Journal Entry

Things are Improving!

Here is a map that shows wind speed and direction and wave height, along with the current location of the Palmer. Within the yellow area on this map, waves are 6-7 meters tall (or reaching a maximum of about 20 feet). We spent quite a bit of time in conditions like this yesterday. From the image you can see that we are now in an area where waves are a little smaller - in the range of 5-6 meters, which is still more than enough to make me feel a bit queasy and for it to be difficult to walk in a straight line. I am proud of myself that I have not spilled anything of significance nor have I fallen all the way down. I hear a lot of Captain Samantha Heyman's Clearwater safety talk echoing around in my head - If you feel like you're going to fall, just sit down. You can't fall if you are already on the ground. Thanks for the pointers, Captain Sam. I may look a little odd sitting in the middle of the hallway, sliding around on the evidently frictionless surface of my pants' bottom, but at least I haven't fallen.

Weather radar shows wave height, wind speed, and the position of the Nathaniel B. PalmerA screenshot of wind speed and wave height shows that the RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer is no longer in the highest wave zone of the Drake Passage.

Comments

Wed, 01/29/2020 - 05:55

Maricela, Grac…

Hi Ms. Slack, We would like to know what it's like to be in the dark all day.

Thu, 01/30/2020 - 21:02

Sarah Slack

Hi guys! Great question- but fortunately, I haven't had to deal with that yet. In fact, I'm going to have the opposite challenge when we get close to the southern coast of Antarctica- it will be light 24 hours a day! By the time we head back to Chile, it will be about 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. In fact, on March 21 or so, on a date called the Equinox, days will be the same length in Antarctica as they are in Brooklyn and in every other location on Earth.

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