Wednesday June 23rd

Posted by at 1:16 PM, June 23, 2004

Hi everyone,

So there I was, typing away on the computer, when who should walk into the office? Brian Fitzgerald from Greenpeace International! He arrived this morning via airplane, landing on the tiny airstrip just over there. (Most things in Isafjordur are just over there actually, from wherever you are pointing.) It was great to finally meet Brian. You see, I'm very grateful to him for directing the Iceland Whales Pledge Challenge and for having faith in me, enough faith to send me on this journey. Now that Brian is here, almost all of the cast members for this particular story have been assembled - only Tomakint remains.

-Marnee

After lunch I suggested to Marta that we go into town for a stroll, a pastry, a phone call, whatever. Mike F. decided to join us, and we were soon walking down the gangplank on our way. However, we were hijacked. We ended up in a van with the captain and his wife, Hans, Tor, Jari, Kate, Christian, and Frode. We were going to the Natturustofa Vestfjarda, or Natural History Museum and Research Center, in the small town of Bolungarvik.

This was a very good occasion, as we were fortunate to go on a guided tour with Dr. Porleifur Eiriksson, the head scientist of the center. Dr. Eiriksson described for us his research and showed us his laboratory. His team is studying the effects of changing temperatures and anthropogenic pollution on marine ecosystems. They are trying to establish a baseline of information against which to compare future results. Theirs is the first data to be collected and recorded, so it has been challenging to establish patterns or to distinguish between natural and artificial changes to the system. Also, it was interesting to learn that Dr. Eiriksson faces the same sort of year-to-year funding issues as do most researchers. Add to that: he works in a shrinking town with too few analytical resources, and you can really appreciate his efforts.

Back at the ship, I looked at some photos from home with Frank and Helena. I brought a little bundle of pictures with me in case anyone was interested to see snapshots of my life or the places I go for fun. To my delight they were, and we had a good time chatting about my husband, about rock climbing and skiing and mountain biking, and of course about my dog Ryland.

After dinner of steak and fries, I went up to the bridge to await our departure from Isafjordur, scheduled for 7:00. Got to hang out with Anita for a while. She's the 1st Mate, and she's Norweigan. We paged through a new Greenpeace book, an anniversary retrospective, and of course she was in there. More than once in fact. I'm sure she considers normal what many others would consider daring. Anita has got a really fun sense of humor, and her bright smile is instantly at the ready. She is someone you would not get tired of hanging out with, but you barely get a chance to because she appears and disappears very quickly. The longest I've seen her sit still is in the sauna. She's had countless extraordinary experiences, but she appears to be looking forward to the next one more than she is thinking about the last one.

Finally, I'm going to go out on a limb here and mention something that seems to have been swept under the proverbial rug. I hate to expose something so revolting, but I've been told to make this blog my own and not to worry about the political or social consequences of my words. Here goes: The toilets on this ship reek. Seriously, imagine the most disgusting odor you have ever encountered, and multiply it by a thousand. I can't even begin to describe the toxicity of the stench that emanates from those small rooms. If you weren't feeling queasy before, you will be when you wander into one of the toilets. Sitting here thinking about it, I am sure to be sick. Excuse me, won't you?

-Marnee