Programs Blog

March 9, 2025

Log: 1492.6 nautical miles

Position: 41 ° 57.4’S x 174° 26.0’E

Ship’s Heading: 61°

Location: East of Kaikoura

Hello friends and family!

Today we found ourselves off the coast of the south island, which I guess is Aotearoa New Zealand’s hub for albatross and salps (jellies we have been finding in our neuston tows). I woke up to find over 150 birds spectating as we deployed our hydrocast. Perhaps they were intrigued by our science…how academic of them. And from our morning neuston net, B watch ended up having to transfer the contents to a 5 gallon bucket because it was so full of salps and other jellies. I can only imagine getting the biomass for all of that was a bit of a challenge to say the least.

At around noon, we all enjoyed delicious chicken salad sandwiches and various flavored chips. Do tell – have you ever had a chicken flavored chip before?? A huge shout out to the stewards, Nat and Kat, for making the most scrumptious meals. I honestly may not enjoy my own cooking ever again after I leave this ship.

Following lunch, C watch assumed the deck but only for an hour or so before we had…FIELD DAY! For those of you who are wondering what that is – we basically split up the ship into 3 sections for each watch and spend 2 hours cleaning every nook and cranny all while blasting music and snacking on candy. C watch was assigned the aft (back) part of the Robert C. Seamans (bobby for short), so Kinga, Sydney, Fredi, Eamonn, Karma, and I were scrubbing floors, polishing up the charthouse, deep cleaning bathrooms and showers, and helping get the cushions onto deck for Craig. We decided on vibing to 2010’s throwbacks, so lots of Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, and One Direction might be heard by those passing by. A and B watch took the galley, main salon, and forward part of the ship, making sure all our cooking equipment and stored food was organized and tidy. Our fearless marine techs tackled the wet and dry lab, sorting through various chemicals, countless bottles of samples, and tons of paperwork from all of our science stations.

Field day concluded and bobby was feeling as good as new. C watch still had the deck, with Karma as our Junior Watch Officer, and things did not slow down! Because we needed to leave a marine reserve to be able to do our science deployments later, we had to jibe (a way of turning) the ship and head east. The Tops’l was set…then struck about ½ an hour later. We also set the jib and soon were cruising at around 8 knots with no main engine. The sun was out, there was a nice breeze, and you could see the mountains of the south island in the distance. Quite picturesque to say the least. But it was truly perfected once dolphins started playing underneath the bowsprit right below us, gliding through the water with pure grace. We turned over to B watch at 1900 and were met with another delicious meal of pork, rice, and vegetables.

Overall, a great day! A spick and span ship, beautiful weather, and great wind – what more could us sailors want?

Shout outs: Dad, I can’t wait to see you in Sydney later in April. Mom, I hope all is well in Napa and you’ve won some pickleball matches, I can’t wait to call you guys once we dock in Wellington. Donny, save me some thin mints and be proud of how hard you’re working for design right now . Go climbing and have fun with friends, and if you have time treat yourself to a falafel & egg breakfast at coal yard for me.

Madi Kim, C watch, Cornell University