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The Coast Guard has a traditional farewell saying for departing friends, “Fair winds and following seas.” HEALY had the opposite experience during our trip from Tromso to Dublin, a five-day voyage that could, unfortunately, be described as ‘eventful.’ The blustery conditions we encountered while outbound through the fjords were a telltale sign of what awaited in the open ocean. Immediately after clearing the Norwegian headlands we faced 45 – 60 knot sustained winds (gusting to 80 knots at times) and seas that were powerful enough, over the course of the voyage, to sweep away our 16,000 pound port anchor and tear the cab off of our forward crane, not-so-gently depositing the latter on a higher deck. The ship was never in danger, but it was quite a ride, and it was a real testament to the crew that throughout this trip mechanical problems were promptly repaired, hot meals were served, movies were shown, the incessant paperwork moved forward, and shipboard life generally went on as though all was ordinary. We sighted Scotland and the Hebrides Islands on the 9th of October and found temporarily relief from the weather during our transit through a sheltered seaway known as “The Minch.” But The Minch ended too soon, as Minches apparently do, and it was back into open water north of Ireland for yet another bout of 65 knot winds and 25 foot seas. On the 10th of October we moored in Alexandra Basin on the Liffey River in downtown Dublin, Ireland. Many of the crew had family and friends fly over from the states to join them. We saw castles, drove on the wrong side of the road, drank a few pints of Guinness and enjoyed one of the friendliest and most interesting cities in Europe. Captain Oliver hosted a visit by US Ambassador James Kenny, and the crew served as great ambassadors themselves to the hundreds of Irish citizens we met. Dublin is in the midst of a remarkable economic expansion, with literally dozens of construction cranes dotting the city, but it still retains its ‘old world’ charm. Costs were much more reasonable than Norway, with the dollar worth 82 cents against the Euro. For many of us this was our first experience with the three-year-old European currency, and it is proving quite convenient, since we’ll soon be able to spend our ‘leftover’ Euros at our next port call in Portugal. With no science missions occupying our time, the crew is spending their days making repairs to equipment and, already, beginning the planning process that will see us ready for our 2006 mission back to the Arctic. To break up the monotony of our long ocean transit back to Seattle we will have port calls in the Azore Islands, St. Marteen (in the Caribbean), sail through the Panama Canal, and finally a stop in Cabo San Lucas before we get home on the 28th of November. For Captain Dan Oliver, Command Master Chief Pete Perron and myself, thanks for all your support. You’ll hear from us again next week. Best, Jeff Jackson |
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The Coast Guard Cutter Healy, homeported in Seattle, Washington.
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