TODAY'S WEATHER
Partly Cloudy
80.6°F (27°C)
Latitude: 1 deg 16’N
Longitude: 102 deg 18’W
Wind Direction: Variable
Wind Speed: 8 Knots
Sea State: 1
Swell(s) Height: 3-5 Foot
Sea Temperature: 84.2°F (29°C)
Barometric Pressure: 1013 MB
Visibility: 10-25 Nautical Miles

     Please stay tuned for the next installment.....

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This is what Mike Perfit and Dan Fornari found when they went to use "Mighty Mo" the rock corer tonight. Those naughty Pollywogs will pay for this! We cross the Equator in only a few days, and then the Honorable Shellbacks on King Neptune's Royal Ship RV Melville will rid the vessel of the Pollywogs. Their days are numbered!

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King Neptune and the Royal Court visit RV Melville
April 17, 2000
By Davey Jones

As the official scribe and reporter for His Royal Highness King Neptune, it is my duty to report that RV Melville crossed into the realm of the Equatorial Regions today. The Melville, with a fit and capable crew of noble Shellbacks on board, is one of Neptune’s prized vessels used to investigate the secrets of the briny deep. Unfortunately, there was also a contingent of scurrilous Pollywogs on board -- people who have never crossed the Equator before on a ship.

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Only Shellbacks are authorized to ply the sacred waters of King Neptune’s briny realm. So this afternoon, Captain Buck welcomed King Neptune, his Queen, and the Royal Court, as they boarded Melville for the Equator Crossing ceremony to rid the ship of the Pollywogs.

The Pollywogs were required to clean the ship thoroughly from bow to stern, and measure its length with both a squid and a flying fish (268 squid lengths and 210 flying fish lengths). They then entertained the Royal Court with songs and skits. The sacred ceremony was performed as RV Melville traveled through the glassy tropical waters at 12.5 knots. Magically, the transformation was accomplished, and Melville now sails towards the Galapagos Islands with only noble Shellbacks on board.

Official Record of the Sea Chantey recited by the Pollywogs to entertain the Royal Court:

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TODAY'S WEATHER
Partly Cloudy
87.8°F (31°C)
Latitude: 2 deg 14’N
Longitude: 98 deg 40’W
Wind Direction: n/a
Wind Speed: calm
Sea State: 1
Swell(s) Height: 2-4 Foot
Sea Temperature: 84.2°F (29°C)
Barometric Pressure: 1012 MB
Visibility: 10-25 Nautical Miles

Breakfast
Linguica and eggs
Bacon and sausage
Oatmeal and raisin cookies
Hash browns and hot cereal
Walnut waffles
Eggs to order
Mangos and melons
Dry cereal
Polywog Breakfast

Lunch
Pepperoni Pizza
Matzo ball soup
Buffalo wings
Polywog pizza
Salad bar
Hermit cookies

Dinner
Honey glazed dinner ham
Au gratin potatoes
Peek-n-beans
Vegetables and fresh dinner rolls
Salad bar
Chocolate cake a la mode

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Crossing the Line!
April 18, 2000
By Ben Wigham -- aka "Klutz" Pollywog

After days of creating mischief and playing practical jokes on those most “honorable” Shellbacks on board RV Melville, the day of judgment for us Pollywogs was fast approaching! In the VERY early hours of yesterday morning, we were woken up by a cut-throat band of brigands, who closely resembled Chief Mate Dave Murline and other co-conspirators from the Melville’s crew. A bleary-eyed band of Pollywogs were led to the ship’s bow where we were given our Pollywog names. We were made to scrub the decks and learn sea chanteys under the watchful eyes of Dave and his motley crew. Captain Buck then had us accurately measure the length of ship. Unfortunately, he had conveniently forgotten to supply us with a tape measure, so we were forced to measure the ship using a squid and a flying fish!

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TODAY'S WEATHER
Partly Cloudy
82.4°F (28°C)
Latitude: 0 deg 24’N
Longitude: 94 deg 06’W
Wind Direction: n/a
Wind Speed: calm
Sea State: 0
Swell(s) Height: 2-4 Foot
Sea Temperature: 84.2°F (29°C)
Barometric Pressure: 1012 MB
Visibility: 10-25 Nautical Miles

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Dave Grimes entertained members of the science party last night with his sea chanteys played on his concertina. (Click here and check out the sound file of one of his chanteys.)

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At anchor in the Galapagos Islands
April 19, 2000
By Dr. Susan Humphris

This morning, the RV Melville sailed into Santa Cruz Island, one of the main islands in the Galapagos archipelago. She set anchor in Academy Bay where she will remain until Thursday evening. Check out the slide show for some pictures of the island and the wildlife that the scientists have seen so far. Tomorrow, they will go on a field trip and visit the Charles Darwin Field Station -- we expect more great slides of the island!

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TODAY'S WEATHER
Partly Cloudy
82.4°F (28°C)
Latitude: 0 deg 45.12’N
Longitude: 90 deg 17.83’W
Wind Direction: n/a
Wind Speed: calm
Sea State: 0
Swell(s) Height: 2-4 Foot
Sea Temperature: 84.2°F (29°C)
Barometric Pressure: 1012 MB
Visibility: 10-25 Nautical Miles

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Adventures in the Galapagos Islands
April 20, 2000

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Yesterday afternoon, eight of the students and Resident Technician Randy Dickau took to the high seas in search of adventure. A hastily arranged snorkeling trip, booked with the aid of master haggler Jon Burgess, soon turned into one of the highlights of our stay in the Galapagos. After a brief but bumpy boat ride, we reached the small island of Caama�o -- home to a large colony of sea lions. We were immediately welcomed by a large group of playful pups, who seemed intent on showing off. We wasted little time in jumping into the water to join them, and were soon accepted into the fun and games. There were at least thirty pups and some watchful adults making sure that we posed no threat to their youngsters. The pups were very inquisitive and moved gracefully, but quickly, through the water around us. Mimicking the twists and turns of our mammalian cousins, we found it impossible to keep up with these agile and friendly creatures! Some pups mischievously nibbled at our fins while others played tug-of-war with a piece of rope. Some snapped up the occasional fish in front of our eyes, and played a game of catch with an unfortunate sea cucumber! We were struck by their intelligence and abundance of energy as we played for over an hour. Playing with wild sea lion pups in their natural habitat was an experience difficult to convey in words -- and one that we will not soon forget. We hope that the animals of the Galapagos Islands continue to accept humans in their environment for as long as we give them no reason to fear us.

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Tortoises and volcanoes on Santa Cruz Island
April 21, 2000
By Clare Williams and Erin Todd

Yesterday was truly a day we shall remember! Early in the morning, we headed out to the Charles Darwin Research Center in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island. The Center was created in the 1960’s as a research and breeding center for endangered animal species of the Galapagos Islands, including tortoises, terrestrial and marine iguanas, and several species of birds. After the islands were discovered by sailors and pirates in the 1600s, many animals were killed for food. Because the giant tortoises can go without food or water for many months, they were prized as food sources by early sailors. The killing of tortoises for food, and the introduction of non-native animals, such as goats, rats, dogs, and cats, have had very dramatic effects on the indigenous (native) population of Galapagos tortoises and lizards.

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Parents of two of our students were inspired to write limerick�s about their sons -- here they are!

From Ben Wigham's parents in Grenada:
There was a young scientist called Ben,
Who forgot how to pick up a pen.
His Mum and Dad said,
�E-mail us instead,
Or we�ll fly over and kidnap the hen!�

From Erin Todd's Dad:
There was a young man from Palm Beach,
Who found everything easily in reach.
For a time he was a debater, and later a ’Gator,
There were times he would learn, and times he would burn,
Many beers he could drink -- between times he would think.
When he went on a cruise, he had the Pollywog blues.
After hard work and a dance, he earned his Shellback pants!
Now his beard grows long, as he breaks into song
With a two handed slap, it’s back to his Rap!
The music is loud, but there's none that’s more proud
as the Rap man’s Dad, sitting back in his pad,
Watching pics of his son, his man on the run
in the bright Pacific Sun...

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Eat It 'N' Beat It - Cooking for 50 on RV Melville!
April 22, 2000
By Dan Engelbrecht

Imagine stocking your kitchen with everything your family needs for 48 days -- and then try doing it for 50 people! That’s a challenge -- especially with the limited storage space (called stowage) and refrigeration on board. There is never any wasted space; we pack supplies into every inch! After we load the ship at the beginning of each expedition, it can be quite difficult to find what you need. So, for the first week, meals tend to be made of whatever is easiest to get to!

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During each expedition, the amounts of various food items that we use are pretty enormous! Here are just a few items and the amounts that will be consumed completely during this 48 day, 50 person expedition:

Eggs 360 dozen (that’s 4320!)
Juices 240 gallons
Milk 144 gallons
Flour 360 lbs.
Sugar 220 lbs.
Coffee 192 lbs.
Rice 150 lbs.
Lettuce 288 heads
Potatoes 650 lbs.
Ice Cream Bars 1152 (Wow!)

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Mapping submarine volcanic rift zones on Fernandina Island
April 23, 2000
By Dan Fornari, Mark Kurz, Mike Perfit and Dan Scheirer

If you have looked at the Plate Tectonics module in the Deeper Discovery section of the web site, you know that many volcanoes occur at the edges of plates that move either towards each other or away from each other. However, there are other groups or “chains” of volcanoes that develop in the middle of tectonic plates. They often form lines of volcanoes that are created as the tectonic plates move over “hotspots” -- plumes of hot material that rise through the mantle. Linear chains of islands and seamounts (volcanoes whose tops do not reach sea level), such as the Hawaiian Islands and Emperor Seamount Chain, and groups of islands, like the Galapagos Islands, are example of hotspot volcanic chains. Each island may be made of one or more individual volcanoes. Fernandina Island, the westernmost island in the Galapagos archipelago, is an island formed by a single volcano named “La Cumbre”.

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The most recent eruption in the Galapagos Islands occurred in 1998 at Cerro Azul, which is the southernmost volcano on Isabela Island -- the biggest island in the archipelago. Isabela has five active volcanoes: Cerro Azul, Sierra Negra, Alcedo, Darwin, and Wolf (from south to north). Although there have been other eruptions in the Galapagos, the two western islands of Isabela and Fernandina are where the action is for volcanologists!

Fernandina and Isabela Islands have also been visited by other explorers. In 1835 during a five-week visit to the islands, Charles Darwin visited Tagus Cove, which lies on the western shore of Isabela Island. The cove is in the middle of a small volcanic ash cone -- one of several that formed during an eruption of Darwin Volcano. When the hot, flowing lavas from Darwin Volcano ran into the cold ocean water, explosions created volcanic ash that was then deposited in a circle around the place where the lava entered the sea.

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In the steps of the HMS Beagle
April 24, 2000
By Dr. Dan Fornari

Almost 165 years ago, the HMS Beagle sailed up the channel between Isabela and Santa Cruz Islands carrying Charles Darwin to several of the islands in the Galapagos Archipelago. Today, we followed the same track as we left these beautiful islands to head north on the last leg of our expedition. Sailing by the young volcanic landscapes on these islands was like looking through the pages of a textbook on volcanoes! There was plenty of wildlife to watch too. Frigate birds, gulls, and boobies swooped and dived for small bait fish that scattered from the bow of RV Melville. Porpoises were herding tuna in the distance, but the ship was going too fast (over 13 knots) for our trolling lines to attract any fish.

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Soon we will begin working at the final mid-ocean ridge study site for this expedition -- the Galapagos Rift near 2° 08’N Latitude and 97° 34’W Longitude. There, we will be looking for evidence that a volcanic eruption occurred 18 months ago. Our data from the Autonomous Hydrophone Array indicate that a seismic event occurred then -- now we have to show that it was caused by volcanic activity.

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As I write this journal, RV Melville is steaming northwest at 13.5 knots. If we maintain this speed, we will get to our survey area in the early morning hours of Wednesday, 26 April. In the meantime, we are planning our strategy for the DSL-120 sonar and Argo II surveys that we will do in that area. Check in tomorrow for more details on the next survey site and what we plan to do.

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Next Stop, the Galapagos Rift
April 25, 2000
By Dr. Dan Fornari

RV Melville sliced through the broad low swells of the equatorial Pacific Ocean today at an average speed of 12.3 knots. At 1900 hours (our local time), we were 72 nautical miles from our final survey site, the Galapagos Rift near 97° 30’W Longitude. Try to estimate when we will arrive there Wednesday morning. I'll give you our exact arrival time in tomorrow’s update.

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Surveys and visitors at the Galapagos Rift
April 26, 2000
By Dr. Dan Fornari

For the last time on this expedition, we have begun our detective work to find a young volcanic eruption -- this time at the Galapagos Rift. We arrived here at 0047 hours local time, or 0647 hours GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) today -- how does that match your calculation based on the information I gave you yesterday? The first step in collecting evidence -- our multibeam bathymetry survey -- took about seven hours. Just after breakfast, we were at the launch position for the start of the DSL-120 sonar survey. Calm seas helped the DSL-120 sonar launch this morning go smoothly. If all goes as planned, in about 2.5 days, we will have a detailed sonar image of the 4.5 kilometer-wide rift valley where spreading is separating the Cocos Plate from the Nazca Plate to the south. Each of our sonar survey lines is about 20 nautical miles, or 37 kilometers, long. It will take us about 12.5 hours to run each line. Can you calculate what speed we are towing the DSL-120 sonar fish? (Hint: look at the March 25th Daily Journal for information on calculating speed if you know the time and the distance.) We will post the answer in tomorrow’s Daily Journal along with some images of the sonar data we have collected so far.

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Dan Engelbrecht’s Dynamite Parmesan Wahoo

Everyone loved the way Dan Engelbrecht prepared the fresh Wahoo we had for dinner last night. We have the “Dave’s” to thank for hauling it in, but Dan tickled our taste buds last night with his “Parmesan Wahoo” recipe. Here it is for you all to enjoy.

Ingredients:
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Mayonnaise
Dry White Wine
Dill Weed
White or Brown Onions, sliced thinly
Fresh Wahoo (also called “Ono” in Hawaii; the word that means “very good”

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1) In a bowl, mix equal amounts of cheese and mayonnaise. Add white wine to thin the mixture into a batter consistency. Add dill weed (fresh if possible) to taste. Make enough to coat all sides of the Wahoo generously.

2) Cut the Wahoo into 2 inch thick pieces, removing all skin and bones.

3) Lightly grease a glass or stainless baking dish that is large enough for all the fish pieces.

4) Take the sliced onions and cover the bottom of the baking dish.

5) Dredge the Wahoo in the batter and place on top of the onions in the baking dish.

6) Bake at 400°F for 20-25 minutes or until the top of the fish is golden brown and the fish flakes easily.

7) Serve immediately with wedges of lemon for garnish.

8) Eat and enjoy!

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Being Prepared
April 27, 2000
By Dr. Dan Fornari

Yesterday, we asked you to calculate how fast we are towing the DSL-120 sonar fish. Well, the answer is -- 1.6 knots (nautical miles per hour). Did you get it right?

We are now about half way through our survey of the Galapagos Rift valley floor in this area. We are busy processing and analyzing the data looking for evidence of young volcanic lava flows that will be the target of our rock sampling and Argo II surveying. That phase of our work will begin on Saturday. If you check out the image of the seafloor in today’s slide show, you will see that it is much rougher and more complicated than the seafloor at our other study sites. That makes it more difficult to process our sonar data, so it takes us a bit longer to produce the images. But, by tomorrow, we will be able to show you some data.

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TODAY'S WEATHER
Partly Cloudy
86°F (30°C)
Latitude: 2 deg 8’N
Longitude: 97 deg 35’W
Wind Direction: n/a
Wind Speed: <1 Knot
Sea State: 1
Swell(s) Height: 3-4 Foot
Sea Temperature: 86°F (30°C)
Barometric Pressure: 1010 MB
Visibility: 10-25 Nautical Miles

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Breakfast
Spinach & Jack Cheese Omelet
Oat Bran Muffins
pancakes & Sausage
Hash Browns & Hot Cereal
Eggs to Order
Fresh Pineapple and Mangoes
Dry Cereal
Juices

Lunch
Rolled Tacos
Rice & Beans
Nachos
Ensenada Soup
Salad Bar
Strawberry Jello

Dinner
Veal Parmigiana
Spaghetti with meat sauce
Fried Calamari
Spinach & Garlic
Fresh Baked Garlic Twists
John Boing Birthday Cake

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Making Maps of the Seafloor
April 28, 2000
By Dr. Dan Fornari

Finally, some rain! For the first time in several weeks, RV Melville got a freshwater wash this morning thanks to numerous passing rain squalls that turned the sky gray and the seas choppy. It was a welcome change from the nearly continuous heat and sun we've experienced in the tropics during this expedition.

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Based on our analysis of the maps we have made of the Galapagos Rift, we have selected three dredge targets to collect samples of seafloor lava. While we are sampling, the WHOI Deep Submergence Operations Group will switch the fiber optic cable from the DSL-120 to the Argo II imaging system. By tomorrow afternoon, we should have rocks to look at -- hopefully, they will be very fresh! Then we’ll send Argo II down to the bottom of the ocean to collect images of the seafloor for the final time on this expedition!

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TODAY'S WEATHER
Rain
78.8°F (26°C)
Latitude: 2 deg 9’N
Longitude: 97 deg 42’W
Wind Direction: W
Wind Speed: 6 Knots
Sea State: 1
Swell(s) Height: 3-5 Foot
Sea Temperature: 84.2°F (29°C)
Barometric Pressure: 1011 MB
Visibility: 10-25 Nautical Miles

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Breakfast
Corned Beef Hash and Poached Eggs
French Toast
Pound Cake
Home Fries
Oatmeal
Sausage and Bacon
Pineapple and Melon
“Granola” Cereal!!

Lunch
Honey Glazed Cornish Game Hens
Potato Cakes
Green Beans
Minestrone Soup
Biscuits
Marshmellow Crispy Squares

Dinner
Oven Fried Fish
Orange Rice
Italian Vegetables
Freshly Baked Rolls
Salad Bar
"Strawberries and Cream" Pastry

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"See the dredge - be the dredge"
April 29, 2000
By Dr. Dan Fornari Prof. Mike Perfit

Imagine you are in a helicopter about 2 miles (3500 meters) above your house. You have a winch in the helicopter that lets you lower a line and a basket to scoop up things that are laying on the ground around your neighborhood. However, clouds block your view, so you have to do this without being able to see where the basket is or where the objects are. You have a map of what’s down there, but you cannot see anything! All you know is the position of the helicopter, your height above the ground, and how much of the line you have let out to drag the basket over the ground.

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Rock Talk
April 30, 2000
By Prof. Mike Perfit

For the past month, we have been mapping the seafloor, collecting images of volcanic lavas, and sampling the rocks. Have you been wondering what the lavas are made of and what the interiors of the rocks look like?

Rocks are made up of minerals, and are given different names depending on the minerals in them and their chemical composition. The samples we have been collecting are a type of rock called “basalt”, and they are called Mid-Ocean Ridge Basalts, or MORB for short. Basalts are also the rock type that erupts on oceanic islands, like the Galapagos and Hawaii. But they are slightly different in chemical composition (in particular, they contain more water) and so are called Ocean Island Basalts, or OIBs for short.

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TODAY'S WEATHER
Clear
82.4°F (28°C)
Latitude: 2 deg 9’N
Longitude: 97 deg 41’W
Wind Direction: n/a
Wind Speed: calm
Sea State: 0
Swell(s) Height: 3-5 Foot
Sea Temperature: 87.8°F (31°C)
Barometric Pressure: 1012 MB
Visibility: 10-25 Nautical Miles

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Breakfast
Cheese Omeletes
Pineapple Pancakes
Hash Browns & Hot Cereal
Eggs to Order
Fresh Melon and Mangoes
Dry Cereal
Juices

Lunch
Grilled Ahi Sandwitch
French Fries
Split Pea Soup
Spanish Beans
Salsd Bar
Sugar Cherry Cookies

Dinner
Prime Rib
Shrip Scampi
Baked Potatoes
Calico Corn
Fresh Baked Dinner Rolls
Salad Bar
Apple Turnovers
Homemade Cinnamon-Walnut Ice Cream

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Single Digits!
May 1, 2000
By Dr. Dan Fornari

Nine days and counting! Despite our great successes out here in the balmy Pacific Ocean, everyone is getting anxious for the cruise to end. After 38 days at sea (albeit with a very enjoyable port stop in the Galapagos Islands!), both the science team and ship’s crew are looking forward to getting back to port and, for those going home, back to family and friends.

Work at the end of a long expedition becomes more difficult. People are tired, both physically and mentally! The long hours and concentration required to keep RV Melville and the deep submergence vehicles in top condition and running perfectly take a physical toll on everyone. Quickly processing and analyzing the enormous amount of data we have collected to help us decide where we need to do more mapping and sampling, is mentally very demanding. As the cruise goes on, we have to be very careful not to make mistakes or wrong decisions because we are tired. We check every action and every decision at least twice!

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TODAY'S WEATHER
Cloudy with passing showers
82.4°F (28°C)
Latitude: 2 deg 12’N
Longitude: 97 deg 43’W
Wind Direction: E
Wind Speed: 10 Knots
Sea State: 1
Swell(s) Height: 3-5 Foot
Sea Temperature: 84.2°F (29°C)
Barometric Pressure: 1011 MB
Visibility: 10-25 Nautical Miles

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Breakfast
Pumpkin Rasin Muffins
Walnut Waffles
Bacon & Sausage
Hash Browns & Hot Cereal
Eggs to Order
Fresh Melon and Pineapple
Dry Cereal
Juices

Lunch
Hot Links, Polish Sausage and Bratwurst
Onion Rings
Pasta Shells in Meat Sauce
Mushroom & Beef Soup
Salad Bar
Blueberry Pan Pie

Dinner
Blackened Chicken
Cajun Rice
Spicy Lentils
Cajun Cauliflower
Fresh Baked Corn Rolls
Chocolate Chip Cookies and Ice Cream

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Monster Rocks!
May 2, 2000
By Dr. Dan Fornari

There’s an old saying: “Be careful what you wish for - you may get it!” We have wished for lots of good samples of fresh lava from the seafloor. Well, two of our dredges have grabbed “monster” rocks from the Galapagos Rift valley. Each one must weigh about 100 kilograms. Today’s slide show has a photo of one of them.

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After a day of sampling, we again deployed Argo II to map the area where we had just dredged in central volcano area in the Galapagos Rift valley. As you can probably tell, we are using a combination of data to figure out the best plan for mapping and sampling over the remaining four days. We still have much to do to complete our objectives.

This evening, some lucky folks up on the bow of RV Melville were treated to a light show. A meteor flashed close by across the night sky. It was so bright that some people thought that they were being photographed with a flashbulb. Meteors are bits of dust, ice and space rocks that enter Earth’s atmosphere and get vaporized. The vaporization creates the burst of light that we see as shooting stars. These kinds of experiences are the ones that we remember for a lifetime. I remember a night at sea several years ago when the sky was clear and filled with stars. I could trace the path of a satellite hurtling across the entire sky, and for several hours the sky was filled with many shooting stars, or meteors. It was better than Fourth of July fireworks!

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TODAY'S WEATHER
Partly Cloudy
84.2°F (29°C)
Latitude: 2 deg 9’N
Longitude: 97 deg 35’W
Wind Direction: S
Wind Speed: 14 Knots
Sea State: 1
Swell(s) Height: 3-5 Foot
Sea Temperature: 78.8°F (26°C)
Barometric Pressure: 1010 MB
Visibility: 10-25 Nautical Miles

     Please stay tuned for Part Three.....

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Breakfast
French Toast
Coffee Cake
Hash Browns & Hot Cereal
Bacon & Sausage
Eggs to Order
Fresh Pineapple and Melon
Dry Cereal
Juices

Lunch
Turkey Pot Pie
Bean Soup
Rice & Vegetables
Salad Bar
Popcorn Balls

Dinner
Baked ham w/Pineapple Sauce
Jefferson Noodles
Succotash
Sweet Potatoes
Corn Bread
Salad Bar
Custard Pie

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Pollywog to Shellback -- My First Experience at Sea
May 3, 2000
By Clare Williams

It has been nearly six weeks since I arrived in Mazanillo, Mexico. I had never been on a research vessel and I remember thinking: “Forty-eight days with no shops, no phones, no school friends, no nights out and no land! You had better remember to take everything you need, because once you leave port you can’t go back.”

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My first impression of the 87-meter-long RV Melville was that it is much bigger than I expected, but it would become my little world for the next seven weeks. I was surprised at the amount of equipment everywhere, from hundreds of computers to the deep-sea instruments, Argo and DSL 120.

During the two days before we left port, we familiarized ourselves with the boat, equipment, safety drills, the areas we would work in and what jobs we would be expected to do. When we left Mazanillo, the weather was sunny and the seas calm, but the boat was rolling enough for me to take seasickness medicine for a couple of days, until I got my sea legs. Even with the very calm seas we have experienced throughout this trip, the swell rolls the boat slightly and you get used to not being able to walk in a straight line.

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I really enjoy living onboard Melville. Having all our meals prepared for us is a great luxury. In fact, the only domestic chore we have to do is our laundry, so we have plenty of time to do our jobs. I love being out on the ocean with water as far as the horizon all around you. We are a long way from shipping lanes, so we hardly ever see other vessels and it’s easy to forget that the rest of the world is out there.

The wildlife out here is really abundant. I have seen huge schools of tuna, mahi mahi, flying fish, giant squid and sharks. A pod of pilot whales followed the boat throughout an entire day, and sea lions and porpoises abounded around the Galapagos. The sunsets are almost always spectacular and I saw the green flash for the first time--it does exist! At night, the bioluminescence in the bow wake looks like something out of the movie Fantasia and we can see the Southern Cross, shooting stars --more stars than I have ever seen in the sky. It is it so clear out here.

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The data we have collected so far have been really interesting. Getting the data is a long and fairly slow process (the ship has to go at about 0.6 knots while towing Argo and about 1.6 knots while towing the DSL-120 sonar). But actually seeing the seafloor, where no one has ever been before, through Argo’s video cameras is great thrill. Watching hydrothermal vents never mapped before, strange animals and the different lava terrains that go by on the video monitors, it sometimes hard to comprehend that this is all going on beneath us. It’s like another planet down there.

Stopping for two days in the Galapagos was a nice change, although I wasn’t desperate to see land as some of the rest of the crew were. Our Shellback ceremony on the transit across the Equator to Santa Cruz Island was definitely an experience. Let’s just say it takes a while for your hair to smell normal again! Snorkeling with sea lion pups is my most memorable experience from the Galapagos. I wold love to go back one day.

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TODAY'S WEATHER
Partly Cloudy
84.2°F (29°C)
Latitude: 2 deg 10’N
Longitude: 97 deg 42’W
Wind Direction: n/a
Wind Speed: <1 Knot
Sea State: 0
Swell(s) Height: 3-4 Foot
Sea Temperature: 86°F (30°C)
Barometric Pressure: 1010 MB
Visibility: 10-25 Nautical Miles

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Breakfast
Bacon, Peppers & Cheese omelet
Glazed Doughnuts
Pancakes & Sausage
Hash Brown & Hot Cereal
Eggs to Order
Fresh Pineapple and Melon
Dry Cereals
Juices

Lunch
Chicken Fried Steak w/country gravy
Grits
Creamed Potatoes
Tomato Soup
Buttermilk Biscuits
Salad Bar

Dinner
Seafood Italiano
Vegetarian Lasagna
Green Beans Almondine
Garlic Toast
Salad Bar
Strawberry Short Cake

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There's never enough time!
May 4, 2000
By Dr. Dan Fornari

After 41 days at sea, you would think that we’d be glad to be almost finished with our field work. But, no matter how long a cruise is, there is never enough time to collect all the data and samples we would like! We know that it will be several years before we can come back to this area to do more work. So we must collect as much information as possible to help us answer the scientific questions that brought us out here in the first place.

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TODAY'S WEATHER
Cloudy
82.4°F (28°C)
Latitude: 2 deg 10.3’N
Longitude: 97 deg 43.1’W
Wind Direction: SW
Wind Speed: 10 Knots
Sea State: 1
Swell(s) Height: 4-6 Foot
Sea Temperature: 84.9°F (29.4°C)
Barometric Pressure: 1011 MB
Visibility: 20 Nautical Miles

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Breakfast
Creamed Tuna with Biscuits
Pineapple Pancakes
Cinnamon Rolls
Bacon & Sausage
Home Fries & Hot Cereal
Eggs to Order
Fresh Mangoes and Melon
Dry Cereal
Juices

Lunch
Cajun Meatloaf
Rissole Potatoes
Fish Soup
Salad Bar
Assorted Cookies

Dinner
Walnut Chicken
Rice & Vegetables
EggRolls & Dinner Rolls
Salad Bar
Cherry Crunch
Homemade Coffee Ice Cream

Bosun Bill Kamholtz, shown here behind the DSL-120 sonar fish, and his deck crew have been busy painting throughout the cruise so that RV Melville stays in good shape for subsequent oceanographic cruises.

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Lots of hot air!
May 5, 2000
By Capt. Eric Buck

For most of this voyage, RV Melville has been operating in equatorial waters. Hot, sultry days are the norm, with light and variable winds, or no wind at all. During periods of calm, which can last for days or weeks, the surface of the sea becomes glassy -- almost like a mirror. The only apparent motion of the sea surface is caused by the long, low swells that have traveled thousands of miles to reach us having been generated by some distant storm. So, what's going on here? Why is there not more of a steady breeze? At other places Melville has worked, the wind blows constantly and strongly.

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The relief of the land can contribute locally to a wind’s character. For example, where mountain ranges are close to a coast, a cold wind can blow down the mountains and offshore with considerable force. This is called a “fall wind”. Fall winds can endanger small craft and making things uncomfortable for larger vessels. Off the west coast of Mexico and Central America, this kind of wind is called a “tehuantepecer”. The “ampero” off Argentina and the “mistral” wind of the western Mediterranean are also examples of fall winds.

It seems as if all the nasty winds get the memorable names, but sailors have names for the gentle ones as well. A light breeze that just barely ripples the surface of the water is called a “cat's paw”.

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Nautical Trivia: the Beaufort Scale

When we observe and report the wind, we note the direction it is coming from and the speed (expressed in knots aboard ship). When wind blows across the water, it first causes ripples to form. If the wind blows long and hard enough, these ripples build into waves. The effect of the wind on the water and the height of the waves produced, is called the sea state. Perhaps the best known scale of wind forces is that developed by Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort in 1806. Known as the Beaufort Scale, it is a series of numbers from 0 (calm) to 12 (hurricane) that indicates the strength of the wind. The scale was accepted by the British Admiralty in 1838, and the International Meteorological Committee adopted it in 1874. As originally written, the Beaufort Scale made no reference to wind speed. That was because Admiral Beaufort was a naval tactician, and his Scale was developed to assist ships’ officers in handling and maneuvering their vessels under certain conditions of wind. Hence, the Scale expressed the effect that certain amounts of wind would have on maneuvering a British Man-of-War, a ship with 40 guns. Over the years, various attempts were made to assign wind velocity ranges to the Beaufort Scale, often with conflicting results. Even though the age of sail died away, Beaufort’s numbers have survived as a common way of expressing wind strength. Today there is general agreement on the wind speeds for different Beaufort Numbers.

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Breakfast
Linguica and onion frittata
Banana nut bread
Omelets
Bacon and sausage
Eggs to order
Assorted tropical fruits
Dry Cereal

Lunch
Darby’s roast beef
Curly fries
Chicken noodle soup
Pork and beans
Salad bar
Homemade apricot granola bars

Dinner
Fried Catfish
Wild rice
Black bean casserole
Vegetables
Fresh dinner rolls
Salad Bar
Pete’s Birthday Cake

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Heading to port!
May 6, 2000
By Dr. Dan Fornari

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The Rules of the Road
May 7, 2000
By Capt. Eric Buck

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Nautical Trivia–

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Breakfast
Ham & Cheese Pastry
Cow Patties
Bran Muffins
Fresh Pineapple and Mango
Dry Cereals
Juices

Lunch
Fornari’s Pizzas (spinach/feta, pepperoni, sausage/onion, plain)
Beef and Barley Soup
Green Beans
Salad Bar

Dinner
Rib-eye Steak
Deep Fried Prawns
Baked Potatoes
Sweet Corn
Fried Onions
Salad Bar
Cherry Cream Pie

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Farewell from Expedition #3!
May 8, 2000
By Dr. Dan Fornari

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The Science Party of Expedition #3

For now, it is “farewell” from all of us on board the RV Melville! We have enjoyed being able to Dive and Discover with you on the East Pacific Rise and Galapagos Rift during this expedition -- thank you for participating!

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Personal Footnote –

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Breakfast
Ham & Cheese Omelet
Poundcake
Pancakes & Sausage
Hash Browns & Oatmeal
Eggs to Order
Peaches & Yogurt

Lunch
Cheese Burgers
French Fries
Baked Beans
Pepper Pot Soup
Peanut Butter Crispy Bars

Dinner
BBQ Chicken
O’Brien Potatoes
Mushroom & Onion Quiche
Fresh Baked French Bread
Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Cake
Homemade Cherry Nut Ice Cream

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