ALTEX Arctic Cruise
October 7 - November 7, 2001
Tromso, Norway to the Arctic Circle
Logbook
October 27, 2001: Day #21
CTD Station, -5 Degrees F, 20 knot winds
Mike Pinto writes: The weather has not been cooperating for AUV work so we have switched into full 24-hour CTD operations. Amy West, Mark Talkovic, and I are on 8-hour watches. I’ve taken the midnight to 8:00 am Sunday watch. The current wind chill factor is approximately –50 degrees F. as sea smoke rises off the ocean’s surface in wispy trails. I really appreciate the Coast Guard science technicians who are working outside in these harsh conditions.
Collecting water samples in the frozen rosette bottles is somewhat a challenge. You have to stick a paper clip in the valve to loosen the ice inside the bottle. It’s so cold outside that the portholes in our rooms are frozen. Thankfully, the windows on the Healy are all heated so frost is not a problem.
Earlier in the evening the Healy crew hosted the second annual casino night / Halloween party for crew and the science staff. Blackjack, poker, craps, and roulette where available. Each participant received 1000 “Healy dollars” to wager. At the end of the evening, prizes were auctioned off using the winnings. Our own Mark Sibenac out bid the competition and took away a lava lamp with a winning bid of $8,500.
