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Mobile, Alabama: ODYSSEY Gulf Blog: Days 30-32, August 15-17, 2010

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Sunday, August 15, 2010, 4am – Drifting in the Night:

It’s 4am and I just started my watch at the helm. This watch is a world of difference from the previous night’s watches. That night we left St. Petersburg at midnight and discovered our autopilot wasn’t working. This meant a whole night of hand steering and non-stop focus at the wheel. But Saturday night we shut the engine down at 8:15 to drift during the dark hours.

We’re only doing visual observations for Bryde’s whales since they are not found acoustically. Since we won’t see them at night we’ve stopped to wait for daylight before continuing.

Bryde’s whales (pronounced “broodus”) are one of the four main whale species we’re hoping to sample here in the Gulf. They are named after a Norwegian whaler, Johan Bryde, who built the first whaling stations in South Africa. They are a medium-sized baleen (non-toothed) whale, averaging 40-55 feet. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, estimates there are around 15 Bryde’s whales in the northern Gulf of Mexico, so we’ll need sharp eyes and much luck to find them.

It’s important to keep a wheel watch even though we aren’t moving, mainly to make sure no one runs into us in the night. We have our lights on, and the odds are slim, but we still need to be on the lookout for ships or other boats. Every now and then I get up from my laptop and scan in all directions for lights looming on the horizon. Luckily it’s a beautiful, flat calm night. It’s a dark night too, with countless stars, and we’re at the tail end of a meteor shower so I’ve seen a couple fantastic shooting stars.

There are ‘stars’ in the water too. Actually it’s bioluminescent plankton, (plankton that creates light when disturbed), that sparkles in the slight motion of the waves. We’re hoping to see much more of this, and on dark nights the wake of the boat might be entirely illuminated from within.

Around mid-day we were descended upon by the largest pod of spotted dolphins yet! They came leaping in from all directions and amassed at the bow and along our beams. They would ride the bow, then as I watched, some would swing back to flank the boat and leap in our wake alongside before reaching the bow once again. I’m figuring out their timing and am getting better photos.

Matt climbed out to the end of the whale boom with the Hero (underwater) video camera and got some nice footage as he and the boom were hoisted up and down with the swell. He even caught dolphins from the side underwater as they bow rode when he himself got dunked a couple times.

Quote of the Day:
“Lunch is leftover spaghetti with a chance of homemade bread.”
- Kyle

Monday, August 16, 2010 – Big Swells, Rough Travel

The observation platforms were emptied around 6pm so we could end our zig zagging over the 200 meter contour line in search of Bryde’s whales, and head straight for Mobile, Alabama. The swell had been building for the last day or so, and kept growing. We all had a rough evening as the boat pitched from port to starboard as if on a giant, aquatic pendulum.

Sleeping was especially difficult this night and many of the crew sought multiple floor or cushion space around the boat, abandoning our bunks with the hope of fining sleep elsewhere. I optimistically tried to wedge myself into the far crevice of my bunk in the forward cabin but once I finally fell asleep it took just one big wave to hurl me onto the floor like a bag of bricks. Note to self: make lee cloth, or learn how to sleep with one foot ‘kickstanding’ on the opposite wall like Captain Bob does.

The next spot I tried was the galley bench but it was near impossible to ignore the percussion of food containers and eating implements banging in the cupboards, the sliding compost bucket, cookie sheet cymbals, and the roll-thunking of the 6lb can of green beans in the bench under me.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010 – Mobile, Alabama

The swell stayed with us all the way to the mouth of the Mobile Commercial Channel, and as usual lately we made a late-night arrival. Super narrow, the channel markers passed by us at close range. (We made sure to keep our arms and legs inside the vessel.) Natural gas platforms, drilling ships, tugs and barges and the busy industrial Mobile Bay lit up the night as we navigated our way to downtown Mobile. We tied up at 1am and several of us de-boated and roamed the empty streets.

Here Cathy, Greer and Ryan leave us and we welcome new USM crew members. Finally at our voyage’s ‘home’ port, we look forward to picking up our replacement hydrophone array and once again go to deep waters in search of sperm whales.

(Blog by: Vicki Beaver, Odyssey Educator and Crew)

On the Lookout for Whales: ODYSSEY Gulf Blog, Day 30, August 15, 2010

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A month in already, hard to believe.  Seas were active again but still comfortable for most.  Not a lot sighted until about 3 pm when Johnny spotted something that looked like whale blows about 2 miles off. One and a half miles in that direction and we encountered the largest pod of dolphins we have seen so far.  Way too many to count.  There were dolphins racing to the boat from all directions- 90 degrees to starboard,, 90 degrees to port, directly behind us, directly in front of us and all angles in between!  Dolphins everywhere.  There were bow riding in the front and porpoising on the side- 6 or 8 leaping in the air at a time!  They were flipping and flopping, playing chase and just having a whale of a time (no pun intended).  We watched the for over an hour until they wore us out and even after we stopped watching they continued on for some time. 

Matt wore himself out racing on and off the whale boom, desperate to accidentally on purpose fall in with them.  That he managed not to do, though he did manage to get himself satisfactorily wet and he did have to head to bed early from all the added exercise. The funniest moment, which also ended his antics, came when his life jacket suddenly and unexpectedly expanded giving him a big inflated yellow vest around his neck.  You see these are safety lifejackets that inflate if they get wet.  That way, if you hit your head and fall in the water, the lifejacket still inflates.  Well, Matt did not know this aspect and so was scared silly when a wave hit his life jacket and POOF everything inflated. With that event, it was time for him to return from the whale boom.  By 4:30 pm we lost Ryan for the night.  We are still not sure if he meant to take a short nap and simple slept through or if he felt seasick again and just went to bed for the night.  We will find out which in the morning.

Thus, by 7 pm it was Greer and Johnny on the mast looking for whales and Cathy and me atop the pilot house looking for whales and Ryan and Matt fast asleep from their dolphin adventures. It truly was amazing and distracting to see such an overwhelming number of animals.  As for the whale blows, Captain Bo

b felt they were due to the dolphins jumping so high and splashing so much.  Johnny maintains they were blows and we just lost focus due to the overwhelming number of dolphins.  Which it is we don't know, but to his credit Johnny maintained his vigilance on the mast while those dolphins were with us, but did not see another blow. We did not travel very far today, but we did look hard- except during our dolphin hour.

Tomorrow we will increase the watches further with 4 people on watch almost all day.

It appears the national press is losing its interest in Gulf stories. This development does not surprise me, in part, because the well is capped, but also in part because it has been over 100 days of coverage and that's a long time to keep America's attention. We did not come here for the press. We came here to begin to address our nation's biggest marine pollution disaster in history and try to learn the lessons necessary to diminish its impact and to protect the other waters in the US should another big oil spill happen somewhere else.  We now have to learn what are the consequences of this one, so the same mistakes are not repeated.

Our work has only just begun and will continue for many years as there are many levels to dissect.  How toxic are dispersants to whales?  Do they accumulate in their tissues?  How long do they last?  Are they damaging DNA?  The same questions get asked for crude oil and for metals and then one moves into understanding the mixtures of them.  Do mixtures make them more toxic?  These are not easy questions and certainly not quick answers.  But once we know them, we will know better how to address future problems and the impacts of this one.

I think seeing and knowing how hard we work and how thorough we are we hopefully attract research funds to support us and more undergraduates to USM to learn in these unique research settings.

Having said that, we are receiving lots of local press which is flattering.  James has posted many links to those articles on our website.

I also submitted our first scientific abstract today to the national meeting of the Society of Toxicology and Environmental Chemistry (thanks for the help Sandy).  We will see if its accepted, but that too will be an important phase- going to local, regional and national meetings to present what we see.

John

(Blog by: John Wise, Science Director)

Fox News Video: Odyssey Gulf Expedition

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Fox News Video: Odyssey Gulf Expedition

The Massachusetts organization Ocean Alliance has teamed up with the University of Southern Maine in Portland to study the BP oil disaster's effects on gulf whales

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VIDEO: The Massachusetts organization Ocean

Alliance has teamed up with the University of Southern Maine in Portland to study the BP oil disaster's effects on gulf whales
TBO.com, August 2010

Roger Payne Joins Us: ODYSSEY Gulf Blog, Days 23-25, August 8-10, 2010

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Sunday, August 8, 2010

After passing Miami we traveled far enough offshore that we could not see the Keys along the way until we turned in toward Key West. We were passed by three or four shrimp boats heading north, likely heading home as their skimming work was no longer needed in the Gulf

We arrived in Key West late afternoon to find tourists lining the docks and streaming in and out on other vessels. Bob took the opportunity to show off the Odyssey a bit and paraded past Mallory Square just as the sunset performers were arriving.

We were pausing in Key West to pick up Roger Payne and his brother-in-law Peter. Their 9:30pm arrival that night meant the rest of us squeezed in two hours of leg stretching on Duvall Street, taking in the sights, sounds and ice cream.

Instead of tying up to the cruise ship docks, we anchored and shuttled ashore in the dingy, giving us a test run of both the new impeller in the Honda outboard as well as the refurbished anchor windlass. Both worked great.

Once everyone joined up on the Odyssey again we motored through the dark and narrow channel off the north side of the island. The splashing of hunting needlefish distracted Rick and I from our job of spotlight-searching for the wrecks noted on the charts. An hour later we had put the flashing green, red and yellow markers behind us and we headed west toward the 1000meter contour line in the southern regions of the Gulf.

Monday, August 9, 2010

It was

almost 2am when we cleared the channel from Key West and since Bob, Rick and I were all still awake none of us got much sleep before our nightly rotations on watch. It was a long night for the three of us.

The early morning hours set the course for the weather and seas all day; grey, wet and slightly rough, and a few on board were feeling it’s effects. Thunderstorms on the GPS postponed platform watches for several hours but were started up in the mere rain in the afternoon.

We finally had a dolphin sighting when a Stenella leaped to the side of the boat and rode the bow for a few minutes.

Roger/Dr. Payne has been working on the array and for a while before sunset we turned off the engine and rocked silently in the seas to diagnose the hydrophones in the array.

While we were stopped we were visited by two or three bottlenose dolphins, who seemed to be trying to entice the Odyssey into motion so they could ride the bow. They quickly found us more boring than we were worth, and left.

Roger determined only one hydrophone worked, which will not give us direction on it’s own. We have also lost the starboard generator. Because of this and some other reasons, we have decided to make for Tampa Bay 180 miles to the northeast.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Today’s weather is worse. With 6-8 foot seas, and afternoon rain, we’re realizing how lucky we were coming down the coast from Beaufort, NC. Bob expected this kind of seas in the Atlantic, then calm in the Gulf, but we’ve had it backwards.

There’s more seasickness today and it’s too rough to do observations. But the water here in southern Gulf of Mexico is a beautiful deep blue. We’ve only seen a couple boats since leaving Key West.

(Blog by: Vicki Beaver, Odyssey Educator and Crew)

Leaving West Palm Beach: ODYSSEY Gulf Blog, Day 21, August 6, 2010

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Return to Sea Day: A quick summary of our week in West Palm Beach – Kellie returned to Maine to be replaced by Greer – Matt took two weeks off for a family vacation in Minnesota, and was replaced by Ryan – John Atkinson replaced Eric Carr, until we pick up Roger Payne and his brother-in-law. We installed our satcom – which will provide us with internet access, video conferencing, and satellite phone – as well as some other gear for better weather forecasting, determining air and water temperatures, and many other things that are important for sailing (which I have lost track of). We had a bit of a fluke earlier, when Dr. Wise realized that we had to have a permitted supervisor on board the Odyssey in order to biopsy any whales – remember, he got off the boat in Beaufort, NC to solve this issue. The solution: NMFS (who grants us our permits) has decided to make me co-investigator on the permit, since I demonstrated (under the supervision of Iain Kerr, who is a permitted supervisor) that I can biopsy whales. Thus, as long as I’m on the boat, we can biopsy whales – Dr. Wise will be taking his turn at biopsying so he can be permitted for supervision as well. After receiving this news, three people told me “don’t let it go to your head.”

Kind of a crazy day, as we rushed to get everything done on time to leave with the tide. Though we did not leave when we planned to, we were able to get out of the harbor with the tide. On our way out, a bottle nosed dolphin decided to swim and jump alongside us. That is, until a huge cruise ship (with a water slide on the aft deck and loud music) converged on our path and went ahead of us. When we finally got out of the harbor, I let out a loud ΄Woo

hoo! Back to the blue!‘ — and got a few other shouts of joy. Leaving Florida’s harbor, I realize how much I have fallen in love with the ocean and all it’s wonder – the rocking and rolling of the boat on the waves, the pure cobalt blue color of the ocean, the breaths of fresh salty air that sink deep into my lungs, and the knowledge that everyone on board is supporting each other completely.

As we cruised along Florida’s coast in the fading light of the day, Ryan and Greer sat on the bow sprit, taking in their first moments of living on a boat – while Cathy and I (the other two students) assisted the crew with stowing dock lines and other tasks. After a delicious dinner of spicy chili, Cathy and I took our favorite spots on the bowsprit (dangling our legs and feet over the water), keeping our eyes peeled for any marine life that my float or swim past. At one point I looked down and saw a 12-foot hammerhead shark right under me! Cathy looked down right after my gleeful shout, and caught a glimpse of it just before it began diving in front of the bow (if only the bow cam was clean!). Greer and Ryan were sitting nearby, but not close enough to catch a glimpse of the shark before it was completely out of sight. After that Greer moved up onto the bowsprit behind Cathy and I, and Ryan moved up a couple of feet behind her. A little while later, Cathy parted our company to retrieve a radio for me to report any more sightings to the pilot house, and Ryan and Greer moved up the bowsprit for a more expansive view (not that they didn’t have one already). Shortly after, a solitary flying fish jumped out of the water off the bow and glided about 60 yards. Both Ryan and Greer excitedly shouted and pointed, as this was their first time seeing a flying fish in the sea. I’m looking forward to seeing their reactions to all the other creatures we will encounter along the way.

Johnny

(Blog by: Johnny Wise, Student Crew)

Upgrading Critical Equipment: ODYSSEY Gulf Blog, Days 15-20, August 1-5, 2010

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I am still surprised at how we just don't know the date or day anymore.

These past few days have been busy. James came down for a couple of days to celebrate Johnny's birthday and bought his brother his first tequila shot (the boat and the dock remain alcohol free). Sandy came down and reviewed work in our USM lab with me, celebrated Johnny's birthday and then of course celebrated our overdue anniversary. Matt went to Minnesota to take a quick break and have a family reunion- he will rejoin us in two weeks. Now, we are also joined by Ryan Duffy, a seniorish (term the student use to indicate the year they are technically in, but practically have longer to go). Ryan is a biology major and has worked with us for a little while now.

We have made remarkable progress on getting ready for the next leg of the voyage. Iain arrived and upgraded the radar and the weather station. This improved version will help with the tropical storm looming. John Atkinson arrived and, together with a guy named Nathan, significantly upgraded the air conditioning a key need for both us and the lab. All rooms are now ten degrees cooler. Rick and Captain Bob repaired a number of things, being ready and helping hands at all times.

My lab's IT guru, Chris Gianios arrived and first worked with me and the students to solidify our data collection and data entry protocols to fully coincide with the database he has set up and the mapping he is doing. He was quite pleased to see how well the students have done. Next, he worked on the bow-cam and mast-cams as they were able to record video but we had been unable to transfer it off of the unit. He solved the problem and established a protocol that should have use producing some interesting footage in the near future. Then, he worked with a scientist at NOAA to get our array software properly aligned and ready to go. From all he has been told, it should work now, but we will not know until we are near sperm whales.

We did not expect or intend to develop expertise in marine mammal acoustics, but with all of the time and energy we have put into learning this array, Chris and I hav

e become intrigued by it and can see some interesting paths to research and engage both our students and local high school students in the work. I will certainly be pestering Roger about acoustics when he arrives on the boat.

With all of that done, it was time for Chris to head home, just as the new satcom arrived. For those of you who do not know- the satcom is a satellite dish that will give us the capacity for internet, email, videoconferencing and some phone. It arrived shortly before Chris's schedule departure time. Iain then gave Chris his best Scottish grin and asked him to stay just one more day. Chris recognizing the need and urgency quietly changed his flight and stayed on helping to first attach the unit to the boat and then setting up the communications hub. There are pictures on this effort on the Facebook page ‘A Race to Save Our Oceans'.

Then we learned that the one more day fell on his wife Charlene's birthday. I guess it just runs in the Wise Lab that when a world crisis calls the celebrations are delayed. Chris did get us up and
running and then returned home today to celebrate with Charlene.

So we thank Chris for staying and for getting us upgraded in so many ways. I think all of you can see why he is such an essential part of our team and success. But we also thank Charlene for being so supportive and understanding that this task was essential and could not have been done without Chris. Charlene – thanks for sharing him and happy birthday! …. and to all of you who have taken the time to remind me how exceptional a wife Sandy is- I assure you I know that and Chris too knows how lucky he is with Charlene. Don't worry I keep reminding him.

So we now have better radar, better weather reporting, and better air conditioning, an array that should be working, access to videos, solidified data protocols and a new functioning satcom. Oh yes, I am also pleased to report that in response to my inquiry, the Ocean Foundation has given us a grant for two months of airtime on the satcom that will give us internet, email and SKYPE capability, which we are thrilled and excited to have. Thanks to them again for the support and to the Campbell foundation for generously providing the satcom itself.

See what I mean – a busy week!

We sail again tomorrow at 3:45 pm!

John

(Blog by: John Wise, Science Director)

In the Gulf, scientific questions still lurk beneath the surface

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