Ketchikan (Photo by Kathy Hardy)
Bill Caddigan took this awesome picture of the crew lowering the work boat in Ketchikan.
Leaving Ketchikan for the open ocean. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)
The departing First Assistant Engineer, Paul, climbs down to the small boat for the short hop to shore. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)
Graduate students: Natalie, Ben and Bill from Univeristy of Western Ontario and Lisa from the University of Maine. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)
Boats in Ketchikan Harbor (Photo by Kathy Hardy)CLARENCE STRAIT, BC (May 18, 2007): In Ketchikan we dropped off our First Assistant Engineer Paul (another "Maineiac"), who was flying back to his home in Portland. I have been surprised over the years at how many of the crew of different research vessels actually live in or have relatives in Maine. We also picked up a new AB and a film maker from the Creative Services department at the University of Maine who is shooting a promotional film for the Department of Marine Sciences. He will be with us until we return to Ketchikan in two weeks. We will have to get used to having a camera wandering about the ship.
On the way back out of the Strait, a humpback whale surfaced a few times very close to the ship. Just another splash picture for me.
One of the members of the science crew received the news via email that her father in law had become gravely ill and wasn’t expected to make it through the night. She had only a few hours to decide if she would disembark in Ketchikan or continue with the cruise. Even though her departure would have caused hardship for those left onboard, all were supportive of her decision, whatever she decided to do. It is nice to work with people who have their priorities in order. In the end, with her husband’s insistence that he was ok dealing with the situation alone, she decided to stay.
This incident though, illustrates one of the realities we face when we go on a cruise like this. Soon we will be a couple of days from land. There will be no way to leave immediately. I think, in the back of our minds, we all worry about something happening while we are at sea and not being able to get home.
Tonight we are headed back out to the open ocean.
