I took this picture of the Thompson last fall from the work boat. It is included here because I like it.(Photo by Kathy Hardy)
The galley (Photo by Bill Caddigan) 
Pam, one of the ABs on the Thompson. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN (May 23, 2007): One great thing about these cruises is meeting and getting to know the crew. There are some great people on these ships. From what I hear, there is better money to be had on commercial ships, but most of the crew are here because they prefer to be on research vessels. Sort of like me, I could make more money working in a commercial lab, but here I am in the middle of the ocean.
One of the crew that I have had he pleasure to sail with a couple of times is Pam, who is an AB. She grew up in a Pennsylvania mining town. Before she began working on research vessels, she worked on a coal ship in the Great Lakes. She was telling me that one ship she worked on hauled coal on lake Superior to a coal fired power plant. It was 1000 feet long and held 50,000 tons of coal! There were three of these ships that made the trip to that same plant each day to supply a total of 150,000 tons of coal for one day’s power output! Talk about greenhouse gases!
Pam and the other ABs keep the ship clean and in good repair. They also operate the ship's cranes and other heavy equipment. She is the only female crew member currently on the Thompson. Pam is up and about early and is always busy. The only time I see her not working is sometimes at night or mid afternoon if we happen to be taking a break at the same time. I like Pam, we always have interesting conversations in the galley and we have had some awesome gripe sessions as well!
Speaking of the galley. You may wonder what it is like. It’s like a mini cafeteria with 5 tables. There are special chairs that are weighted on the bottom so they won’t tip. When it is really rough, the tables are covered with plastic mesh that keep everything from sliding off. There are snacks out 24 hours a day and there are soft drinks and juices in the fridge that we can help ourselves to. I have never been on a research cruise that had bad food and this is no exception. It is almost impossible to not gain weight with the combination of tasty food and being confined to the ship. Dan is the Head Steward and he and his crew do a great job with the meals.
One of the crew that I have had he pleasure to sail with a couple of times is Pam, who is an AB. She grew up in a Pennsylvania mining town. Before she began working on research vessels, she worked on a coal ship in the Great Lakes. She was telling me that one ship she worked on hauled coal on lake Superior to a coal fired power plant. It was 1000 feet long and held 50,000 tons of coal! There were three of these ships that made the trip to that same plant each day to supply a total of 150,000 tons of coal for one day’s power output! Talk about greenhouse gases!
Pam and the other ABs keep the ship clean and in good repair. They also operate the ship's cranes and other heavy equipment. She is the only female crew member currently on the Thompson. Pam is up and about early and is always busy. The only time I see her not working is sometimes at night or mid afternoon if we happen to be taking a break at the same time. I like Pam, we always have interesting conversations in the galley and we have had some awesome gripe sessions as well!
Speaking of the galley. You may wonder what it is like. It’s like a mini cafeteria with 5 tables. There are special chairs that are weighted on the bottom so they won’t tip. When it is really rough, the tables are covered with plastic mesh that keep everything from sliding off. There are snacks out 24 hours a day and there are soft drinks and juices in the fridge that we can help ourselves to. I have never been on a research cruise that had bad food and this is no exception. It is almost impossible to not gain weight with the combination of tasty food and being confined to the ship. Dan is the Head Steward and he and his crew do a great job with the meals.
Because of the satellite internet, it is possible to keep in touch with friends and family on land. I have heard stories from the early days of oceanography when researchers were out of touch for an entire cruise. Having the luxury of email is great and it allows for things like this blog.
Modern technology also allows anyone that is interested to track the Thompson's course online at LINK
I really miss my dog, though. Becasue even though she is the most intelligent dog ever, she hasn't yet mastered email. I also miss plants; large green plants; something bigger than phytoplankton. Out here there are no flowers, no trees, no lawn, nothing even remotely springlike. The ship is a totally man-made iron and steel environment.
I am fortunate in that I have never really gotten seasick. If it is really rough, sometimes I feel a little queasy, but never really sick. There are so many sea going people that get violently ill in rough seas without some sort of medication. I am really glad that I am not one of them. Athough, whenever I make a statement like I just did, someone always says, "Just wait, someday the conditions will be just right and you'll be seasick like the rest of us." It reminds me of a thing that we Mainers do if we get an unexpectedly tolerable day in the winter. If someone says, "What a beautiful day!" Someone else will always pipe up with, "We're gonna pay for it later!" But, I guess I have the luck of the Irish and hopefully it will be with me even when I get hit with that perfect combination of seasickness conditions.
