5 October, 1995

Thursday, October 5, 1995

We are currently at 58 degrees South latitude and 61 degrees West longitude. The seas are relatively flat for the ocean with a swell from the stern quarter (left rear end of the ship) running to the southwest. The water temperature has been about 2-3 degrees centigrade with the air about 4 centigrade. This of course was Wednesday the 4th, but this morning (Friday) when the sun rose under a clear and cloudless sky in like a large orange fireball, the water temp began to fall to -0.0 degrees centigrade and the air temp is now around 2. Shortly, fog set in and we are now running through a medium light fog with filtered sun. Th barometer has fallen 19 millibars in the last 20 hours but we don't know what that means. I think it could be a new ride at the Puyallup Fair, but others say it's too early to tell. I went out in a light coat to shoot a video at 5:30 a.m. this morning and it wasn't cold. Chilly, but not cold. The people from Florida have dressed for the arctic since we left Punta Arenas. Speaking of Florida, there is an air of apprehension and helplessness amongst the people on the ship who live there with word of the hurricane. It is interesting watching people deal with problems they have no control over and their reactions when there is nothing they can do. Being there to listen seems to be appreciated the most and I am glad I am not in the position they are in. I am not certain what my reactions would be thinking that everything special to me (house and yard, etc) was probably not going to exist after this morning. Two of the people (the principal investigator) live at Gulfstream and Pensacola Beach. The ship is beginning to roll abeam (sideways) more now at the confluence of the Atlantic and southern Pacific begins to take effect. I will be copying to disk our records of latitude and longitude, salinity and sea temperature that is constantly being taken and recorded to hard drive and emailing it back to Orca for use by anyone that wants paired data and geographical tracking info. Kids could sort data, plot data, graph it and analyze possible temperature boundaries that we are encountering as we travel southward. We will arrive at King George Island North at approx. 0500-0600 October 6. We will arrive at Copa Station (penguin research) at noon. We will spend a day offloading supplies and some of us have volunteered to run into Copa on skidoos to aid in the unloading effort. Then to Palmers station on Andvers Island. Wind gusts to 60-65 have been reported all week, however they are expected to lighten to 40-45 for a couple days. Yup, that's right 40-45 wind chill factor COLD. Icebergs should be encountered later today as we begin to enter the polar front.

Thanks and peace

George Palo