Ship Offload.

One of my fellow McMurdo-ites made this awesome video depicting the annual ship offload. I wasn't there for this event, but I'm glad I get to see it on here! Check it out.

Nathaniel B. Palmer.

The Nathaniel B. Palmer (NBP) is one of the NSF vessels that is used primarily for scientific research on climate change, geophysics, biology, oceanography, etc. It operates year-round and actually has ice breaking capabilities (The reason the USAP doesn't use it as our ice breaker is because it isn't qualified to escort the fuel tanker). Anyway, the NBP docked at McMurdo a few days ago for a crew change, so we got the luxury of being able to tour the boat!

Like I already said, the NBP is used for scientific research. The tour guide talked about the science they're working on, but the only words I really understood were "ocean floor sludge" and "radar." Seriously, no idea what the dude was talking about. Oh well. Here are the labs on the boat:

The "morale" section of the boat was way more up my alley. They have a cute little eating area, with rails that can be pushed up on the sides of the tables to prevent any plates from flying off when a big wave hits.

They also have a sauna, which they intelligently promote as a "safety item," for when people go overboard and need to be thawed out after becoming hypothermic in the icy Antarctic waters. Which obviously happens like, ALL the time. So...they have a sauna.

Only 72 people max are allowed to sail on the NBP. Why you ask? Because their lifeboat can hold only 76 people. When they first mentioned the lifeboat, my oh-so-cultured mind immediately thought of the dingy little boats in the movie Titanic. So when I saw the lifeboat, I thought to myself, "Dang! Nice lifeboat! I'd totally be ok in that thing!" However, apparently it is not as cushy as I thought it might be. Even though the boat is covered and seemingly unsinkable, there are a few minor issues: 1) There is water for only a few days. 2) There is no toilet, only a bucket. 3) You are forced to take seasickness medicine as you enter the boat, which for some people only makes them sicker. 4) You are strapped into your seat on the boat which makes you feel every single wave.

Basically, what I'm saying is that you would be strapped into a small floating windowless pod (hello, claustrophobia), with the swirling odors of 72 people's vomit and excrement (hello, disgusting), with no food and only a little water (hello, pain).

So then I decided that didn't sound so good and I'd rather just die in a Titanic lifeboat.

My favorite part of the tour was going up to the Bridge, where all of the controls are to steer the boat. It was very cool, and absolutely beautiful.

My second favorite part of the tour was the fact that there is a workboat on the NBP called the Cajun Cruncher. The NBP was actually built in Louisiana, and since I was born in Cajun country, I was pretty excited.

Here are just a few more random shots I took on the boat. 

 Pretty cool stuff.

Peace, Love, and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Russians to the Rescue.

So maybe I'm a dork, but I am fascinated by the arrival of the Russian icebreaker, whose name I will never be able to pronounce: the "Vladimir Ignatyuk."

I am shocked that a boat of that size can actually break through sea ice; however, equally surprising is the fact that the NSF actually managed to acquire an icebreaker for this season. (Read this article for more information!). NSF has had long-standing contracts with the Swedish icebreaker, the "Oden", but this year the Oden wasn't available. The icebreaker is a critical need for the USAP, because it cuts a channel through the ice that allows the fuel tanker and re-supply ship to access the ice pier. There was a lot of drama/back and forth/panic when we found out that the Oden was inaccessible, especially because the U.S. Coast Guard doesn't have any operable ships with icebreaking capabilities.

But don't worry, the Russians came through and saved everyone. And now we will have food and fuel.

Life is good.

Peace, Love, & IceIceBaby.