The JOIDES Resolution

The JOIDES Resolution at dusk - in port at Victoria, BC.


I finally got to see the JOIDES Resolution today, for the first time in person. We were bussed from the hotel this morning at 7:30 to the dock, and boarded right away with our gear. From that point on, there was a flurry of activity and a rush of information the likes of which I haven't seen since I started at UCS. In this case, there's also a new map to learn. The ship is a labyrinth of narrow hallways, hatches, and steep stairways - there are several ways to get anywhere, it seems, which makes it all the more confusing. It reminds me of playing a new level of Quake, though, where it just takes a few days to learn the ins and outs and shortcuts. Over time, I will find shorter routes to where I'm going.

When I saw Paula Clark (who has just finished back-to-back legs), I told her that Phil had decided I wasn't really ready to sail yet, and asked if she wouldn't mind staying on in my place. :) After four months at sea, she wasn't much amused at the proposition... but everyone else had a good laugh.

Paula gave me a quick tour of the ship - one that I would repeat more than once before genuinely learning my way around - and she filled me in on some of the equipment in the labs, etc. Each MCS has given me slightly different stories on how we do things and what to expect, but I'v paid close attention to all of them. Their experience is my best resource out here.



Mike Hodge boards the JR for his 20th Expedition


In the afternoon, Dave Morley went over his daily routine - checking the server volumes, monitoring drive lights on the servers, making sure the backups ran successfully. All in all, very much like my routine with mainframes at UCS. By dinnertime, my brain was full... just in time for the CrossOver Party.

We all made our way back to downtown Victoria, and met at the Sticky Wicket, a multi-floor restaraunt & bar much like the Tap back home. I had some fish & chips with
a small bowl of boulliabaise, then mingled with the off-coming and incoming crew. It was a nice gathering, but after a while, Mike Hodge (MCS), Doug Johnson (Health & Safety Director), Dwight Hornbacher (programmer) and I grabbed a taxi back to the ship. I definitely needed my rest for the days to come.



Mike Hodge, Daryll Schroeder, Dwight Hornbacher, and Dave Fackler chat during the CrossOver Party at the Sticky Wicket

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