Teacher Logbook:
Wednesday August 2, 2000

Carol and Mary Beth's Observations
Today Carol and I decided to spend some time on food and laundry, two of life's most important concerns. You may have wondered how is the food on a ship out at sea for months at a time? When going out to sea for a long time do you bring every piece of clothing you own or do you resort to wearing dirty clothes for part of the trip? Should we bring food in case the ship's food is like cafeteria food? These were questions we asked early on in our preparations to board NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown.

Remarkable entrees come out of the galley of this ship. Each day a full breakfast, including eggs, bacon and hash browns is served up for those just waking up or for those just going to bed. No bologna sandwiches for this crew at lunch. Hot meals are served for lunch every day from 1100 to 1200. Dinner is served from 1630 to 1730 (that is 4:30 to 5:30 for you land lubbers). Eccentric entrees from around the world are served each and every night. You can choose from meat, seafood, poultry and even vegetarian dishes. The food is abundant and taking seconds is encouraged. Everyday a new dessert taunts the pallet. Birthday cakes and ice cream mountains have been some of my favorites.

How does the Chief Steward Lito Santos prepare the menu for a long cruise? Lito chooses from 45 menus he has stored on computer. He takes inventory of what is aboard the ship and then heads to the grocery store. The ship is equipped with a large, walk-in refrigerator (yes - that is Mary Beth trying to get away with some whipped cream from the fridge for her sundae) as well as a walk-in freezer to store food for long cruises.

Three crewmembers, working in the galley, serve up approximately 45 people at each meal. These men work hard and prepare excellent food for the crew and the scientists. We would like to thank Chief Steward Lito Santos, 2nd Cook Jim Scott and Dr. R.P. Dexter for all their hard work and dedication to serving NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown.

Laundry is the least favorite on our must do list. However, it is so nice to put on clean clothes after a shower. Not to worry, we are not walking around in week old dirty clothes. The laundry on the RHB is outstanding. Yes, that is Carol doing another load. There are three commercial front loading washers and four dryers. There is no waiting for a free washer on this cruise. We were told not to take up space with laundry supplies. Everything from laundry detergent to fabric softener is store in the locker next to the dryers. We haven't used the iron and ironing board, but it is there for our use. Laundry baskets have made the whole job very easy.

Do we have water shortages with so much water usage? There is plenty of water for the forty-four people on this trip. The ship is making 3,000 gallons of water each day. If the demand requires, the ship can use both reverse osmosis and evaporators to produce 12,000 gallons a day. Even though there is plenty of water, we do not waste it. At the beginning of the cruise we were reminded that "Navy showers" are the rule around here. Wet down, turn the water off and soap up. The water is soft and soaps easily. Turn the water on and rinse quickly. The shower controls are designed to deliver warm rinse water.

Look for our last update tomorrow as we get ready to set foot on land again!

The Brown's galley crew keeping the ship running.

Mary Beth in the main refrigerator getting some whip cream for those desserts.

Carol doing her laundry down in the lower decks.