Latitude: 78 degrees Longitude: 163 degrees Temperature: 1.5 degrees C Wind chill: -7.1 degrees C
The Oden entered the Bay of Whales about 6 AM and sailed right up to the fast ice! By the time I got up to the bridge at 6:20, we had pulled back some. Looking straight ahead I saw the ice shelf and a wide v-shaped opening that was iced over. Then I heard the radio on the bridge and realized they were launching the Hugin (small boat used for ice stations). They had assembled a group to go to the ice. Now the real interest here was not so much the ice as it was the chance to set a record! There had been talk for awhile about this area. It seems that the inlet along the coast at the Bay of Whales is the most southern point that any ship can navigate to. We talked about how the Oden might get in as far as possible. An idea for making a human chain in our survival suits from the ship through the inlet was brought up. That idea was nixed quickly as we remembered the likelihood of killer whales J Then the idea about sending the Hugin in came up. Since the inlet was frozen over, I am not sure at this writing if we set any records or not.
Hugin at Bay of Whales
Hugin on the ice at the Bay of Whales as seen from the Oden.*
Map - Bay of Whales
Computer map shows position of Oden at the Bay of Whales.*
As far as whales, Rebecca Dickhut and I were the only ones to see one late in the day. We had just about given up .After sitting up on watch all day, there had been no sightings. We were actually looking out the window when Rebecca shouts "There, a whale!" I jumped up grabbing my camera as I saw a big splash. We ran alongside the windows watching until we were out on the deck. Trying to take a picture was useless, they move fast!! So I only have pictures of ripples, but at least I can say I DID see a whale. Rebecca said it looked like a Minke whale.
Moving on, a recent plankton tow brought up an egg (?) that no one here could identify. I told Melissa and Agneta that I would post a picture of it to see if anyone could help with this. It's about 5mm long. Any ideas?
Egg
Can anyone tell us what this is?*
Today's tow brought up a much sought after Pteropod. There was trouble with the winch line that lowers the plankton net, so it was brought back up without going very far. I was out there with Agneta when she decided to pack it up. She opened the canister not expecting anything in it - and there it was! It wasn't long before the news spread. By now everyone has either seen it or photographed it. Doesn't take much to make us happy.
Lollie
Pteropod Posing
I think Pteropod is smiling!*
Plankton Net Treasures
Second Plankton net tow brought up a lot of treasures!*