During Week 2, the old scientist group officially had left to make way for the new arrivals in Dutch Harbor for the AMOS cruise. I settled into a marine tech routine, delving into the ship’s depths to clean filters, prepare the CTD for the upcoming cruise, check the niskin bottles, polish fridges, and set up the lab space for the science party. I even assisted in fixing a fume hood, an entirely new experience for me; I was feeling like a handyman onboard.
After a day of work, one of my mentors, Bern, took me into town to show me around and buy a mustang suit, although it turned out to be the wrong size. Instead, we ended up driving around the town to explore and visit attractions, such as the old Russian church and the beautiful World War II memorials and Coast Guard graveyards. It was an enjoyable day, but while in the graveyard, Bern accidentally stepped on a marble grave shaped like a book with a beautiful poem on it, which belonged to a woman named Jacqueline. Strangely, moments later, as we descended the mountain towards the car, I heard a ‘yelp!’ and turned around to see my 6’4 mentor with his entire leg stuck in a hole in the ground. I couldn’t help but wonder if Jacqueline might have been upset with him, though I’m not superstitious, just a little stitious. I made him apologize, and everything turned out fine.
Back on the ship, we learned that one of our engines was no longer working, and the science party was arriving, along with my other mentor. We were possibly going to be stuck in Dutch Harbor for at least a week or more while we ordered spare parts for the engine, and a major storm with potential 80mph winds was approaching. Despite these challenges, the engineers worked tirelessly to diagnose the engine issue and prepared to replace it.
While all this was happening, the crew and the rest of us who were temporarily stuck had some free time once our shifts ended. I explored the town with the crew, visited a saloon, went hiking, took walks around the town, enjoyed milkshakes, and indulged in my favorite pastime—visiting Alaska Dutch Harbor Supplies to check out the cool gear for sale. I ended up buying a vest, which I’m quite fond of. For those who know me, please don’t judge; my other vest had ripped, and this carhartt vest is incredibly warm.
I experienced my first Friday the 13th on a boat, and superstition prevailed as no operations were conducted that day. Good luck favored me though as I finally got my mustang suit, which would keep me warm and cozy in the icy conditions.
The setback with the engine allowed the science party time to refine their instruments, make necessary adjustments, and conduct numerous tests in the bay over the last two days. Surprisingly, this delay turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as all the instruments were now primed and ready for deployment in the ice. Confidence was at an all-time high, and witnessing the AUV deployments and recoveries was a fascinating experience. I’ve included another set of pictures from my onshore adventures exploring the islands and practice deployments and recoveries. If the engine gets fixed next week, we should finally be on our way to the ice. Fingers crossed. Thank you for reading, and see you next week!
Mari
