Church's Diary, Part 3:
The snow finally stopped, and the sun shone again over the sea. Even though it was winter in the Southern Hemisphere, sitting on the deck in the sun all the time could still damage your skin. But Anderson was fishing there again; he does this all year round, and he never seems to have any skin allergies.
We left Port Fitzroy and sailed northeast. Mr. Robbins asked me if I knew about Maria Theresa Reef and Ernest Le Gouve Reef. I had heard of those places; they were legendary Ghost Island. Verne had mentioned Maria Theresa Reef in several of his novels—oh, in his writing, it seemed like a beautiful little island. In reality, it was just a small coral reef, first discovered by a whaling ship. It is said that earlier Europe navigators also discovered these islands and recorded their coordinates.
However, over the past fifty years, the navies of New Zealand and the United States have conducted extensive searches of this area but have found nothing. It is a vast basin with an average depth of four thousand meters, a maximum depth of over five thousand meters, and an area large enough to contain the entire country of Australia.
However, the legends about Ghost Island continue, but like the Loch Ness Monster, the UFOs over Mexico, and the Reptilians in the Mineral Swamp, many people claim to have seen them again every year, but no one takes them seriously.
In my seafaring career, I've passed through that area twice, but I've never seen any Ghost Island. If those who witness miracles are God's favorites, then I'm certainly not one of God's chosen ones. So I'm not too optimistic about the outcome of this voyage, but I won't say it out loud. As captain, I must do my job and maintain an optimistic attitude.
I said to Mr. Robbins, "Sir, I feel we're more like on an expedition than on a scientific expedition. I've never seen a research vessel loaded with advanced instruments just to go to an uncertain place."
Robbins said, "You're right. We're going on an adventure, and not just to Ghost Island. We're going to more mysterious places and doing more interesting things."
I wonder what interesting things might happen at sea. Did these scientists find a treasure map with a huge shipwreck somewhere? But even if there were a shipwreck in the ocean basin, it would be impossible to salvage it!
Just then, Anderson walked over with his fishing rod, overheard our conversation, and interjected, "Something interesting? On the vast ocean, what could be more interesting than fishing?"
Robbins laughed heartily and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Yes, yes, Anderson, you're absolutely right. Fishing is the most fun thing to do."
His laughter was infectious, and Anderson and I both laughed too.
Stephen Robbins was the captain of this scientific expedition, and the crew respected him greatly, including the scientists on board. Even Mrs. Larry was usually aloof, treated him with courtesy. But he never put on airs; he was not only easy to get along with, but also very approachable. He was a true gentleman, making people feel good at first sight. He always spoke with gentle grace and walked with a measured pace.
Every time he came to the deck, he would say, "Ladies and gentlemen, what a beautiful day!" When he met a lady in the passageway, he would step aside, place his hand on his chest, and bow slightly, saying, "Hello, beautiful lady!" Although there were only two women on our ship Mrs. Larry and her assistant, Miss Alice.
Mr. Robbins is very good at getting along with the team members and sailors. Just like today, he and Anderson spent most of the day discussing sea fishing.
I greatly admire his versatility. He's not only a scientist, but he's also very familiar with everything about the sea. Sometimes I think he's more suited to be a captain than I am. However, he's very humble. He says that everything he knows comes from books, and that real ocean voyages still require professionals like us.
I asked him about the issue of cold-snowfall, since snowfall is a common phenomenon, so why did he find it unusual?
Robbins said that New Zealand's North Island, especially Port of Auckland, is already at its northernmost point, so it doesn't snow very often, and it's not yet at its coldest time of year. Moreover, cold air masses usually have warning signs; they don't appear suddenly. Only when strong cold air passes over warm sea areas, and the temperature difference between the air and water reaches more than 10°C, is the warm, moist air mass on the ocean surface forced to rise. This warming and humidification of the lower atmosphere leads to instability in the lower atmosphere, resulting in cold air masses.
Moreover, as a common meteorological phenomenon, weather satellites can provide accurate forecasts using cloud images. However, neither the New Zealand Meteorological Service nor the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which had been communicating with the research vessel, issued a warning before our departure. Crucially, the snowfall was quite heavy and shouldn't have occurred at this time in the Southern Hemisphere. The Pacific Ocean east of New Zealand is so vast that, due to the high specific heat capacity of seawater, the cold winds blowing from Antarctica would have already turned into gentle warm breezes before reaching us.
Mr. Robbins looked somewhat grave at this point. He said, "You are the captain, and there are some things you should know, so I can tell you what I know. While we were stranded in Port Fitzroy, I contacted experts at the Meteorological Bureau, who told me that the cold front and snow clouds we encountered initially appeared about 1,500 nautical miles east of New Zealand, not far from our destination. After that, the cloud disappeared from satellite imagery and then suddenly reappeared in the waters near the North Island of New Zealand."
I said, "Please forgive me, sir, I didn't quite understand. Are you trying to say that this snow was supposed to fall in the sea area we were going to, but it suddenly fell where we docked yesterday?"
Robbins nodded and said, "You understand correctly. It's a very strange phenomenon. This cloud formation, like Ghost, formed in the warm, spring-like climate of the Pacific Ocean at 15 degrees Celsius. As it drifted westward, it seemed to pass through a wormhole, bringing a heavy snowfall to New Zealand's North Island, which, although already cooled, was still quite warm. As you said, this snow should have fallen over the ocean 1,500 nautical miles away, or it came from somewhere else entirely, because such a cloud formation shouldn't exist there."
I was dumbfounded. Although I am not a scientist, I have been sailing research vessels for many years and dealing with all kinds of scientists. I dare say that I am one of the most knowledgeable about science among ocean-going captains in the world. But Mr. Robbins's description was clearly beyond my comprehension.
I asked him what this meant.
Stephen Robbins, gazing at the distant horizon, said, "I'm worried that something enormous is happening in the place we're going, something we don't know about, and the outcome of our trip will be unpredictable."