The big kite flying contest took place yesterday out on the helideck. The weather was almost perfect with a nice strong wind, great for kite flying. My kite, unfortunately, bit the dust early on in the contest. I guess I’ll have to practice more. Many of the kites were an example of ingenuity. Kite making materials are not something that a ship normally has on board so you have to be inventive. It was obvious that some of the ship’s crew has been involved in more than one kite flying contest, theirs flew to great heights. In the end, everyone had a great time and a nice break from work. (photos below)

This morning, the Captain sent us the weather forecast. There is a storm just south of us and we can already see the clouds approaching. The sea swells are predicted to be quite high for the next several days; that should make for interesting coring out on the drill floor. The first cores from this site, U1371, began coming on deck during the night and the lab work has begun.