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Journal Entries
2005-06
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| Jump to a specific journal entry by Marianne Kaput: | ||
| August 2005 | 23 | |
| October 2005 | 31 | |
| December 2005 | 15 29 30 31 | |
| January 2006 | 1 3 4 5 7 9 10-11 12-14 15 16-17 18-19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 | |
| February 2006 | 1 2 5 6-8 10 | |
| Click here to access journal entries by Giancarlo Lopez-Martinez or Luke Sandro. | ||
February 5, 2006 — Time to say farewell to Palmer Station, Antarctica
I hate endings and have never been good at goodbyes. I fell in love with Antarctica and the people of Palmer Station and now have to leave, probably forever. Imagine the wave of hugs and laughs and tears from those who welcomed me into their community and opened their home to me. These people came together for the purpose of studying science, and we emerged from this experience better scientists, good friends, and colleagues.
Everyone met in the galley for last words and goodbyes. Then the time came to board the ship.
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When I first saw the Gould, it looked like an orange chariot coming to carry me home, but when it came time to board, I didn’t want to leave. After the last goodbye, we boarded our vessel, watching and waving from the deck, high above the people of Palmer. I watched the ropes that connect the ship to the dock being released, knowing that there was no turning back.
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Palmer gave us a final send-off not to be forgotten. One by one, many of the people gave us a farewell jump into the frigid Arctic water. What a turnout! It seems as if the jumps and hollers went on forever, making us laugh through our tears.
One last glance of the place I called home...
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We made our way into the Neumeyer Channel. I remember the feeling of amazement when I first set eyes on ice like this just a few short weeks ago. Bright blue and white mirrored against the blue ocean water. Today was appropriately gray and bleak.
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I spent much of the day on the bridge. The bridge of the ship is where the captains guide the ship through the channels, avoiding icebergs and other obstacles. I heard a call from a Palmer Station Zodiac calling in their location to the person keeping track of offshore personnel. I asked the captain for permission to call Palmer one last time. He just smiled and nodded approval, remembering my mischievous nature.
I picked up the radio for one last call to Palmer. I heard several of the familiar voices of friends come on wishing me a final farewell, letting me know that they will remember me. I guess that's all we want — to know that we left a mark, that we made a difference.
The rest of the afternoon I watched for ocean life from the bridge with the captain and a few others. We saw lots of sea birds, like the albatrosses that are known to follow ships, gliding with their wingspan of up to 7 feet. Measure that out and you'll see that’s one big bird! I saw a few humpback whales shooting mighty sprays of water high in the air. Then they dove and flipped their tails into the air, leaving their tailfin trademark.
Then it happened. Oh baby, did it happen. We entered the Drake Passage. How exciting it was.
...at first...
...and then...
- Marianne Kaput