Page 39 - 2003 - Atlantic Islands

special delicacy, so why not use their knowledge as well as their diving expertise. So

far, though, none of the methods he has tried has produced a look at a live squid in

the open ocean.

At lunch today, we brought our “gobbling turkey” to the table and gave our lunch

companions each a Thanksgiving themed coaster for their wine glasses. We think

they were amused. Everybody we introduced to the gobbler laughed and wondered

how we had gotten it into our luggage along with all the items we had to bring with

us.

Later in the afternoon, we got to see the National Geographic Special in which Clyde

had starred in 1997 in the critter cam attempt to locate the pelagic giant squid.

Though it documented primary failure, the film demonstrated some very interesting

and never-before-filmed or even known behaviors in sperm whales: sleeping while

hanging vertically fairly near the ocean’s surface, clicks and groans, and squeals in

their vocalizations, and swimming & diving so closely together that their bodies

actually touched and rubbed against one another.

Since tonight is our Thanksgiving Day dinner, we have decided to skip afternoon tea

so that we will be a little hungrier for the traditional feast. We will bring our coasters

and our “indyuk” (Russian for turkey) beanie baby to the table. We have been invited

to dine at the Audubon table this evening.

At recap, John told us that the Orion would be arriving late to Ascension since we had

lost 8 hours due to our inability to average 14.5 knots an hour over four days.

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