Losing Screws

7/18/10

Journaling and keeping everything written down on this trip is impossible. I hate to say it, but honestly it’s outrageously difficult. I never imagined myself so busy and so happy to be so busy on this little addi-venture. The days are slowly getting shorter but my days keep getting longer with all the things around here that I try to fit into a 24-hour period. And part, if not all of it, is a sheer bewilderment at all the things that I’ve done since getting here Tuesday night and the things I continue to do each day. I’m more sore than I could ever describe and even now I’d rather be halfway through a REM-cycle, but if I want to get all my adventures of the day written down before my battery dies I’d better stop babbling and start writing.

This morning started with a 7 am cup of tea to-go and an otter scan: no otters. Yesterday’s scan started at 6:30 (ish) and went much better with two otters seen, but I don’t let it get me down. After coming back for a bigger breakfast (slightly let down by the lack of eggs in the house but still a good bowl of life :-P), I headed out to start work on Stardust (the bigger whale-research vessel that needed washing and painting). The majority of the team except William, Bree and I (Bree is volunteer number one who showed up yesterday afternoon a day ahead of the rest) went out on drifter for the weather-permitting daily whale transect, leaving the three of us on Stardust duty. I had the awesome job last night of helping to scrape and powerwash the hull of Stardust yesterday night (God my battery’s running low already). You may think I’m being my normal sarcastic self, but really I’m completely serious about how awesome it was. I of course have never done anything remotely similar to scraping and powerwashing a boat before, and I soaked up every minute of it. Through all the foul-smell scrubbing and getting little bits of mussle/barnacle shell in my eyes and mouth, and again today getting heavy-duty copper paint in the aforementioned body parts, I had a skipper-sized smile on my face. The painting took quite a while, first with the taping along the water-line (so we wouldn’t get the environmentally UN-friendly paint in places where we didn’t need it) and then with the actual painting. We probably started that round 11 am and didn’t finish until about three. Two hours longer than expected, but the important thing was getting it done right, which I can happily say that we did.

After taking a short change break and sorting out my laundry, Bree and I headed out to check one of the two cameras that I placed yesterday morning (the one closest to camp and a short hike away). We left around the exact time that 11 of the 12 other EarthWatch volunteers showed up, so it was just a wee bit stressful finding all my gear through their crashing about, but I was definitely happy to get her and I out of the house with all that going on. We successfully checked the camera’s memory card on the field computer IN the field (awesome) to verify that the camera’s angle was set right. We adjusted it and locked it securely back to the log and made it back to the house in all under 45 minutes. From there I threw all the gear down and went through the introduction meeting/safety briefing with the volleys, after-which it was right back to the Stardust with Ty and William.

With all the paint dry she was ready to get back in the water so we stressfully went through the process of getting the wey-cable to lower her down into the little bay. Turned her around and docked her on the other side of the small dock (me trying desperately to tie three pad-buoys to the starboard side at the right length all while not falling overboard) and immediately switched over to Drifter (much smaller whaling vessel) to move her into the wey for her powerwashing (no painting thank God) and oil change. The cleaning went without a hitch but it was when we started to change the oil that things began going wrong for me and Ty. The two bolts plugging the oil tank on both motors we so badly rounded that the socket wrench wouldn’t get them off. We tried for what felt like hours trying different size sockets to no avail. Eventually we used a paper towel in a size up socket and managed to work the garbage bolts loose. Surprisngly with Huey’s tools we were able to screw the garbage bolts back on and the successfully changed the oil. I spilled a ton of old oil onto the port motor when I took the can out too slow, but it was cleaned up easy enough.

It was here where the gem of the day took place. After we got Drifter released back into the water with Huey’s help, Tyler and I took Drifter out for a ride to make sure the motors were running smoothly. As soon as we got out of eyesight of the house, Tyler didn’t even ask, just stepped away from the wheel and said, “take it”. The ten minutes that followed I’ll NEVER FORGET. It was one of the most exhilarating yet peaceful experiences I’ve ever had, having complete control over that skiff, testing her turn-radius, zig-zagging in and out, playing chicken with a local (which you NEVER do according to Ty), all the while having a perfect view of dusk over the hills and mountains of Vancouver, Flores, and Cougar Islands. The satisfaction I got from those short moments is indefinable.

Far too tired to write anymore, my shoulder’s killing me and my eyes are drooping. So until next time, smooth sailing. I know I am.