Journal

Life on Board Part 1

How we spend our free time

Midnight in Antarctica.
Midnight in Antarctica.

As I mentioned earlier we do shift work. There are 2 twelve hour shifts. One begins at 12 noon and the other at midnight. The shifts are generally quite busy with a flurry of activity as all the science and ship activity are going on. As the cruise continues you will get better idea about a typical work day and how everybody works together to complete the mission. It is pretty cool how coordinated the effort is. It is also great that it is in one of the most beautiful and remote places on earth. But will talk shop later. What about free time? As I mentioned previously the food is outstanding and plentiful.

The gym
The gym

Thankfully we have a full gym open 24 hours a day to work off Mike, Lorenzo and Marsallas' delicacies. It is used regularly.

The sauna
The sauna

Another popular spot is the sauna. It is not only a great place to warm the bones after a shift on the back deck, but also an excellent place to wind down after doing watch in the dry lab.

The Lounge
The Lounge

Lastly for this journal is the lounge. It is stocked with hundreds of books of all types. It is also the place where we can gather for a movie and popcorn. So as you can see, the work might be hard at times and the conditions might get a little rough, but we have it pretty good! I'll be spotlighting certain parts of the ship as we progress on through the cruise.

Questions: Life on Board

If you have a particular question about life on board, send them to the Ask the Team forum or post them below in the journal commenting.

Let me see… the gym or the lounge tonight???

Details
Author
Glenn Clark
Date
Location
Heading West
Expedition
Totten Glacier System in East Antarctica
Weather Summary
Cloudy
Temperature
25

View Comments

Comments

Sun, 02/09/2014 - 10:15

Guest

Hi Glenn...
Finally I am figuring out to regularly follow you on ship. Really interesting (who knew?).

All is good in Pennsylvania. There is about as much ice on many of our streets as I see ahead of you! But people here have a much harder time coping.

Let me know how I can automatically get updates. Or can I? I mean, could I get your blog sent directly to my email? If so how. Email is ... Jon.clark2@gmail.com

Take care

Jon

Ps. I'm sending Haley a note to congratulate her on the Empire State games...

Sun, 02/09/2014 - 17:21

Glenn Clark

Hi Jon. somewhere on the webpage there is a link to get updates. I'll check Hope you are well

Mon, 02/10/2014 - 04:31

Guest

I was wondering what you did in you off time. I know that you are working twelve hour shifts but it must be hard to sleep with all the excitement. I am wondering how long it will take you, when you get back, to get used to the relatively slow living we enjoy on land?Graser

Mon, 02/10/2014 - 06:37

Glenn Clark

Hey graz. Hope you are well. good to hear from you! Not a lot of free
time. Do the blog, eat,sleep and try to use the treadmill in the
Helicopter hangar. (no helicopter on board which makes it safer). I read
and hope to wach a movie or 2. The shift is busy as we assist in all
aspects of the science . Fromm marine mammal observing to, outdoor
deployments and research (my favorite) to processing specimens for
cataloging. Some work is easy, some tedious, dirty , physical cold but
invigorating. I have a new found respect for science and the people that
do it. Won't take long o adjust once I get back as I will be back to
regular chores. Not as fun though. Thanks Glenn