Programs Blog

Date: April 30, 2025

Time: 1640

Location: Central South Pacific Gyre (21˚ 17.5’ S x 154˚ 13.6’ W)

Weather: 25.5˚ C, winds out of the SE x E, Beaufort force 5-10 foot seas out of the SE x S

Hello again, it’s Charlotte! We are nearing the end of our 4^th week at sea and are officially now in the tropics. I think I speak for everyone (except maybe Raechel and Seb in the always toasty galley) when I say we’ve been enjoying the warmer weather. We are excited to be swapping our deck boots and foul weather gear for sandals and sunscreen as we have enjoyed a beautiful couple of warm sunny days.

On Monday we had our weekly “field day” [cleaning day] which was delayed from its usual Saturday time slot because of a bigger sea state that would have made my job that includes climbing onto benches to clean the overheads a bit difficult. I made the most of my free evening by enjoying my first deck shower under the stars before joining friends for tea and stargazing on the quarterdeck.

Class on Tuesday was quite eventful starting off with several memorable announcements and reports. First Matt led us in a beautiful rendition of the Creature Feature song (sung to the tune of “Super Trouper” from Mamma Mia!), and then we learned about chaetognaths from B Watch, sail theory from A Watch, and the Island Mass Effect from Chief Scientist Sarah. Highlights include Robin Muse’s incredibly scientifically accurate chaetognath growl, which was demonstrated intermittently throughout the report. After this report, Robin’s time in the spotlight was far from over. We received the most shocking report of them all as Aimee got down on one knee proposed to Robin with a beautifully hand-crafted paper ring- declaring it to be a “totally joking, not legally binding, proposal for the local apparent wedding.” An ecstatic Robin not only accepted the proposal but pulled out her own seine twine ring she crafted using knots learned from a library book and declared that she had been planning to propose to Aimee as well. I offer hearty congratulations to the happy couple and urge you all at home to stay tuned for updates as the wedding preparations commence.

And as if that wasn’t enough to celebrate for one day, the icing on the cake (literally) was concluding class time with a delicious chocolate cake to celebrate Seb, our fantastic Assistant Steward’s birthday!

Throughout this entire voyage, we have been measuring water depth with an instrument called the CHIRP. It sends out sonar signals to measure the distance from the ship to the sea floor. Its pitch and frequency changes based on the ocean’s depth. Its pinging can be heard around the ship, although some people tune it out automatically while others seem to hear it more often. I myself had never heard it until a few days ago when I was completing a routine boat check and encountered what I thought to be a strangely melodic dripping noise in dry stores. Concerned, I asked Matt, who happened to be walking by, if he heard it, too, when he informed me that was in fact the CHIRP. I continued my boat check slightly embarrassed, but also relieved that there was in fact no mystery dry stores drip.

The depth recorded by the CHIRP can always be read on one of the lab computers and is part of the data set that we log hourly during our lab watches. While we are on the open ocean, it regularly reads well deeper than 5,000 meters. If you’ve been keeping up with the blog, you’ll remember our swim call from a few entries back. While swimming in the blue abyss and looking down at the sun rays penetrating deeper into the water, I remember wondering what the CHIRP was recording at that moment as I tried to comprehend swimming in over 5,000 meters of water.

Earlier in the trip, we sailed over the Chatham Rise, which consists of several sea mounts. It was fascinating to watch the depth fluctuate as we passed over these sea mounts, although we couldn’t see a difference from the surface. It was so interesting to sail over the Chatham Rise as it was the subject of a deep sea mining policy brief I completed with Henry and Brittany during the shore component. The CHIRP gave us an exact reading on how deep those highly valued phosphate nodules we spent so many hours researching were from our ship. This was just another thing to add to the ever-growing list of incredible, amazing, once in a lifetime experiences I have been lucky enough to have this semester.

Shout outs:

To my volunteer administrative team: Dekyi, thank you for handling my course registration. Bella, thank you for fighting the housing war for us. And Dad, thank you for doing my summer housing application. Thank you all for holding down the fort while I’m away.

Chloe, Hayley, and Becks: I hope you all are staying safe and healthy; I am thinking of you all the time. Say hi to Maeve for me!

Bella, Carly, Eliza, Anna, and Liv: I miss the five of you like crazy, and I can’t wait for the six week debrief of the century when I’m back. Mark your calendars. Bella don’t worry I haven’t broken any of your rules yet.

To the MHC Equestrian Team(s): GOOD LUCK AT NATIONALS!!! I know you’re all going to kill it and I’ll be cheering you on from the South Pacific. Tell CJ I’m staying safe and I say hi. 

Elle! B Watch misses you every day, and we can’t wait to show you the spin we put on the watch cheer you came up with – we think you’re going like it.