Nearly across the Atlantic

 Monday April 15

Two more days at sea en route to the Cape Verde Islands taught us many things, thanks to the expertise of the naturalists on board. We heard a talk about plankton (yes it referenced the SpongeBob character which actually strongly resembles one kind of plankton). Plankton is a broad category of “wandering” species, including the larval stages of crabs as well as the microscopic forms we more commonly associate with the term.  Many forms of plankton grow on other surfaces and of course planktons form the basis for marine food chains. The “smell of the ocean” is actually the whiff of hydrogen sulfide given off by dying plankton — and the tendency of plankton to grown on many surfaces explains why trash in the oceans “smells like food” to marine creatures, to their peril. 

We also went on a fascinating tour of the ship’s galleys and food storage areas. While many of the appliances and procedures were familiar, some were brand new to us. Ovens that control humidity as well as temperature, an oven that is also a smoker, and a press to automate the repeated fold-and-roll of puff pastry come to mind.  The food storage areas (freezer rooms, refrigeration rooms, preparation rooms) are massive.  

The wildlife has continued to be sparse, although we hope to see more as we near the islands. The seas have been calm and the winds light, which enabled a swim off the ship this afternoon. Most of the passengers participated, and paddling around in 4500 meters of clear blue ocean was a real treat. We also had a chance to reconsider the trajectory of flying fish — from the ship they seem to skim the surface, but during our swim today we observed, from a sea level perspective, that they glide four feet above the waves!  We have been watching these creatures (we have seen at least five different types) for days, and had noticed some interesting aspects to their flight. Internet research confirms that they swim at high speed toward the surface, leap out with their lateral fins unfurled, and then beat the water with their tails (up to 50 beats/second) to reach takeoff speed. They can stay aloft longer by again beating their tails.

Pictured: flying fish with tail beating, in the Zodiac on our way to swim, kitchen storage