is now, Katie, Karen, and I have been granted a temporary reprieve from projects like tying down equipment and constructing (or watching the MT’s construct) things for the lab like a plankton splitter (that incidentally doubles as a megaphone), leaving me with some much needed time to work on class assignments to make up for the few weeks of the semester that I’m missing to be here. But that’s not to say that the trip thus far has been all work. I’ve done my fair share of sleeping, and we spotted a pod of dolphins on Thanksgiving swimming off the bow in the Strait of which I was lucky enough to get a decent photo of. Before this trip ends, I fully intend on further testing out my camera’s abilities on more marine wildlife. Like penguins!
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| Commerson's Dolphin in the Strait of Magellan. |
According to Joe, we should reach Palmer Station by Monday around noon where I plan to buy as much Antarctica paraphernalia as I can handle. Until then, my bed is warm and cozy, I have an ample supply of Dramamine, and the kitchen is stocked with delicious cookies to occupy my time.
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| Cookies! |
- Melissa
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