Sunday, August 21, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Friday, August 5, 2011
Seatime math
Today is day 16 of this trip (out of 33 planned), which is also my previous 'longest-time-at-sea'.
However, that last trip was on Coyote, a 42 ft. sailboat, whereas this trip is on a 274 ft. top of the line research ship.
Looking at the ratios of days out to length of ship (days/LOA), this trip is equivalent to ~2.5 days on a 42 ft. boat. Put another way, I would have to stay at sea for 104 days on this ship to match my previous sea time (by this meaningless metric).
As you may notice I've got some time on my hands to think about these things.
My commute.
Calmest day of the trip today.
However, that last trip was on Coyote, a 42 ft. sailboat, whereas this trip is on a 274 ft. top of the line research ship.
Looking at the ratios of days out to length of ship (days/LOA), this trip is equivalent to ~2.5 days on a 42 ft. boat. Put another way, I would have to stay at sea for 104 days on this ship to match my previous sea time (by this meaningless metric).
As you may notice I've got some time on my hands to think about these things.
My commute.
Calmest day of the trip today.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Cape Verde
Boa Vista, the easternmost island of the Republic of Cape Verde.
All the dust in the air, blowing off the Saharan desert, makes for hazy days but pretty amazing sunsets.
14.75N 22.75W
Two weeks in
Yesterday we recovered and deployed buoys at 20N 23W. While there the crew made the most of it and caught a few of the tuna that live around the moorings. Sashimi appetizer with dinner. The next week or so we will be heading due South along 23W, visiting 3 more buoy sites until the equator.
Turning downwind has made a huge difference in the ship's motion. Again, surprising how similar such a large ship can be to a small sailboat in these regards.
The skies are hazy, and the buoys are covered in a thick layer of dust, blown out to sea from the Saharan desert. One of the research groups onboard is focused specifically on the role of this atmospheric dust in hurricane formation, as it alters the exchange of heat between atmosphere and ocean.
Today we will pass through the Cape Verde Islands, close enough to see, but not to step ashore. For that we have to wait until Cape Town.
17.5N 22.75W
Turning downwind has made a huge difference in the ship's motion. Again, surprising how similar such a large ship can be to a small sailboat in these regards.
The skies are hazy, and the buoys are covered in a thick layer of dust, blown out to sea from the Saharan desert. One of the research groups onboard is focused specifically on the role of this atmospheric dust in hurricane formation, as it alters the exchange of heat between atmosphere and ocean.
Today we will pass through the Cape Verde Islands, close enough to see, but not to step ashore. For that we have to wait until Cape Town.
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