So after beautiful weather all the way down to Antarctica and most of the way back, we ran into a couple of low pressure systems. These latitudes are famous for their bad weather since there are really no continents to speak of and the currents and wind have an unobstructed path all the way around the globe. The USNS Paul Buck has what is known as an "Ice Strengthened Hull" which means that at a certain draft, there is extra steel and structural support to prevent damage from the ice while traversing through it. When we finished loading cargo at McMurdo, we had to load sea water into some of the cargo tanks in order to bring the vessel down to this zone of reinforced hull. It certainly pays off now because a ship with weight in it rides much better than one that is empty. Think of a light empty pick-up truck on the freeway, vs. one with some weight in the back. Everyone has their remedy for sleeping, and I employed the diagonal method and was able to sleep pretty well. The ship seems to be riding alright for now. Hopefully it remains that way!
The Sea Projects are coming along. Although I still feel like I’m behind, which is probably a good thing. I have to fight my perfectionism and just put something down! I learned that last year, but it certainly paid off. J We are getting ready to exchange the fuel injectors on 3 out of the 5 pistons once we get to Australia. I posted a picture of the Main engine earlier, although that picture only shows the top 2/3rds of it. Each cylinder has a bore of 29.9 inches and a stroke of 86.6 inches. It’s pretty big to say the least. The Main Engine aboard the Paul Buck produces 15, 300 Horsepower at full output, which is accomplished at 95 RPM (yes that is ninety five) from 5 cylinders with 4 injectors per cylinder.
Hopefully the weather will improve, and the water temperature has already gone up about 20 degrees Fahrenheit from when we were in the ice.