At our table, we were joined by Ethan (the NSF observer -- another amazing coincidence) and Marty, a merchant marine passenger from San Diego. Marty was pretty quiet, but the rest of us kept Ethan talking about his work as an observer of the cruise.
Ethan Berkowitz, Marty, and Susan at dinner
Ethan went to undergraduate school at Harvard (or "Haavard", as Susan, another regular at our table, said it; she's from Boston). He got a Master's degree (in Law) from Cambridge, then went to Alaska to practice law, because he felt that it would be similar to Antarctica. By that time, he'd already been to Antarctica working on his undergraduate thesis. He has plenty of stories about Antarctica trips, and knows a lot about the NSF's work. He's primarily observing the ship's activities and it's status for the NSF, as well as the crew's work informing the passengers about the regulations, but he is also authorized to arrest Americans who refuse to obey the Antarctic Treaty regulations concerning Antarctic conduct. He said that he never really had to arrest anyone, since most people who go to Antarctica have a good attitude toward Antarctic conservation. A few years ago, he was aparently stationed at McMurdo, and he knew pretty much everyone involved in NSF-related work down there. He knew several people that Susan knew from the hospital in Boston where she works, since they had also been at McMurdo for some time.
He seems to be a nice guy, and I'm glad I met someone closer to my age on board. I'm hoping that I'll get to talk with him more during the trip. He certainly seems to be dedicated to the Antarctic spirit, which I admire.
Ethan said that he'd be surprised if we didn't get to land at McMurdo. He says that the weather is pretty good, and the research program has been extended so that they aren't leaving everything for the winter quite yet. He promised that if we didn't get to go, he'd play some videos for us about it. I'll keep him to it, if necessary!