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October 30th, 2009 – At Sea, 21 28N, 069 47W
by Zeta Strickland and Herb McCormick
Looking back at the five months of voyaging aboard Ocean Watch since we left Seattle late last May – tomorrow is the actual anniversary – if we could come up with one word that might describe our travels thus far, at least one of the Top Ten choices would certainly be this: Lucky.
Our luck actually began before we did, as an unprecedented string of gorgeous weather descended over Seattle in
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| Yesterday’s sunset was impossible to beat – that is, until this morning’s sunrise. |
the weeks before departure, just when we needed an unprecedented string of gorgeous weather to finish refitting OW for the adventure ahead. Our fortunate stretch continued up the coast of Alaska and of course on through the Northwest Passage, where the heaviest sea ice in the last several years broke up with time running out and permitted us to continue south, out of the Arctic Circle and on to the East Coast.
We were Lucky Ducks indeed, right up until it sort of ran out.
The Labrador Sea was a stern test, and we got shellacked in the Gulf Stream coming down the coast. One could reasonably say we were due, in modern parlance, for a “correction,” and that the rugged conditions were just the Weather Gods balancing the ledgers. Whatever: It was no fun.
Today, however, if the means were available, I’d run to the corner and buy a lottery ticket, because our tide of good fortune is once again in full flood. Late this afternoon, with 275 nautical miles to go to San Juan, the trade winds had almost completely vanished, the sea was a carpet of the gentlest ripples, and the sky ahead was cloud free and as blue as blue can be.
“Now this,” said David Thoreson, “is more like it.”
Yesterday’s sunset was impossible to beat – that is, until this morning’s sunrise, which left us all slack-jawed and silent at the beauty before us. Why, it was so nice here on the Atlantic today that we even stopped the boat for a while this afternoon and took a refreshing swim in the silky sea.
(In the interests of full disclosure, I lazily decided not to drop the mainsail, which was a bit of a problem when the boat caught an errant puff of breeze and began to sail away. Skipper Mark Schrader came to our rescue, then delivered a glance the likes of which I hadn’t seen since a terrible jellyfish incident several months ago. But by then I was safely onboard. What can I say: I’m lucky!)
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| The crew stopped the boat this afternoon and took a refreshing swim in the silky sea. |
So, yes, it’s been a day of reflection here on Ocean Watch, which leads me to Part II of today’s log. For most of our travels thus far, onboard educator Zeta Strickland of the Pacific Science Center, who has since returned to Seattle and resumed her regular duties, ably joined us. When Zeta first came aboard, as a novice sailor, she wrote a fine piece about her expectations going forward. Now a veteran of the Northwest Passage, Zeta knows her way around a sailboat, and with the benefit of hindsight, she now has the answers to what were then open-ended questions. So, with no further adieu, here’s the latest installment of her Teacher’s Log:
The Answers to My Questions by Zeta Strickland
After spending a summer typing in the moving cabin of a sailboat I am pleased to say that today I type this from my rather still and non-moving home in Seattle. What a summer it’s been – new places, new faces and a host of new experiences each day. As I unpack, and think about this summer, it seems appropriate to revisit the first log entry I wrote from a hotel in Barrow, Alaska, in which I attempted to answer the questions I was often asked before this trip began.
What will I be doing on Ocean Watch?
Before joining the boat I answered that I would be a mix of crew while underway, and teacher when we were in port. And although I had little idea of what “crew” would entail, I have learned. This summer I stood watches, learned some basic navigation, cooked, cleaned, and learned some sailing, too. As teacher, I created teaching kits to be used in schools and in public events; I also created presentations for schools, worked with teachers and learned a lot about the science investigations onboard.
In different ports I led activities to families and school children; together we’ve driven the ROV submersible, built marine ecosystems, explored fishing practices and sustainable fishing, did cloud observations for NASA and explored ocean acidification. I lead boat tours and helped give talks. Oddly, I never got tired of talking about what we were learning or where we went. The more I have learned about how our oceans and climate are changing, the more I want to talk to everyone I can.
Am I nervous?
Yes, three months ago I was nervous. I was sailing (which I hadn’t done before) in the Arctic (a new location) with a new crew of people (I didn’t know). Nervous? I’d have been crazy to not be, right? Once I joined the boat, met the crew, and we started moving I wasn’t nervous, and I was never truly scared this summer either. Looking back, perhaps I didn’t know enough to be nervous; the more accounts I read of boats caught in fast moving ice, or conditions changing and barometers rapidly falling … well, maybe I’d be more nervous if I did it all again.
Do I get seasick?
Three months ago my answer was, “I don’t know.” Today I can answer this differently. Yes. Yes, I do. This summer gave me the opportunity to try a host of seasickness preventions and cures with varying levels of success. I recommend a nap, calm seas, and prescription meds. I highly recommend sleep.
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| Zeta’s only regrets are that she didn’t do and try everything, and that she had to sleep. |
How do I feel about being the only woman on board?
Three months ago I said that I was pretty unconcerned. Although I don’t have any brothers, I did live in a fraternity house in college (it was all on the up and up, the university delivered my mail there, even my mother knew…) While I will make no comparisons of the crew to the fraternity house, I can say that as I predicted, gender was a small concern. We were moving through ice where all hands were needed on deck. We had to work together to do all the countless things that need to be done each day. And as I said before we were researching and learning about massive changes to our Earth’s oceans; being the only woman on a boat was indeed a small concern in comparison to everything else.
(I did have some people I met during the summer ask if I was the one who cooked, being the only girl on the boat; this question always amused me because I think every guy onboard could out-cook me. Since I liked to eat their cooking, I figure it all came out fairly even in the end. Well, that, and I baked. Pie anyone?
And now, here are a few questions I’ve received since my days aboard:
Favorite places: Pearce Point Harbor, in the Canadian Arctic. No town here, but an old outfitters cabin, an amazing variety of rocks, hills to wander, grizzly tracks all over the beach and more colors of lichen, moss, and wildflowers than I ever thought possible made this an exploration cornucopia.
Do I have any regrets?
Yes, that I didn’t do and try everything, and that I had to sleep. Many times this summer I wished I could hit “record” with my brain and remember everything that was happening. The 24 hours of sun means each hour of each day is for looking and exploring. But light or not, we all have to sleep, even though I wished I didn’t. I wish we had spent about 2 more weeks in every community we visited (although if we had, we’d still be there, and frozen in). I wish I had more knowledge in advance of where we went and what we saw; I think I would have appreciated it more. But in truth the Arctic is so rich in geology, biology, culture and history, I think I could spend a lifetime there learning and still be looking with new eyes. So, yes, while I do have regrets, I’m not sure how realistic it is to have never slept.
The best wrap up I can offer is that I am glad I went, and I would do it all over again in an instant. The next time perhaps with a video camera mounted to my hat!
- Zeta Strickland and Herb McCormick with photographs by David Thoreson
This crew log submitted by Iridium OpenPort and Stratos
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