by 
Our first full day aboard the R/V Sikuliaq was full of meetings, information, and getting to know each other. We woke up bright and early to the crow of a rooster (No, I’m not kidding, there was a rooster) and quickly made our way to port. The R/V Sikuliaq isn’t like any vessel I’ve ever seen before, the hull looks tall and strong, and the ship made to journey through ice looks a little out of place in the warm waters of Hawai’i. We got quickly acquainted with our home for the next week and had a very informative safety briefing. There are so many things about shipboard safety that you don’t even think about until being in this environment and having people who do this long-term give you information at the start is so helpful.
We got a tour of the whole ship to help us orient ourselves as we prepare for our week. My favorite place was up on the 3rd deck where you can look out at the aft deck and ocean, I’m sure that whenever I am not asking questions and observing the operations around us, I will take a moment out there to read and appreciate this experience. Right after the tour, we had a science meeting where we learned about all the different professionals aboard this cruise and what tasks they are here to do. The technicians are doing calibrations and checks of various systems like the ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler), the multibeam mapping technology, the underway oxygen sensors, and systems used to map the ice and surface currents to help with navigation. I can’t wait to ask questions and learn all about these systems and how they help both science operations and shipboard operations as well.
After we were done with our meetings for the day, we had some time to hang out and catch the sunset. It was a bit blocked by cargo ship loading cranes, but it made me all the more excited to watch sunsets when we are underway. We set sail tomorrow morning at 9:00 and I am so excited. After dinner and our free time, we had a small gift exchange where we shared items, I got a ton of stickers which I have already added to my water bottle collection. It was so interesting to see the items that everyone thought of, and it helped us get to know one another. We spent the last of the evening decorating styrofoam cups to send down to 5000m in our first CTD cast of the cruise. I showcased my limited doodling skills, and we had a lot of laughs as we shared our designs and joked with each other. The other students are so much fun to get to know. We all took different paths to get here but seeing the passion and interest in each of us has been so unifying. For now, I am waiting (not so patiently) to get underway and start learning. I can’t wait for this adventure to truly start.
