NOAA Teacher at Sea
Jill Bartolotta
Aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer
May 30 – June 14, 2019
Mission: Mapping/Exploring the U.S. Southeastern Continental Margin and Blake Plateau
Geographic Area of Cruise: U.S. Southeastern Continental Margin, Blake Plateau
Date: June 13, 2019
Weather Data:
Latitude: 29°44.7’ N
Longitude: 080°06.7’ W
Wave Height: 2 feet
Wind Speed: 21 knots
Wind Direction: 251
Visibility: 10 nautical miles
Air Temperature: 26.6° C
Barometric Pressure: 1014.4
Sky: broken
As I sit here on the bow, with the wind blowing in my face, as we travel back to land, I think about the past two weeks. I think about all the wonderful people I have met, the friendships I have made, the lessons I have learned, and how I have grown as a person. The sea is a truly magical place and I will miss her dearly. Although I am excited to trade in some tonnage and saltwater for my paddleboard and Lake Erie, I will really miss Okeanos Explorer and everyone aboard.
My time aboard Okeanos Explorer has been wonderful. I learned so much about operating a ship, the animals we have seen, and about ocean exploration. I have stared into the eyes of dolphins as they surf our bow, watched lightening displays every night, seen Jupiter’s moons through binoculars, watched huge storm clouds roll in, seen how sound can produce visual images of the ocean floor, had epic singing and dancing parties as we loaded the XBT launcher, done a lot of yoga, learned a lot about memes, eaten amazing food, taken 3 minute or less showers, smacked my head countless times on the ceiling above my bed, watched the sunrise every night, done laundry several times because I didn’t bring enough socks, looked at the glittering plankton on the bow at night, and laughed a lot.
Words cannot express it all so below are some of my favorite images to show you how awesome this entire experience has been. I will not say goodbye to the sea and all of you but I will say, “Sea You Later. Until we meet again.”
