My day started before the actual first hour of July 12th arrived, I was awake from the morning of the 11th and worked processing net deployments until 03:00 on the 12th (which also happens to be my little brothers birthday!) I spend that time sorting through buckets of zooplankton that the students had pulled up from the three types of net deployments the ship scientists run, a Shallow Tucker Trawl, Deep Trucker Trawl, and a Neuston Tow

Chief Scientist Blaire invited me to post the blog today, so I did. I’m writing to you as I slowly emerge from self-imposed bunk stasis; I have been double-sick since last Friday just before we left port in Pago Pago. The combination of a cold and sea sickness had really done a number on the physicality of my being, the nature of my presence and the morale of my mind.

The Robert C. Seamans experienced moderately high winds and seas during the first couple days of our trip, but weather over the last few days has calmed significantly, with wind from the east north easterly direction dropping to a Beaufort force 2 yesterday and sea swell in the range of 3-6 ft.

It’s a hard thing to describe accurately, but it is strange and difficult to acclimate to living situations that never stop moving. I’ve always been sensitive to listen to any crashing or colliding sounds, which often mean something’s broken, especially in the kitchen.

The students of Class S-285, Oceans & Climate, join the SSV Robert C. Seamans in Lyttelton, New Zealand on March 28th. The voyage ends in Papeete, Tahiti on May 4th, after port stops in the Chatham Islands and Raiatea.

Field Day! Today was long and productive. I work as assistant engineer, and on Thursday our regular preventative maintenance routine is to exercise fifty or so valves, and lubricate ventilation dampers. It is not generally the favorite chore. This morning it was made easier with the excellent help of Olivia, one of the sailing interns. Valve day ended up only taking all morning, which is pretty good, considering.

Our second day underway to Fiji from Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai has been an exciting one weather wise. Long gone are the days of motor sailing under the stays’ls on smooth, glass-like waters. Last night on evening watch, 1900-0100, the wind was blowing force 5 and force 6 with gusts at 7.

This morning we left the volcanic island of Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai (HTHH) at 0530, setting our course for Nuku’alofa, Tonga. Unfortunately the winds were too weak to sail so we had to use the engine to close the 35nm gap between HTHH and Nuku’alofa. However we still had the fore’staysl and the main’staysl raised on the port tack to help us along.

After a day of anchoring near Mala island, and a day of motor-sailing around the Tongan sea, we arrived at Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai. This is the world’s newest island, formed by volcanic eruptions from within the ocean. Scientists thought that the volcanic matter was not going to stay out of the water, but it did, and that’s how the island was created!