For the first time in four weeks and a few days, I stepped out of the ship even though we are not even halfway through our cruise. Oh, all this happened at the same time we lost e-mail connection because we are too south for the e-mail satellites.
I am sending this journal entry over the phone because, believe it or not, we are too south for e-mail coverage but alright for the iridium phone. It seems we will be out of e-mail coverage for a week.
I was working on a journal entry just before heading for lunch knowing that the mess hall would close in less than 15 minutes, when Buzz, the MPC came to see me to ask me a favor. He started by saying that we have a speed boat on board that we are required to take out for a 2 hour ride every now and then to make sure the engine is working well. The favor? Could I go on the boat and take pictures? Are you kidding me?
It was quarter past noon and I needed to be all geared up next to the speed boat by 12:45. I ate as fast as I could and went to change clothes and get the camera ready. I made sure the battery had juice and the memory card had space. Mmmmh, lets take the extra battery as well. I wrapped the camera gear on a trash bag and got myself on a Mustang survival suit. Sounds cool, doesn't. It was way cool!
I had seen a zodiac on at the stern of the ship and headed that way with full ten minutes to spare. Time passed by; I saw the deployment of the trace metal cast. Time kept passing, and I know how seriously sailors take time, so I started to worry. Was it a prank? I am all dressed up like a bride before the wedding!
I went in and did not go far before someone spotted me and yelled 'here he is!' , 'Are you ready?' I did not know then, but there is a bigger speed boat on starboard. The whole party was waiting for the bride.
Got my baklava, helmet, gloves and to the boat. Chris, the third mate was going to drive; Brian, the third assistant engineer, was there to help with the engine, and Ronnie, one of the crew members, was to assist with deployment and recovery. It seems that the most disposable in their rank was sent to the boat. I have never been so happy to be disposable!
Here I am on a small speed boat floating on the Southern seas. Picture by Brian Watry.
The boat sits about four stories above the water. Pretty exciting to be lowered to the water surface from that height! That alone was a ride!
Deployment of the speedboat from the heights. Picture by Thomas Decedt
And off we went. We left the Palmer on a small boat and returned almost two hours later. The most exciting part came right at the beginning. A crabeater seal approached the small boat as soon as we were leaving the side of the Palmer and chased us for a bit. It was amazing to see her swimming behind us and sticking her head out of the water every now and then!
We had some issues with the steering wheel. We approached the Palmer' stern so we could get a grease bulb from the lower deck. Chris and Brian worked on the steering wheel and solved the issue. We did not go far from the mother ship, and I only shot about 300 pictures of the Palmer. After all, that is what they had sent me for and I wanted to make sure I got at least a good one. Here are two from the bunch:
A view of the N.B. Palmer in the Southern seas
A different view of the N.B. Palmer in the Southern seas
I was not quick enough to get a picture of an Albatross that flew barely above us, as I was trying to protect he camera from getting too wet at that moment. I got him on a another not so close pass by. By the way, those fancy Mustang survival suits are not water proof. They keep you very warm, but are not water proof. I also learned that you should put the legs of the suit above the boots. It is not a fashion statement; it prevents the water coming down the side of the suit and going into the boots. I should have seen that one coming.
An albatross flying low over the speed boat
The trace metal rosette was brought to the surface and the Palmer took of. We chased it for a while, until the fuel assessment suggested we should head back home. A couple more pictures later we were next to the Palmer being hoisted aboard. What a ride!
All I can say is that if you ever see Buzz coming to asks you for a favor, do not even hesitate!