Journals 2004/2005

Linda Hoffman
Palms Middle School, West Los Angeles, California

"Structure of Populations, Levels of Abundance, and Status of Humpback whales (SPLASH)" NOAA Ship McArthur July 28 - August 28, 2004

Journal Index: July 28 - 29 - 30 - 31 August 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11           12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19           21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28

August 9, 2004

7am. I am feeling quite ill. I was worrying perhaps too much about not hearing from Bob and my son by email for the last 3-4days. I tried lying down but the rocking of the ship seems more prominent in my room then on the upper decks.

8am. After eating a small meal, I decide to go up on the observation deck. It is very, very windy. We are now in gale force winds and the Bering Sea is showing its force. We don't even see a bird out there in this weather. Well everyday can't be exciting.

12noon. There is still not much to see in this weather. I look around and I am not the only one feeling the fury of the sea today. Very few people have shown up for lunch. I am forcing myself to eat, as I know this is important to keep from getting seasick. I also make sure I am drinking enough water, as it is very easy to get dehydrated on the ship without realizing it.

5pm. Dinner. The meals have been excellent onboard and I now realize how that even builds morale on days like this. We had duck tonight and it was fantastic. There were many other choices, but this was special to me as I never had duck before. The cruise helped me eat more balanced meals.

After dinner, I watched a movie and then went up late to the flybridge. I was able to help Dr. Barlow and Barbara spot a humpback off our bow. Siri and Allen took some good photos and the small boat had success as well.

We expect to dock in Dutch Harbor by Wednesday at 1400hours or 2pm. Unfortunately the land phone won't be hooked up so we would not be able to make calls from the ship.

4pm. I went up to the flybridge to get some air, as I am still feeling sick. Dr. Barlow came up to me and asked me how I was doing. I guess word gets around fast when one is not feeling well. I tell Dr. Barlow that I am fine now that I am outside looking for whales. Before retiring to bed, I asked Dr. Barlow if I can go out on the small boat tomorrow. To my disappointment, he says no as he feels the seas are too rough. I appreciate how he takes care of me like a father but I now have the confidence that I can handle the boat. I am in bed by 10:12pm.