Thank you Mates!

Captain Adam

It has been a real pleasure sailing these past few weeks with new friends and truly, able-bodied seamen.

On the helm, Master (Captain) Adam Seamons, First Mate Dee Emrich, Second Mate Derrick Bergeron, and Third Mate Alison Paz have been great to work with. Unlike officers on a merchant vessel who drive ships from point a to point b and back and so on, officers on the Knorr and other oceanographic vessels, have to undertake a far greater variety of missions.

Thus, in addition to driving the vessel, they have to oversee many aspects of the oceanographic operations. And they sometimes have to remind us crazy oceanographers that we are asking for
something unreasonable or unsafe or impossible.

Every crew member on the ship has multiple tasks that are their responsibility and it is the same for the officers.

It is not unusual to see Alison with a hose in her hand rinsing off one of the skiffs, to see Derrick planning navigation for the next leg of the vessel (to Capetown), to see Dee checking the safety gear on board, or to see the Captain plowing through mounds of paperwork. Their jobs are certainly not pure glamour.

But they can be sure that we greatly appreciate all they have done for us.

1st Mate Dee

2nd Mate Derrick

3rd Mate, Allison