Dispatch 3: A Day in the Life

One view of my cabin

My cabin has a bed, sink, desk, and closet.

The mess has a variety of drink options, as well as quick snacks like toast, cereal, or fruit. At mealtime, we line up and go to the window to get our food.

The gym onboard has treadmills, some bikes, and other equipment.

The board room includes a conference table, lots of chairs, and a couch. There are also some computer stations and a coffee station.

A map of the cruise track, with the green star indicating our approximate location.

Annika Margevich

September 17, 2023

Dispatch 3: A Day in the Life

Hi everyone! My name is Annika Margevich. I am a third year PhD student at Yale University, and I’m going to tell you a little bit about the day-to-day of life on the boat. This is my first time on the CCGS Louis St. Laurent, and so far, it makes life at sea a lot more comfortable than you might think! We are each assigned a cabin, and some of us have a roommate. My room is a single with a cozy little bed, a desk, a sink, and a closet and drawers for storage. Everything you need—except a toilet, but there are common washrooms all over the boat, so a toilet and shower are never too far away. One of the most important places on the boat, though, is the mess hall where we have three meals a day and lots of snacks, desserts, and most importantly, coffee! I am one of eight vegetarians on board, and the chef is great about having vegetarian options for every meal which I really appreciate.

Outside of sleeping, meals, and science (which I am sure you will hear a lot more about in the coming dispatches), we do have some down time before and after our shifts and even in between stations. In that time, we can make use of the gym with treadmills, weights, mats, TRX bands, and even a mini sauna…how cool (or should I say…hot) is that! There are also several common spaces scattered around the boat where you can find a quiet (or lively) space to kill time. One of these spaces is the board room. This is where we have our daily science meeting, play some board games, and take a much-needed breath in between stations. It’s nice to have all these different spaces to spend time in because it makes the boat feel a little bigger and gives you a chance to interact with people in a variety of settings.