Captain's Blog 2/1/12

DATE 2/1 WED
TIME 0700LT (ZD +5), 1200 GMT
LAT 4-14N
LON 80-04W
C 012
S 12.2 K
RPM 53
DEPTH 1500 METERS
WIND NORTH FORCE 3
SKY 6/8
PRES 1010
AIR 77/74
SEA 79
150 NM WEST OF PUNTA CHARAMBIRA, COLUMBIA

We crossed the Equator yesterday morning to little fanfare - only a toot of the whistle. Such is melodrama - but we did have a pollywog aboard - our ship's doctor that joined in Ecuador. I had to hold back a few of the new Shellbacks that wanted to have their way with him - but suffice to say - he is none the less for wear.

I'm getting ready for Panama arrival. The past four or five sea terms there were only three ports - but since we converted over to a three division rotation, we now do four ports (one-less day in each port - a total of 12 port days). That in itself adds to the workload of the poor captain as we prepare for port entry - but the Panama Canal is a defacto port as well.

So, at this juncture in the sea term, I am preparing for our fourth port visit - and I've one more to do in St. Thomas - and then the dreaded US entry. The weather was cloudy almost the whole time we were in the southern hemisphere, but when we crossed the line yesterday it cleared up. It was a beautiful afternoon - we had an abandon ship drill and a demonstration of all sorts of pyrotechnic safety equipment - so much fun blasting off parachute flares and the line throwing appliance. But this morning it is cloudy again -and even looks ominously like rain!

More tomorrow...