BREAKFAST
Oatmeal
Scrambled eggs
Sausage patties
Pancakes
Home fried potatoes
Pancakes
Fresh fruit
LUNCH
Cream of tomato soup
Cheese burgers
Pasta Fagioli (beans and shells)
Salad bar
Candy bars
DINNER
Roast pork loin
Baked snapper fillets
Brown rice pilaf
Sugar snap peas with pimentos
Steamed cabbage
Salad bar
Pumpkin pie
RV Atlantis pulls up to the dock in Manzanillo, Mexico
as the deck crew and 2nd Mate Rick Bean prepare to throw over the
lines.
Daily Update: Arriving
in Manzanillo
January
22, 2000
By Dr. Dan Fornari and Dr. Susan Humphris
RV Atlantis continued
steaming at about 14 knots towards Manzanillo, Mexico all day
in fair weather and good seas. Final packing of equipment, and
making sure that data are all backed up and organized occupied
the science party today. The ping-pong tournament got down to
the finals with Luis Hurtado and Martial Taillefert playing for
the championship. Martial won in a closely matched contest and
won an RV Atlantis cup donated by Captain Silva.
Seabirds were sighted with increasing frequency as we approached shore, along
with the smell of land; a musky fragrance that every seafarer knows and loves.
The bridge kept close watch on all the other ships and small boats that were
around us.
Manzanillo is the busiest shipping port on the Pacific coast of Mexico so there
are many cargo and other ships in this area.
As we approached Manzanillo we saw brown boobies, seabirds that dive into the
ocean for small fish. When on land these birds look funny as they waddle. Like
many birds that live out on the open ocean, they have legs that are very poorly
developed for walking on land; that’s why they waddle. We also saw long,
skinny fish skipping out of the way of the ship’s bow wave, and the blow
from a large whale just outside the harbor. It sounded with a flip of its fluke
as the pilot boat approached.
When a ship comes into a foreign port, it is required to fly the flag of that
country. Atlantis was flying the Mexican flag as we steamed into port
and also was flying a yellow “quarantine” flag that indicates the
ship has not yet cleared immigration and customs. The red and white flag is flown
all the time the ship is under the control of the harbor pilot, who is knowledgeable
about the local waters and can safely steer the ship to the dock.
Pulling into the inner harbor of Manzanillo, we saw the colorful, pastel-painted
houses that rise up on the hill above the port. Atlantis docked at 1900hrs
as the lines went across to the men waiting on the downtown pier. The sunset
was hazy and red as the scientists made plans to gather for a post-cruise party
to celebrate the accomplishments and discoveries of the cruise and the end to
another successful series of Alvin dives on RV Atlantis.
While this cruise is over, another will start in just 5 days. Remember to check
back starting January 27th as a new group of scientists heads out to the mid-ocean
ridge at the East Pacific Rise crest near 9° 37’N and 114° 17’W.
There, they will collect very detailed geophysical data using instruments mounted
on Alvin that measure the Earth’s gravity and magnetic fields to
help better understand how ocean crust forms. Join us for Cruise 2, “How
Does the Mid-Ocean Ridge Work”, participate in our Alvin dives,
and learn about volcanic activity on the seafloor.
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