Set Sail...
Today was a slow day, relatively speaking. We mostly finished organizing the lab and then worked on tying things down. It's something you don't really think about. Every item that is not inside a cupboard or drawer MUST be tied down! The ship will be moving and we will have wind and waves to deal with. You can't have equipment, materials or supplies falling off the counters or tipping over.
Check out how the microscopes are to be tied down!
Notice that the microscope is tied down with clothesline and the monitors and equipment near the microscope have been bungeed down. Even the boxes that we are not using have to be tied to the walls so they don't slide around!
We tied down EVERYTHING!
The best way to check the weather for this voyage is to use the NOAA Alaska Regional weather page. It has a great color coded hazards page that lets you check the weather forecast by rolling your cursor across the ocean. http://www.arh.noaa.gov
I had a wonderful view out the porthole in my stateroom while we were docked in Seward. The scenery here is beautiful, but I think we are all ready to get underway and start sampling!
The view from my Porthole
The Healy was docked backwards...before we could leave, we had to turn around. We did this with the help of two tugs. They helped to get us in the right direction.
A tugboat helping us to get turned around!
Part of the crew remained on the dock to help remove the large lines that held Healy in place. After we were facing the right direction, the crew joined up with the Healy in their small boat. The small boat was attached and lifted aboard Healy. THAT would have been a cold ride!
The returning dock hands get hoisted onto the ship!
Finally...we left Seward and headed out to the Gulf of Alaska! The views were absolutely breathtaking. We even saw Bear Glacier!
We saw Bear glacier as we left Seward!
Question of the Day
Using the Alaska Regional Headquarters website, write the weather conditions for the water off the coast of Seward Harbor. The code is PKZ120.
Stay tuned to this journal as we continue our very exciting voyage! Until then…
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” Mohandas Gandhi