Journals 2003/2004

Elaine Amaral
Portsmouth High School, Portsmouth, Rhode Island

6:30 am, it is raining buckets out. Ok, I can do this. I don't want to wimp out after the discussion Tony and I had last week about working under adverse conditions. He is a true scientist, a trooper; I can be too for one day. It will be a good story to tell for my journal entry. 7:00 am, what was that sound, was that thunder. Its ok, its off in the far distance, probably north of here. We will be under way in an hour and it will be over. 7:20 am Oh my gosh!!!!!!! What was that? That had to be the loudest thunderclap I have ever heard and the lightening bolt was tremendously bright and very close. They can't possibly be going out in this. Should I go or should I stay. (More thunder and lightening) I put my keys back on the key rack, certain there is no way they are going out today. I e-mail Tony to find out when they will reschedule today's trawl. Later he e-mails me back, they went out.

"And truly, though we were at sea, there was much to behold and wonder at, to me, who was on my first voyage. What most amazed me was the sight of the great ocean itself, for we were out of sight of land. All round us, on both sides of the ship, ahead and astern, nothing was to be seen but water-water-water; not a single glimpse of green shore, not the smallest island, or speck of moss anywhere. Never did I realize till now what the ocean was: how grand and majestic, how solitary, and boundless, and beautiful and blue; for that day it gave no tokens of squalls or hurricanes, such as I had heard my father tell of, nor could I imagine how anything that seemed so playful and placid could be lashed into rage, and troubled into rolling avalanches of foam, and great cascades of waves, such as I saw in the end."
Herman Melville, Redburn