"I'm feeling a little woozy here."

The ship's crew laughed when I said that I was feeling the effects of the constant movement of the ship. In the calm seas that we had experienced, they knew that greater, more powerful surges were inevitable. And, they were right. Yesterday marked the first day of stronger winds and larger waves. The power of these waves amazes me. This ship is about the size of a football field and made of more steel than I could imagine, yet it moves back and forth like a cork on a line. It began to rock and roll quite violently yesterday afternoon and hasn't slowed down as of this morning.

I retired early while the veteran, Denis Costello (check out his blog at: socalcostello.blogspot.com), stayed up to write an entry. He is a teacher at sea as well, teaching high school chemistry in Houston, TX. This is his fourth research cruise, so I look to him for guidance in these foreign affairs.

The shower was the most challenging part, trying to keep my feet without slamming against the cold steel walls or the concrete floor. Ship showers are different than showers at home: you get wet; turn off the water; lather up; rinse off quickly; and get out. We conserve water.

The captain stated that the winds were 30 knots which is 34.5 mph but were localized, meaning that the waves were NOT as high as they could be (and most likely will be). This will be a challenge for sure. There aren't any breaks; even when it's calm, the deck moves. Performing experiments with this kind of movement will be interesting. Stay tuned for that update...