New Journals

[scotiapl...@gmail.com]

Hello Everyone,
I have attached the journals for the past few days. I hope
everyone had a great thanksgiving break! - Robb

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November 21, 2007
Location:10°N 30 min, 64°W 13.7 min
Air Temperature: 45 F
Wind Speed: 15 knots
Vessel Speed: 0 knots
Samples Collected: 0

Punta Arenas: David Gombosi, University of South Carolina

We got to sleep in this morning until almost 9 AM, after our late
flight out from Santiago to Punta Arenas the previous night. After a
quick breakfast it was time to head over to the port and see the
AGUNSA and Raytheon representatives who had hurriedly ushered us into
Punta Arenas the night before. On our way over to the port Dave and I
made sure to stop by the stature of Magellan in the central square --
it's considered good luck to kiss his foot and is supposed to bring
you back to Punta Arenas. I hope to see Punta Arenas at the end of the
trip so I'll take this as a token that my journey will be a safe one.

First up was our outfitting for ECW or extreme cold weather gear.
Raytheon/NSF are very well stocked with all kinds of quality gear
suited for sub-zero conditions -- much more than we would ever be
facing on the balmy Antarctic Peninsula. Wearing the gear is optional,
however bringing it along is strongly suggested since space is not a
real limitation on the ship. Along with the ECW gear, we also
outfitted ourselves with some basic survival gear that is required for
all field expeditions. This survival pack consists of a dry bag, two-
or three-person tent, cold-weather sleeping bag, small white gas
stove, pots, and some freeze-dried food. Just enough to hold you over
for a few days in a freak storm until the ship can pick you up.

Next up we had lunch on the ship, and some free time before our
mandatory Coast Guard/Homeland Security briefing. Kendra, Willy and I
were free for most of the day in which we did some finalizing of our
bags, and shopping around town. We also got to start unpacking and
setting up all the new lab equipment we ordered. We have a nice big
lab devoted to just our group on the first floor of the ship.

Upon first seeing the ship I was struck by both how large (80m) and
also how small it is at the same time. After making a tour of the
marine and hydro labs, the galley, muster room, laundry, gym, and
sauna, you've pretty much seen the entire ship. While the ship looks
big from the outside and the inside is well cared for, I'm sure after
almost a month of staring at the same rooms and 40 people I'm going to
be looking forward to stretching my legs. Fortunately for me our month
long journey will be punctuated with frequent field excursions which
should help to break the trip up a little bit. I'm rooming with Willy
and we have our own bathroom (which is almost as big as the room
itself). It's a small but functional room, the included photos
probably describe it better than I could.

It took us a good hour and a half of roaming around Punta Arenas
looking for the members of our party before we were set to have dinner
-- at least I got to see a good deal of the city in the process. We
found a wonderful little hole-in-the-wall restaurant recommended by
one of the ship's crew and the recommendation did not disappoint. If
your ever in Punta Arenas stop by La Marmita! Tonight we get our first
night's sleep on the ship as we set sail for Livingston Island,
Antarctica tomorrow at 9 AM tomorrow!

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November 22, 2007 (Thanksgiving Day)
Location: 70W, 52.6S - Straights of Magellan, NE of Puntas Arenas

Turkey Day 2007: Kendra Murray, Carleton College

This morning we departed from Punta Arenas around 9:00am, after
spending the night on the LMG. The morning was cool and mostly sunny,
and around the dock the wind was kicking up white caps, rocking the
smaller boats in the harbor. After we were underway, we gathered in
the lounge for a safety briefing. The first officer introduced us to
our survival equipment, including an emersion suit and PFD. Our
briefing also included an opportunity to climb around in the bright
orange self-righting life boats that we will hopefully not have to
use.

As the Gould made her way east through the Straight of Magellan, we
had some spectacular views of desolate cliffs and beaches on either
side. It was a bright and sunny afternoon, and the occasional penguin,
seal or dolphin sighting rewarded hours spent dangling from the bow
with camera and binoculars in hand. So far, the seas have been calm,
but the weather report for Drake Passage predicts stormy 18-22ft seas
once we reach open water. It's time to check our seasickness
medication.

Thanksgiving celebrations were casual, with a delicious spread of
holiday favorites at dinner. Dinner on the Gould is served between
17:30 and 18:30, so there are at least four hours of post-meal
daylight to enjoy. We decided to raid the huge collection of movies
onboard, and watched Master and Commander a very appropriate choice!

I finished off the evening by taking a stroll outside on deck. It was
amazingly clear, and even with a nearly full moon many of the southern
constellations were visible. I got my first look at the Southern
Cross! It's difficult to say how many more clear days we will have,
but we will certainly be trading these several hours of darkness for
twilight as we continue south and approach the solstice.
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November 24, 2007
Location: 59.3 S, 60 W
Air Temperature:4 C
Sea Temperature:7 C
Vessel Speed: 10 knots
Wind Speed:25 knots
Samples Collected: 0

By: Brian Kliesen

Greetings,
Another exciting day here on the Laurence M. Gould as we ply the grey
waters and equally grey skies of the Drake Passage ever southwards to
our goal of Palmer Station. I am one of the Marine Tech's aboard this
ship, but specifically I am the medic, here to take care of life's
little emergencies when you are 600 miles from the nearest Emergency
Room or Doctor. In this I am incredibly fortunate as the crew and
passengers are hearty souls and while a few are feeling a bit under
the weather from the motion of our ship, none are 'worshiping the
porcelain god', nor 'feeding the fishes' as they say, fighting off sea
sickness. Yesterday and today have been interesting. A bit of a roll
as the ship navigates through the 10 to 15 foot swells with the
occasional 20 footer thrown in just to keep you on your toes. Nothing
too severe, but it can make eating, sleeping or walking a bit of a
challenge.

The recent news here has been of the ship 'Explorer', an Antarctic
cruise ship that hit some ice, took on water and ultimately sank.
While it was good to hear that everyone got off safely and will soon
be flying northwards to home and family, the environmental
consequences will be long lasting. Not only the regular detritus and
trash of the ship that will find its way to the surface or into the
waters, but also the diesel and oil that will be seeping out of its
tanks and engine room. One can only hope that the insurance company
and owners will attempt to pump off what they can, or even bring it to
the surface and tow it home. Alas the latter is unlikely. Not too far
from Palmer Station is another shipwreck, clearly visible from the
surface of a ship that went down after striking a rock. It does make
one appreciate being on this ship, with its ice strengthened hull and
professional crew, and to take much more seriously the abandon ship
drills that we had only a few days ago. As the medical officer on
board it made me think of what I might have to do in such a situation,
if it were to happen to us or to another ship. Luckily we have a
rather well stocked hospital and no doubt my other shipmates would be
of great assistance.

I see that Dave 'Man about town' Barbeau has arrived in the lounge to
continue his reading of Turkish science fiction novels and await the
much anticipated mid day activity, LUNCH, a mere two and a half hours
away. Next to me is Bob 'Not the Wilderness' Marshall, looking at the
computer, showing a chart of the progress of our journey and Kendra
'Rock Hopper ' Murray catching up on some email to her fan club back
in the northern hemisphere. Dan Mazzeo is also on his computer,
updating himself on world events, cooking recipes and some sort of
complex computer game involving latin terms for construction
materials. In the mean time we while away the time in watching movies,
play full contact high speed scrabble (a crew favorite and no injuries
thus far), and the singing of sea shanties, with an eye to the sea and
an occasional glance at the monitor that shows our ships position
slowly creeping southwards towards the Peninsula and our upcoming
work. As for me, it is time to return to medical and see about doing
that inventory I have been putting off (so hard to read the little
labels with the ship rolling about) and to perhaps catch up on some
reading on 'medicine at sea'.

So there you go...
Brian Kliesen
EMT-B / 91W
Laurence M. Gould
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November 25, 2007
Location: 62 degrees 36.34 minutes South; 59 degrees 32.91 minutes
West, south of Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands
Air Temperature:29 F
Sea Temperature:31 F
Vessel Speed: 0 knots
Wind Speed:21 knots NE
Samples Collected: 0

Anticipation: Dave Barbeau, University of South Carolina

We're aboard the LMG hovering gently in calm seas of the Bransfield
back-arc basin, due south of MacFarlane Strait, up which we will pass
tomorrow morning in order to touch ground on Antarctica for the first
time. We are headed to Williams Point on the northern margin of
Livingston Island primarily to support the work of our travel
companions, Dr. Ross MacPhee and company, who are pursuing the
vertebrate paleontology of Cretaceous strata on Livingston and the
surrounding islands. Their first trip ashore is largely reconnaissance
for future work before they settle in on Byers Peninsula for a two-
week camp while our team is off wandering about the Graham Coast,
Anvers Island, and the Trinity and Tabarin Peninsulas. We'll miss
their company during this time away (esp. the bird-watching skills,
probing scientific questions and general enthusiasm of Dr. Jeremy
Hooker, a veteran in these parts).

It is snowy and foggy outside with only occasional views of Livingston
-- tomorrow should be exciting if the weather persists. At least the
swell is small and the winds light. The marine technicians (MT's) Toby
Koffman (whose sister is also a Carleton Geology alum) and Meghan King
are going to scout the landing on Williams Point with Ross and Chris
Denker (John Evans' capable stand-in) tomorrow before breakfast, so it
should be smooth sailing for us on the second journey in. Williams
Point is small, so it should be a fairly short day and easy for us to
cover the ground necessary to find and collect detrital samples for
provenance analysis. In many ways, this is an ideal shakedown trip for
us -- we'll learn the ins-and-outs of zodiac boarding and de-boarding,
Antarctic fieldwork, and Antarctic weather without committing
ourselves to anything extreme. Nonetheless, we're all pretty excited
and nervous about the big day tomorrow. Hopefully all will go well.

Today's entry -- Anticipation -- is dedicated to John Evans, our U.S.
Antarctic Program project coordinator. In addition to welcoming us
with open arms to Punta Arenas and the Gould, John is largely
responsible for all of the organization and coordination during the
run-up to the cruise. From arranging medical tests and re-tests, to
permit applications, to informing us what type of sunglasses are best,
to making sure our travel arrangements were made, John was an
indispensable part of our team. His demeanor is indescribably
delightful, assured, and calm. A grand Minnesotan. We were very sad to
hear John would not be able to join us on the cruise, but are happy
he's at home with his lovely wife for the holidays. When we step first
on Antarctica tomorrow, John, I am certain that more than one of us
will be thinking of you.

I hope all is well in the states tonight.

best,
dlb