filtering and tuna

We're back in internet range-yeah. The cruise has been pretty good-crew dynamics haven't been great but have been good enough to get the job done. The weather was bad for about half of the cruise and the launch pad proved the better of me a few times. On the other hand isn't puking over the side required at some point in a sailor's life? A friend on the boat gave me some bonamine (can't buy it in the US and it's difficult to find in Van) which made me better in less than an hour. Since then I haven't had to take any more and I haven't puked over the sides any more. yeah drugs. Once I got over the seasickness, I could sleep most of the time. I did find that waking up airborn at the crest of a big wave is more frightening than waking up being slammed into the wall (a la the Feb. cruise). Less painful, but much more disorienting.


Because of the bad weather we skipped some stations on the way out and are picking them up now. The first of our large volume casts is in the water and by lunch tomorrow we should be done with the big filtering for this cruise.


the water calls-I shall return

It was all going so well...

Lab work has been going really well on the samples that I collected last cruise, starting with getting lots of DNA because we filtered lots of water. I've made fosmid libraries for 8 of the 12 samples that we wanted from that cruise and started the last 4 last night. The I go to school this morning to start the 12+ hours of processing the sample today, only to find that the building has been shut down due to a blown electrical transformer. So, right now all of my precious DNA is sitting in the size selection gel degrading as the lab gets hotter and hotter. No electricity means that our beautiful building with it's huge glass windows and skylights is now a giant greenhouse. AAACCCCCKKKKKK

Very very clean DNA

Alright, lab work is finally going well-based on field work having gone well last month. I didn't sleep much during the cruise but at least I got good samples. Here's a picture of that DNA-each tube has DNA from one of the depths at one station. The DNA is the bright band about 2/3 of the way down the tube.

Trooper and filtering

With only fear and good judgement

Holding us back

We sailed out on the Northern Sea

With a boat load of crazy people



I have no idea what that song means. It goes on to talk about a sardine boat and a shotgun-neither are very Canadian subjects. But I have to say that it's one of my favorite Trooper songs and the beginning fits this trip really well.



Today was better than the last 2 (or has it been 3 or 4??) days. The first 2 stations we worked for 22.5 and 22 hours respectively with 12 hours off to sleep in between. Today has been much better with the other post doc not taking any samples at all and actually being able to help me with my sampling. I'm hoping to be done filtering by morning which will make today only an 18 hour day. We're bringing a 3rd person on the Aug cruise because I refuse to do this again. I know I said the same thing after the Feb cruise and I did seriously trim the sampling scheme but not enough for it to be a 2 person job. hence another person, to guarantee 8 hours off each day or I'm finding a union rep and doing what ever it is you do with a union rep.





The first mate shouted from the crow's nest

I think I might see land out there

But nobody moved

From where they were laying

Cause nobody really cared

After

Ok it may look like it's messier in the after picture but it was solid
boxes about 5 feet high

Before

Finally set up

We're off to the middle of the ocean. So far I haven't felt sick.
We'll see how long that lasts. The waves here in the straight aren't
big but they did make me a little queasy in Feb

Here is a before picture-just after unloading the van AND pickup. And
another showing how it looks tonight.

New Blog, New Job

I've been threatening to start a blog for a while now; the eve of my first scientific cruise seemed like the perfect occasion. There will be email access for most of the cruise so I'll try to post a bit every day. We'll be collecting water to look at the microbial community and some geochemistry along this transect.