March 10, 2012
I’m sitting in the lab around 0100 working on my atlas projects, constantly bracing myself against the rolls. C watch has Midwatch tonight and since the seas are too rough to deploy the carousel, there is no processing for us to do. So, basically I woke up for a study hall. Eh, means I can utilize Sleep of Kings that much more tomorrow.
Anyway, it’s been a busy couple of days. A few days ago, I went onto the bowsprit with some other C watchers and we clipped as usual. The bouncing of the ship brought us continually closer to the surface of the water, which was so blue. We screamed each time we came close. Until we actually were submerged. Then we screamed even louder. It was great. We sang various pop songs spanning the decades at the top of our lungs.
Yesterday I was assistant steward, which was somewhat of a mess for various reasons. Of note: we finally caught our first fish off the lines that have been trailing the stern since we left Papeete! And then we proceeded to catch 2 more in the next 14 hours. What we’ve been hooking are Mahi Mahi, about 3 feet long and beautiful in color. One was caught before dinner yesterday, so we incorporated it into the meal, only to find there wasn’t enough for both seatings. We were struggling (boarded the struggle bus, as Sarah would say), trying to figure out what we could cook in 20 minutes (bear in mind that we don’t have microwaves to defrost anything), so in desperation we threw some rice in the oven, hoping it would cook in time. It didn’t. But Providence came through. A yell came down to the galley that another Mahi had been caught! It was gutted and filleted right on deck, rinsed with the salt water hose, and brought down to the chopping block where we cut it, marinated it, and grilled it, with 2 minutes to spare before we had to ring the triangle. It was quite good timing. This morning we caught another one, right before class began, so our professors were occupied with keeping the fish on deck and killing it. The fish got the area where we were to have class a bit dirty, so we moved elsewhere on deck.
You see, choosing a place to sit for class is a very important process, particularly today. If you sit on the windward side, you’re likely to get sprayed. If you sit on the leeward side, you slide down the deck until you’re at the rail and it looks like you’re seasick. There are a few highly coveted spots of shade the mains’l provides. Sometimes. At least it’s windy now, and cooler in the northern latitudes. It’s funny; the lowest I’ve seen the thermometer go is 76°F and when that happens, we’re all wearing flannels, coats, and pants. Going back to winter is going to be real rough. So, the wind is Force 7, gusting Force 8, which is gale force. Captain Sean tells us to sit on the leeward rail for class, which there is some grumbling about because we have to pack in like sardines to fit. He makes a speech about how we need to suck it up because we’re lucky to be on a dry boat, out in the fresh air, etc, etc. Should have knocked on wood or something, because he certainly tempted fate. You see King Neptune always has an ear attuned to arrogance or comfort. The minute you take something for granted, it changes.
Halfway through the science report, I see this big wave rise up over the head of one of our assistant scientists, who is standing near the windward rail. The rail is about 15 feet from the surface of the sea. The scientist is about 6 ft tall. As was elegantly put: “a (expletive) big wave”. It’s turquoise in color and then I must have turned my head away because next thing I know, I am drenched and sitting in a pool of water up to my waist and the scuppers are flowing with water (and shoes and notebooks), putting the water back in the sea. Everyone is flattened up against the rail and for a few moments there is just excited noise. I want people to get up, but no one does until Sean says 16th Street, where I live, might have gotten some water. It sure did, flowing in through the hatches and soaking 3 bunks. I got a prime bunk on the starboard outboard side, so mine stayed nice and dry. We quickly got sheets and mattresses hung up in the engine room to dry and sponged a few inches of water up from the soles of 16th Street and Sleepy Hollow, the port side bunk area where a lot of the water drained to since we’re on a starboard tack. Needless to say, class was cancelled for the day, and instead we went over a man overboard drill. The sea has great power, and while it’s easy to get complacent, she never fails to put us in our place.
We double reefed the mains’l after that and everyone is taking double the precautions to always hold onto something. Just looked at the depth logger and we’re currently sitting over about 5700 meters of water. So yeah, quite the day! We should arrive in Hawai’i in less than 5 days, which is weird to think about after 35 days at sea. Sometimes I’m ready for it to be over, other times I want time to stop.
Wave Cresting
Sea Spray
Holding on Tight
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