Programs Blog

Author: Jordyn Worshek, A Watch, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Ship’s Log

Saturday, 6 April, 2024

Noon Position (Lat and Long): 42°16.385’S x 167°21.470’W
Ship Heading (degrees): 275
Ship Speed (knots): 2.7
Taffrail Log (nm): 974.6 nm
Weather / Wind / Sail Plan (from 1300 Watch Change): Partly cloudy skies with cumulus being the dominant, 20.5° C, 23 knots of wind, sailing under the Jib and Forestaysail. Sails aback for science deployment.
Description of location: Almost  1000 nm E of New Christchurch New Zealand

Today I had morning watch, which means I had deck responsibilities from
0700-1300. I spent a lot of time on lookout at the bow of the ship. When on
lookout we have to keep track of anything out of the ordinary that we see.
Like if I see whales or dolphins, or clouds that give me emotions. I’m the
first one to spot anything since everyone else is aft of me (behind). When
I’m on lookout, I get a lot of time to think and one of the mates said it
was “mandatory think time,” which is pretty accurate. It’s just me up there,
feeling every roll and swell of the waves against the ship. Sometimes I try
to come up with a song to sing to myself in my head, or a movie to replay
(like Emperors’ New Groove) or ponder a philosophical question. The most
recent question on my mind was the ethics of genetic tampering. I can’t say
I came up with a solid answer though.

While I’m on watch my shipmates are doing things too. We rotate from
lookout, to steering the ship on the helm, noting weather and our GPS
position, and checking the ship to make sure everything is still in order.
When I do my checks I always ask if they are ok and if anyone is bleeding,
dying or on fire. They get amusement out of it most of the time, I think. At
least the people in lab do since they are the ones doing the science in the
lab and are working with chemicals and various organisms. There’s also the
galley which by definition has sharp knives and ovens in it, so it’s super
important to check there. The head steward Murph, always laughs when I ask.

I could talk about so much here because everything is so much different than
on land, but the one thing always on my mind is home. Well, really who is
there waiting for me. This year I came on this trip with the blessing of my
wife Melissa. This will be our 7 year anniversary tomorrow. I hope by the
time this gets posted it will be the 7th at home. I tried to time it just
right. Every time I look out into the ocean, I’m reminded of her. The
ocean’s color in the sunlight reminds me so much of her eyes. Even when it’s
raining and storm clouds are overhead, it reminds me of when she gets sad
and her eyes get a little darker. When I look up to see the stars at night
(which I wish you could see babe) they remind me of our first date that
night in October. The constellations may be different, but I know when she
looks up, she and I are looking at the same sky. It connects us even though
I’m thousands of miles away in the middle of the ocean. These thoughts tend
to trickle in the most on hard days when I’m really missing her. Today is
one of those days and I can’t wait to get home to her and tell her all of my
adventures. I’m keeping a journal of all the little things I think of that I
would want to tell her and I can’t wait for her to read it when I get home.

Also, I want to give a shout out to everyone I sent the blog link to. Hi Mom
and Dad. (yes Dad I’m continuing to “shark it.”) To my other friends, I will
have so many stories for you and so much to catch up on. One last note,
Bonner if you’re reading this—-you just lost the game. 😛

Jordyn Worshek, A Watch, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

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