07:00 Help the zooplankton team deploy their nets. Zooplankton ecology is my own discipline and there are four of us on board in total. Because of the many demands on my time, they mostly have to get on with their work without me. However, I try to help where I can and fielding the nets is something that I can do within my usual day. Its also fun, because you get to look at the wildlife as you wait for the net to descend and reascend the 200 m that it samples. Today we were in amongst the ice and watched chinstrap penguins jumping on and off the ice-floes. Some appeared to be dipping their toes in and refusing to jump – the water is-1.8oC after all.
08:30 Go the bridge. The bridge is where the ship is controlled. During science sampling stations, it is also where sampling operations are coordinated from. Line of sight onto the decks is often obscured, so there are a multitude of cameras where the bridge officer can monitor activites. Communication to the deck crews is mainly done via radio, although there are phones strategically placed around the ship when radios are not available. I check with Phillipa, the 3 rd mate, that sampling is going OK. We watch the screens for a bit and also notice some Minke whales appearing on the starboard side – so close you could almost
smell their breath! Minke Whales and penguins @ Jeremy Young
09:00 Meeting with Master and Senior Officers. Matters are always arising and I usually meet with the ship’ s captain, Jerry Burgan, at least once or twice per day to talk things through and consider best options. Today, we were starting to think about plans for demobilisation since, although we are only part way through the cruise, dates for our return
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