Imagine a sailing research vessel without an itinerary. How would one's time be spent if the only temporal constraint on a six week expedition was the return date and port? Would boredom quickly ensue? I cannot believe that macrame truly represents the creative climax of the sea-going minds of yore! That tacky craft was the product of captains' fear of alternative creative expressions. If allowed to wander and wonder, rather than focus exclusively on the potential of the hemp twine medium, a human brain on the ocean must be ceaselessly entertained and entertaining, for the sea offers stimulation to me continuously!
During my 3 hours of free time this evening, I was brought to my feet by the setting sun, 2 large shark fins slaloming through our wake, 2 schools of dolphin, 1 nearby whale blow, the racing of thin stratus clouds relative to the mains'l leech, Bihn's binder on seamanship, a novel water fowl call, and the arrival of the first substantial Atlantic swell. Given a suite of scientific sampling gear, I think I could probably be entertained for 6 weeks by simply drifting in an observational feast. Add the bountiful intrigue of sailing and boredom is not an option. Need a chief scientist heed the literature when exploring such diverse terrain? I feel like I could learn from any opportunity the ocean offers; a fixed investigation of an ongoing puzzle seems unnecessarily complicated. What are those red globular spheres with vitreous spicules I see under the dissecting scope? How did those sharks find us? Why do hurricanes speed up as they leave the tropics? Why does dissonance between one's inner ear and visual reference induce vomiting in some individuals? The questions seem endless when one's experience is not structured.
In class today we broached the idea that SEA students may be told so much before going to sea and while sailing that their experience is defined by others more than by themselves. Though it would be interesting to try a semester without structure that is guided only by opportunistic curiosity, the scientific proposals and objectives that Lisa has organized do serve good purpose. It is possible to get lost in the moment to moment opportunities. Would we feel the cruise was successful if we did not begin with clear goals and strive to complete them? We might not delve deeply into each day's lessons. We might be over-stimulated and distracted. And we would not reap the benefit of having participated in the process of gathering scientific information: building on the insights of other oceanographers, testing their ideas, and thereby furthering our communal understanding of our home.
