Ughhhhh!

Time: 2240 UTC

Latitude: 65 34.8409 N

Longitude: 052 41.2060 W 

Conditions: Ughhh!

Me no feel good.

I have a confession to make to all the world!  I get sea sick.  There, that feels better.  OK, so I don't get sick all the time, only when it is really rough and usually at the front end of a mission when I've not had time to adjust. Some people never get sea sick, others develop symptoms as they age and others lose them as they "mature". 

"A marine biologist that gets sick at sea?" you say.  Well, it's more common that you think.  Right now for instance, there is more than one person on this ship experiencing some measure of gastrointestinal melt down.  For me, it starts with a general sleepy feeling followed unpleasantly by a light sweat, an urge to swallow repeatedly and then an uncontrollable urge to, well, expel my stomach contents.  Unlike when you are sick with the flu, vomiting seems to provide no relief.  The only things that seem to help are:

1. Looking at the horizon - which stinks because the only good view during rough weather is generally on the bridge and sometimes moving higher on the ship makes it worse.
2. Drugs - which generally make me drop 20-50 IQ points and want to fall asleep anywhere.
3. Sleeping

The Atlantis plows through a wave!

Well, what do you do when those things are not an option. I need all of my IQ points (I have none to spare), I can't generally sleep on the job despite what some people think of government workers and I find it hard to work/sleep while vomiting.  You see my dilema! 

The reason I'm providing you with this generally useless bit of information is that I am currently sea-sick. Well, I'm well enough to write this blog, so not entirely bed ridden, but still generally not well.  The seas were very rough as we departed Nuuk today.  The wind is consistent at 35 kts, the swell is 15-20 ft and seems to come from every direction at once. Our current speed reflects the rough weather as we slog through the storm, moving north at ~5-7 kts. The ship pitches, groans and occasionally shudders as it punches through waves.  Every half hour or so, a combination of rollers sends the ship into a wild pitch forward that causes all of the furniture to slide and cabinet doors to open. This is usually coincident with a sudden jarring that causes you to lose balance, and in my case lunch.  Despite what you might think of sea sick marine biologists, ship's captains, and oceanographers, to me it just show the dedication that these people display (sometimes for decades) for their chosen career.  

Despite the rough weather, it's still amazing to be at sea.

I hope that the weather is better tomorrow.  For now, I'm going to find a nice place to relax and keep my supper down.