Home for the holidays.... (a little late)
January, 20 - 2008
Home for the Holidays?
By Jason Pavlich
It has been difficult to be away from friends and family during this time of the year, but these shared experiences of a lifetime have helped to soften the blow.
December 24, Christmas Eve
The 24th started as most days do, water sampling at 7 am. In between morning rosette runs to the ocean depths below, the fast current pushed large chunks of ice under the ship and into the moon pool. It had come in pieces but quickly froze into one large mass. If the rosette had been down while this occurred, most likely the line would have been severed, ruining the holidays for just about everyone onboard. The moon pool doors could not close with the ice in the way and the ship could not safely move with the doors open. For several hours that afternoon the crew tried to remove the ice debris from the moon pool before being given the night off by the captain. They decided to run hot water through a large metal coil and place it in the moon pool overnight in an attempt to soften up the now rock hard ice.
At 8 pm everybody met in the crew lounge for the gift exchange. All scientists and crew members brought a wrapped gift with them onboard and placed them beneath the Christmas tree in the crew’s lounge. Names were placed in a hat and the person drawn had the choice of either a present still under the tree, or a previously chosen gift. No present was to be unwrapped until the end, so choices were based on size, shape, wrapping paper, and a good shake of the box. Gifts ranged from the normal books and t-shirts to the not so normal stuffed animal in the shape of a common bacterium (definitely brought onboard by a scientist). A good time was had by all, English and French-speaking Canadians, Russians, Chinese, Poles, Spaniards, and one American (me). The party finally stopped at around 11:30 pm when the stereo malfunctioned. In order to maintain good crew morale, it was repaired first thing on Christmas morning.
December 25, Christmas Day
This was unlike any Christmas morning I had ever experienced. I woke around 7 am and was getting ready to head below for a cup of coffee when I was asked to lend a hand on the ice. I jumped at the chance, dressed in layers, and headed to the bow of the ship. Twelve members of the science team and their equipment were lowered in groups of three onto the ice in the ice cage. I went down with the last group of three. My purpose was to lend an extra set of eyes on polar bear watch. It is much easier for the scientists to take their samples if they do not have to constantly look over their shoulders. It was my job to constantly scan the ice for movement. I was told that polar bears are more yellow than the surrounding ice but this advice was useless as the sodium vapor lamps of the ship cast a yellow glow over the ice pack. I guess polar bears have reached an evolutionary pinnacle in this regard. They are perfectly equipped to stalk and eat scientists who are sampling near an icebreaker. Nature is amazing.
Thankfully, the hot water flow in the moon pool had significantly softened the ice overnight. At about 1pm, the doors were closed, the engines started, and we were on the move again.
December 31st, New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Eve brought its own unique challenge to the crew of the Amundsen as we were stuck in the ice. The Amundsen is designed to ride up on the ice then crush it beneath its weight, but apparently this only works up to a certain thickness. The ship had risen up on an ice sheet the night before but failed to come crashing though. Since the ship was unable to back off the ice, the scientists and crew spent the majority of the day literally digging the ship out. After hours of drilling, cutting, hacking, and hauling away ice from the hull, the engines started, the ship labored, and we slid back into the icy water.
The ship located a new home a few miles away and shut down for the night. A very nice dinner buffet was put on by the kitchen staff and the New Year’s Eve Party began about 9 pm (ending about 2 am). Though tired, everyone was in a good mood because there was reason to celebrate. It is not too often that an icebreaker gets stuck. It is even less often that you are able to dig it out.
These have been holidays unlike any that I have ever experienced nor will ever again. Nine different nationalities are represented onboard the Amundsen and prior to this journey, all they shared was a passion for science. The holidays celebrated and the challenges overcome during the past several days have given this group of 70 people something that will bind them much tighter than the science ever could.
By Jason Pavlich
It has been difficult to be away from friends and family during this time of the year, but these shared experiences of a lifetime have helped to soften the blow.
December 24, Christmas Eve
The 24th started as most days do, water sampling at 7 am. In between morning rosette runs to the ocean depths below, the fast current pushed large chunks of ice under the ship and into the moon pool. It had come in pieces but quickly froze into one large mass. If the rosette had been down while this occurred, most likely the line would have been severed, ruining the holidays for just about everyone onboard. The moon pool doors could not close with the ice in the way and the ship could not safely move with the doors open. For several hours that afternoon the crew tried to remove the ice debris from the moon pool before being given the night off by the captain. They decided to run hot water through a large metal coil and place it in the moon pool overnight in an attempt to soften up the now rock hard ice.
At 8 pm everybody met in the crew lounge for the gift exchange. All scientists and crew members brought a wrapped gift with them onboard and placed them beneath the Christmas tree in the crew’s lounge. Names were placed in a hat and the person drawn had the choice of either a present still under the tree, or a previously chosen gift. No present was to be unwrapped until the end, so choices were based on size, shape, wrapping paper, and a good shake of the box. Gifts ranged from the normal books and t-shirts to the not so normal stuffed animal in the shape of a common bacterium (definitely brought onboard by a scientist). A good time was had by all, English and French-speaking Canadians, Russians, Chinese, Poles, Spaniards, and one American (me). The party finally stopped at around 11:30 pm when the stereo malfunctioned. In order to maintain good crew morale, it was repaired first thing on Christmas morning.
December 25, Christmas Day
This was unlike any Christmas morning I had ever experienced. I woke around 7 am and was getting ready to head below for a cup of coffee when I was asked to lend a hand on the ice. I jumped at the chance, dressed in layers, and headed to the bow of the ship. Twelve members of the science team and their equipment were lowered in groups of three onto the ice in the ice cage. I went down with the last group of three. My purpose was to lend an extra set of eyes on polar bear watch. It is much easier for the scientists to take their samples if they do not have to constantly look over their shoulders. It was my job to constantly scan the ice for movement. I was told that polar bears are more yellow than the surrounding ice but this advice was useless as the sodium vapor lamps of the ship cast a yellow glow over the ice pack. I guess polar bears have reached an evolutionary pinnacle in this regard. They are perfectly equipped to stalk and eat scientists who are sampling near an icebreaker. Nature is amazing.
Thankfully, the hot water flow in the moon pool had significantly softened the ice overnight. At about 1pm, the doors were closed, the engines started, and we were on the move again.
December 31st, New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Eve brought its own unique challenge to the crew of the Amundsen as we were stuck in the ice. The Amundsen is designed to ride up on the ice then crush it beneath its weight, but apparently this only works up to a certain thickness. The ship had risen up on an ice sheet the night before but failed to come crashing though. Since the ship was unable to back off the ice, the scientists and crew spent the majority of the day literally digging the ship out. After hours of drilling, cutting, hacking, and hauling away ice from the hull, the engines started, the ship labored, and we slid back into the icy water.
The ship located a new home a few miles away and shut down for the night. A very nice dinner buffet was put on by the kitchen staff and the New Year’s Eve Party began about 9 pm (ending about 2 am). Though tired, everyone was in a good mood because there was reason to celebrate. It is not too often that an icebreaker gets stuck. It is even less often that you are able to dig it out.
These have been holidays unlike any that I have ever experienced nor will ever again. Nine different nationalities are represented onboard the Amundsen and prior to this journey, all they shared was a passion for science. The holidays celebrated and the challenges overcome during the past several days have given this group of 70 people something that will bind them much tighter than the science ever could.
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