by 
An adorable photo of some of the crew and myself! Left to right: Brendan (2nd Mate), Rob (Assist. Engineer), Tallie (Me!! Stemseas Participant), John (AB), Kevin (AB), Oscar (Bosun), Kurt (QMED) Chris A. (Chief Mate), Gabe (Marine Tech. 3). Front: Pat (AB), Lynne (Marine Tech. 4)
Tallie Foster
We are now about halfway through our transit on the R/V Endeavor from Narragansett, RI to Gulfport, MS, and it’s safe to say that we all love it. The ship is awesome, the scenery is surreal, and getting to play a real role in research at sea is beyond exciting, but what really ties all of it together are the people onboard. The crew and ship’s technicians have been the most friendly and welcoming group of hardworking people and they never fail to help us where they can and ensure that we’re as comfortable as possible on the ship. It’s unbelievable how at-home they have helped me to feel on the R/V Endeavor. As Dr. Ajit Subramaniam (Chief Scientist) said, a ship is “all about the spirit of the crew,” so it seems fitting to describe the vessel using what some of the crew members have described as their favorite things about it.
The Endeavor has travelled across many parts of the globe in support of research lead by an array of different scientists, which has given the crew opportunities to spend time in different places like Puerto Rico, Africa, Barbados, and Iceland, which Kurt (QMED – Qualified Member of the Engineering Dept.), Kevin (AB – Able-bodied Seafarer), Chris A. (Chief Mate) and Captain McMunn find to be among their favorite parts of the job. Oscar (Bosun) likes the view from the ship, especially when that includes icebergs. After an exciting expedition, Rob (Assist. Engineer) enjoys that they get to come back to the comfort of their own homes before heading back out to sea. Not only does the ship get to trek to far out places, but it also brings scientists and crew onboard from a variety of states and countries whom Lynne (Marine Technician 4), John (AB), and Captain McMunn enjoy meeting and learning from, getting exposure to other aspects of science and different views and cultures. Brendan (2nd Mate) enjoys having different locations and people onboard all the time, making each trip new and exciting.
On a day-to-day basis the R/V Endeavor crew does a fantastic job at running the ship and very successfully ensures it is a smooth ride. Chris A. (Chief Mate) says that everyone takes pride in the ship and puts in their best effort while working on her. Chris B. (Chief Engineer) thinks they have a good system and budget in place, which fosters a more easy-going work environment and Larry (Messman) pointed out that it’s hard to be away from home but the stable work makes it worth it. While cruising, Gabe (Marine Technician 3) enjoys the scenery and surrounding environment as it changes in looks, temperature, weather, etc. from day to evening or even year to year. For Oscar (Bosun), witnessing interesting weather, sunrises, sunsets, and sea creatures like whales or dolphins will never get old. Pat (AB) loves the good food, courtesy of Dickey (Chief Steward), who, along with many other members of the ship, went on about how grateful he is for how the crew feels like family. It’s very clear how much those working on the R/V Endeavor respect each other and enjoy each other’s company, and their smooth working system combined with their family-like feel have made cruising on the Endeavor such a fantastic first research cruise experience.
