The team on the trawling deck working in cold and wet weather conditions.
Max feeling unwell at sea
Georgia feeling unwell at sea.
In the afternoon we used drama to step into the shoes of scientists who have been working on a research vessel that has been in stormy weather for a few days. We imagined putting on our warm gear for working on the boat and made a freeze frame of the team working on the trawling deck in cold and wet weather. When we were shoulder tapped by Ms Gain we spoke aloud thoughts that may have been running through our heads as we worked in these conditions.
We then imagined that we were sitting in our cabins after a rough day working at sea and spoke aloud a thought that came to us as we took off our heavy boots to get ready for bed.
Finally we imagined we were sitting in our cabins after a few more rough days working at sea writing in our diaries. Here are some highlights from this writing:
“still at sea, worst of all my trips. Wish I was at home. I have had a bucket through half the trip….hot egg or porridge for breakfast, though my plate or bowl keeps on sliding off the table, luckily they are plastic….sea is really rough, frost bites are horrible…” Georgia.
“The wind is whipping the sea up into small tornados that are crashing against the boat wildly. I’m sitting here in a puffed up jacket with warm clothes on but it isn’t working very well. It’s been too choppy to lower the net into the freezing blue….my lips are blue and my knees are wobbling, its like I can’t stand up.” Sally
“Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it, it has been so so hard. I really want to come home” Helena.
“It has been great working on the sea but I miss my family so terribly” Mia W.
“I really miss my family. Every dinner has been lamb stew. The weather is really bad and the beds are hard. I like my job but I really don’t like being in a storm” Rosa
“Horrible weather. Blizard. Horrible working so hard.” Max
“I have been working 12 hours a day and there’s been a big storm. I saw thunder for the first time in my life…We wear these really heavy boots everyday and woolly hats and really big jackets” Robbie
“The weather is terrible. I don’t know how to eat very well when the boat rocks like that. The work is very hard, nearly impossible to do” Tim
“Life is horrible so far on the boat. I want to go home and order some pizza and chinese food to get me going. I’ve been feeling sick and tired…It was so cold some people got frost on their noses and eyebrows” Julius.
“I feel sick…I wish I was in my bed. My feet and face are so cold” Zoe
“The boat is rocking madly, which I like, but it is hard working 12 hours a day. I’m missing my family heaps.” Mia P.
“It is very rocky…I have to work for 12 hours every day. I wonder if my husband and children are okay. I am very cold. I’ve got lots of amazing photos of the sea.” Samantha.
“I’ve been working pulling up the nets and I caught tonnes of silverfish. The boat was ricking wildly. I felt freezing and I nearly slipped” Tom.
“It has been really hard because it is so rocky. I really like my job but it is really hard when it is so rocky…I hope my mother is not finding it hard looking after my children” Lucy.
