University of New England

Stacey and Kerra returned to the U.S. from their seven-week Antarctic expedition on Dec. 16, 2005.  Below are the blog entries they wrote during the trip. The entries are listed with the most recent at the top.

Sunday, Dec. 11th, 2005 - End of the expedition
We arrived in Lyttleton Port at approx. 9:10 a.m. The captain's family awaited him on the dock and the rest of us were anxious to stand on solid ground. After the vessel was secured and customs boarded the ship, we were able to get off and explore the town. The science groups scatter and later convene for an "End of the Cruise" barbecue.

Many of the scientists will leave tomorrow or the next day. Stacey and I will stay on the boat and then in Christchurch until our plane departs for home on the 15th. Up to our departure day, our stay in New Zealand will consist of some more shopping and our highly anticipated trip to Akaroa to swim with the dolphins. We look forward to our return to the U.S. and are anxious to share all of our amazing stories.

Final Thoughts - from Kerra
Overall, the cruise was an amazing adventure, full of learning and laughter. I was able to interact with many brilliant people and enjoyed sharing their company. Not only has the cruise been an opportunity to collect research and study abroad, but it has also created many memories, which will stay with me always. I am excited to have been included on the journey, and I want to thank all those, especially Dr. Goes and Dr. Gomes, who have helped me to be part of such an awesome experience.

Final Thoughts - from Stacey
It has been a great trip. I am still shocked at this opportunity that has been presented to me. I have learned so much not only from our
research but from everyday life on the ship. The skills and knowledge that I have attained are priceless and will help me in my future
endeavors. I have enjoyed the time spent with the others on the ship and have made many new friends. This is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I am very happy to know that I was lucky enough to be able to do it.

I would like to thank Helga Gomes and Joaquim Goes for providing me this oppurtunity. I would also like to thank all the people from the Nathaniel Palmer and the other scientists for a great cruise. I would recommend that everyone do an internship because you never know where you are going to end up.

Friday, December 9, 2005 - from Kerra
It seems as though we have been on these waters forever! The vessel is still making its way back to port in New Zealand.  Luckily, the ship is not rocking as much and the seas have calmed down. I think everyone is feeling much better, but anxious to get back into port. Since we have a few days to spend in Lyttelton, Stacey and I decided to take a day trip to Akaroa to swim with the Hector's dolphins. They are the smallest, rarest dolphins in the world and can only be found off the coast of New Zealand. Supposedly, a small boat drops you off in the water and the curiosity of the dolphins brings them close. Today I called and made reservations for the trip.

Stacey and I are looking forward to the adventure. We finish up our last minute packing after dinner and both of us give a sigh of relief. Now we will have a final day or so onboard to organize pictures and pack up our own personal luggage. Lately, there have been movies playing non-stop in the entertainment room. Stacey and I decide to see what is on the big screen and join the others who have completed their tasks. We will go to bed tonight knowing our time on the ship is dwindling, but the memories and friends we have made, will stay with us always.

December 5 - December 8, 2005 - from Stacey
The last few days have been quiet accept for the rocking and rolling of the ship. We had our last filtration the other day. We celebrated by taking pictures and then taking down the filtration apparatus. Everyone is officially done. We are all packing away our equipment and supplies. All of the cabinets are bare. Its nice to have these last few days to relax before we get back into port.

It has been a long cruise full of hard work. It is worth it. We have learned a lot from how research cruises work to how to live with people on a ship for two months.  It is a wonderful experience to have, and I would recommend that everyone get into an internship. The hands on experience is very valuable. We are ready to go home and back to our family and friends but we'll miss all the people on the cruise. There is a  family atmosphere is among everyone.

We will be in port soon and then back at home a few days after that. Its been a great experience, and Kerra and I would be more than willing to talk with people about it.

Sunday, December 4th - from Kerra
Talk about sleeping in! Stacey and I again wake up around lunch time! I believe this transit back has offered me the most time to sleep in and wake up feeling super refreshed. It's very nice to catch up on sleep.

As we walk through the lab, we find people running frantically with styrofoam cups. We wonder what is going on? Our roommates are in the far corner of the lab with cups and markers. One of the scientists has a boy in high school and the class had decorated cups to send to the bottom of the ocean. Once word got out that the experiment was taking place, everyone wanted to be part of the action. Stacey and I jump right into decorating and soon there are five bags of styrofoam cups attached to the CTD, waiting to be lowered into the water.

An hour later, the cups are brought to the surface, and we all dazzle over the miniature pieces of artwork caused by the pressure of the deep. It is quite an exciting time! It was certainly a nice break from all the science work and packing. Although a majority of the work is complete, there are still small tasks that need to be wrapped up. Our long-term filtrations will continue tonight and most likely tomorrow night. Hopefully, after filtering tomorrow, we will be totally finished with all of our work. Now, we can only hope that all of our analysis will reveal important and useful data. A trip to the gym will complete our day, and tomorrow we will rise early to work on packing.

Saturday, December 3rd - from Kerra
The boat is a rockin' when Stacey and I awake. We have not yet gotten out of the Ross Sea, but the ship shakes as the bow breaks through the pack ice. We walk downstairs to find a "to do" list waiting on the counter. Stacey and I get busy cleaning out incubation bottles and Petri dishes. Glass tubes need to be thrown in the trash after the labels are removed, and Stacey spends at least two hours peeling labels off. I tell her she will miss all this work once we get home. After dinner, we continue with our daily filtering routine and movie. Soon after, it is time to fall asleep and dream of what tomorrow may bring.

Friday, December 2nd - from Kerra
Stacey and I took advantage of our time to sleep in and woke up to eat lunch. We read our email to find that the captain has set aside time to allow us to drive the ship. At 1300 (1 p.m.) Stacey and I make our way to the bridge to find out what is in store for us. We find that the idea of being in control of the huge vessel is very popular and there are at least six people ahead of us in line.

While standing up on the bridge, we spot 14 Crabeater seals and a few small Adele penguins. No offense to the penguins, but it was nice to have a change in wildlife and watch the seals slide on the ice. Finally, Stacey and I were able to take our turn behind the controls. Both of us successfully steer through the ice and water and make it to our destination without a problem. No penguins, seals, or people were harmed during our time on the bridge, and we ended up getting some great pictures.

After the bridge, we come downstairs to filter and eat dinner. We then enjoy a movie and work out for a bit at the gym. Our relaxing and enjoyable day slowly came to an end, and we were again asleep in our beds.

Thursday December 1st - from Stacey

I cant believe that it is December already. Christmas is coming up so fast. Kerra and I will have to do a lot of Christmas shopping in New Zealand because when we get home there won't be a lot of time to shop.

Today was very exciting. The ship pulled up close to the Ross Ice Shelf. Everyone was on the bow taking pictures of the shelf and getting their picture taken with it in the background. It was so amazing.

The captain took group pictures of all the scientists. Then many people got crazy and took pictures with their cruise t-shirts on with no jackets. It was a little cold for me. I kept my jacket on. It was great. It was sad at the same time. This would be the last time that we would be seeing the Antarctic continent. The next land, we will see will be New Zealand and then home.

Wednesday November 30th - from Stacey
With the end of the science days, we were able to sleep in this morning. It is a wonderful thing to not have to set an alarm clock and even better not to hear it in the morning. Today was a recuperation day. We made sure that our equipment was secure for the trip back. We did some filtering for some of the experiments that weren't quite finished. And the part that everyone hates, we had to clean. Everything that was not needed was washed and packed away. Tomorrow should be an exciting day. We've been told that we will stop next to the Ross Ice Shelf. It will be our one last look at the continent and our last chance to take pictures.

Tuesday November 29th - from Stacey
Today is our last day of science. We finish up the science part of the cruise with one last CTD. The time has just flown by. Its weird to think that the trip is almost over and that soon we will be back home. There were days when the work just went quickly and others when it felt like the day would never end. Everyone on the ship is like one big family. As with any family there have been ups and downs and people who dont get along. Overall the trip has been great and a wonderful experience. Tomorrow the ship will be heading north, back to port. It will take us approximately 10 to 12 days to reach New Zealand.

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