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1. Setting sail is hard work. It's easier to take them down!

2. Measuring water temperature.

From: Val
Date: Thu, 29 May 2003 20:41
Subject: No landing, but still a successful day.

Another eventful day! We tired the northern side of Bear Island in the early hours of the morning, hoping for a sheltered bay where we could stop for the day, to have a look at the old whaling station.

No such luck - ice everywhere, and no way in.

We were forced to set sail for the southern tip of Spitsbergen. Should get there in the early hours of tomorrow morning. We're doing well at the moment, under full sails - 9 knots or so.

On route we took measurements at four different stations - and got some really interesting results. One mainly polar water, with a small tongue of Atlantic Gulf Stream water at around 20-50m depth.

Two stations at the ice edge and one back in Atlantic water. The film crew got some good shots of Suba helping Sarah and me make measurements.

The water is amazingly clear, and our plankton trawl did not bring in as much life as the day before. We still have not been able to use the microscopes, we need calmer water to be able to see anything. Hopefully tomorrow?

Val