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1/9 Sorry for the delay in getting this next entry for the #virtualresearchcruise posted. It’s been a hectic few days, but everything is packed up, loaded on the ship, and secured for transit. Thankfully, all of our shipments and luggage arrived in Kodiak without any delays.
It can be stressful going to the airport everyday to check if your luggage has arrived, knowing your ship will leave regardless in just 2 days. So, we’re all thankful to have a full set of underwear for a 30+ day cruise.
We have a large crew on this #virtualresearchcruise. We’ve asked several colleagues to come along and assist with their expertise. We have researchers from Seattle, HI, CA, FL, and a few community members from AK Native villages. I’ll try sketch as many of them as possible!
Before the ship casts lines tomorrow morning, we all went out for a final gathering (on land!) at the Kodiak Island Brewing Company. They produce some of our favorite beers in Alaska (e.g. Liquid Sunshine, Snowshoe, Sarah Pale Ale).
This is also where we started a special tradition a few years ago. We have 4 Zodiac inflatables that we use for our research and each boat needs a unique name. While sitting around the brewery, we decided those names should reflect a beer theme.
So, that’s the tradition. And, only 2 rules: 1) the name has to come from a beer/brewery name; 2) the name needs to be distinct & clear when broadcast over VHF. In 2018, we stopped this tradition &, unfortunately, the ice extent in 2018 and 2019 was some of the lowest in history.
While there is no scientific proof (and we all know correlation does not mean causation), it seems responsible for us to return to tradition and select four new names for our boats this year.
The difference this year is that YOU can suggest names. Just reply to this thread (and, remember, the 2 rules … and, a 3rd: ‘keep it classy, keep it clean’). It will take a few days to transit from Kodiak -> Bering Sea. We’ll let you know which names were selected in a few days.
Tomorrow, we set sail for the Bering Sea!
