Life on the LMG

The trip so far is more good than bad. Going through the straights of Magellan was fun. I've seen a bunch of Oil platforms and some cargo ships. Seen a bunch of birds, mostly Ptarmigans, Albatross, Terns, and the like.

Yesterday, we reached the open waters, and the ride changed quite a bit. Unfortunately, this land lover couldn't keep his lunch down. The sea became "confused" and we were rocking and rolling every which way, in a seemingly random motion. I have no idea how big the swells were, but it was enough. The Med Tech on board has standing orders from doctors to be able to perscribe "the patch" So I hooked myself up with one (along with about half the other people on board, it seems) Both my roommate and I were stuck up in our cabin most of the afternoon.

I think the Amplitude of the waves are just as high today as they were yesterday, but the motion is much more regular. Seems that way anyway. So between that and this patch that ought to last for 3 days, I think I'm going to be all right. I'll try and go without on the way back, I think, just to see if I can just get used to things without Drugs. The stuff leaves my throat feeling very dry and nasty. A known side-effect I was warned about.

Today I was able to participate in some ongoing science projects, though its not all that exciting. We drop Expendable-Bathe-Thermographs (XBT)in the water and it measures the water temperature as it sinks. They have a long thin copper wire that sends info back to the boat. Its neat to see how the temp changes at depth, and how it varies from latitude to latitude.

That's about All I've been up to so far. I've been taking a few pictures here and there, but all the scenery is starting to get pretty dull. Its very overcast today, and you can't see the horizon. All the people on board are very friendly, and like to share their knowledge. It's fun to go up on the bridge and listen to the Mates and Captain talk.

Well, I just wanted to get a note out to everyone and let you know I'm still alive and stuff. I've been limiting my time at staring at a computer screen, just to play it safe, since that's what set me off yesterday. Cheers!