Fort Jefferson- Again

I am having connectivity problems so I will be publishing this post a bit at a time to make sure and not lose all my work as I just did. One thing about traveling like this is the new appreciation for reliable sources of electricity! Our wind generator has been able to keep up in the past but there hasn't been any wind today and we've had to use the solar trickle charger and run the engine. The solar panel isn't large enough to power the fridge and invertor I need for the computer.

Anyway, this ship has the capability to carry enough supplies for all people aboard, their research equipment for two weeks. It was very intersting to learn about some of the research on so many areas. It was like being live on a Discovery Channel documentary. They have three huge diesels that are so efficient that at low power they burn on 6 gal per hour. You can't run a dielsel at low speed for a long time, but when you can it is a great savings in fuel. Even at max speed they are more fuel sipping than gas engines.

We were offered a ride on her but in less than great circumstances. We had gone diving on a wreck off of Loggerhead Key (more to follow on that) and it was a shallow dive. I had trouble keeping my ears clear but thought I had done alright. On the way back and throughout the afternoon I kept trying to clear them with no effect. The last time I tried, I had an effect but it wasn't a good one. Instead of clearing, my ear had a sharp, piercing pain. David went to shore to find out what our options were and found extremely nice and super helpful staff. There were two EMTs who checked me over, took a thourough history on me and the event. They then called their on-call doctor in the keys. She felt very sure that I had a reverse ear block but if it didn't improve I should get in and see a doc ASAP. The crew offered to take us in to Key West in the morning if necessary. Fortunately some good drugs, hot compresses and sleep made the pain go away by the next morning. I still can't hear too well and my head is stuffed up but I'm not curled up in a fetal position.

This vessel is called Fort Jefferson. It is owned by the National Park Service and is used to bring supplies and people back and forth from Key West to Fort Jefferson. It is also used for research in and around the whole park. We met the crew and were invited aboard for a tour. It is amazing how well laid out and efficient it is. It can carry a crew of three and 12 researchers. They don't have luxury accomodations by any means but everything fits. There are several bunk rooms that each have a seperate head.