Captain’s Log

May 18, 2006

1310, Wednesday afternoon on May 17, 2006 the Golden Bear slipped quietly from the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere by crossing the equator.  The equator is a line drawn around the earth, midway between each of the earth axis, or the north and south poles.  In the past 30 hours, the sea temperature has fallen 20 degrees and the air temperature is dropping quickly.  Uniform shorts are disappearing and jackets can be seen in the evening.  We moved from late spring to late fall in just seconds. 

Also it is very noticeable that the period of daylight is going shorter and shorter.  A moderate breeze has developed from the south, and a northerly swell from the south is causing the ship to be in an easy pitching motion.  The weather remains clear but as we enter the colder Peru current, fog is always a possibility. 

Last evening from about 1800 until midnight, the vessels track was covered by hundreds of small fishing vessels off of the coast of Ecuador.  Some started fires on the ocean surface to let the ship know where their fishing gear was deployed.  The fishing vessel traffic has continued through today, but at a less dense rate. 

Today, another fire and boat drill to keep our reaction time good and our fire teams well trained and coordinated. 

Already everyone is looking forward to getting to Peru.  The schedule for the port visit is being published and information on Peru is being place into the Bears Tail for education.  On arrival, the U. S. Embassy will have a team on board to brief every one about the any local concerns as a major election is about to take place. 

Cadet Petrick attaches a Y-gate to the fire hose so that two separate fire hoses can be charged from one line.