Easter on Board - By Giuliana V.

When I go to sea, I love to read books about the intrepid explorers who came before me.  In some ways, things have changed a lot since James Clark Ross first charted the Antarctic coastline — we no longer get daily rations of grog, for example, and we're much less concerned with the prospect of scurvy — but in some ways, things have barely changed at all. It's still very cold (temperatures have been slowly creeping up as we move north but just went up above freezing), extremely isolated (we haven't seen a new face since April 3), and there still is ship-wide excitement at wildlife sightings (although we don't shoot penguins these days).

One thing that sticks out from every book I read is how those on board tried to preserve a bit of home for the holidays on board: a roast ham for Christmas, or a champagne toast on New Year's.  Last weekend, we celebrated Easter on the Thomas G. Thompson, our floating home in the Southern Ocean.  There was a lot to live up to (holidays are big in my family) but my fellow boat residents did not disappoint. 

I couldn't help but decorate my egg as a Seaglider (the ocean robots I use to do research).

On Saturday, our cooks provided us with hard-boiled eggs and various colors of dye. The creativity on display was exceptional: several egg people, lots of nautical-themed eggs, and a few sporting favorite sports team logos.  It was just like when I was a kid — except that on the ship, there is a much more real fear of your egg rolling off the table and smashing. 

Spotted in the sampling bay: one scientist and one Easter Bunny.

With the galley decked out in Easter baskets and marshmallow eggs hidden around the ship, there was a festive mood in the air on Easter morning.  We were graced with the presence of not one, not two, but three Easter bunnies hopping around the ship (full disclosure: I made two of the bunny costumes).  Zac, my rabbit-y compatriot, gamely sported his giant ears all day, even when collecting water samples.  The first rabbit scientist in Antarctica, perhaps?

Well after his shift ends, Max is still hard at work — decorating Easter eggs! 

In the afternoon, we were even sent a sign of spring: a "fogbow" arcing across the stern of the ship.  As we basked in the relatively mild weather, one of our technicians, Mark, spotted a small bird diving under the water.  After doing a triple-take, we realized that there was a pair of chinstrap penguins swimming around the boat.  We immediately raised the alarm on board — finally, 1200 kilometers from the Antarctic continent, we had seen our first penguin of the voyage!  It was an unconventional Easter, to be sure, but a great one nonetheless.

Scientists crowd the side of the ship hoping to catch a glimpse of the elusive chinstrap penguin (ph. by Patrick Mears).