At 1347 LST 17 Sept 2004 R/V Mirai exceeds it's 2002 record furthest north, reaching the furthest north for JWACS 2004 at Latitude 76 34.8N Longitude 164 45.5W. Prevented from continued transit northward by polar pack ice, a CTD cast was completed before turning southward

Boatswain Kenetsu Ishikawa supervises the deck crew of 11 Able Seaman onboard R/V Mirai. When conditions are such that voice commands during critical operations might be drowned out, Ishikawa uses precise and sharp blows on his whistle to ensure his orders are clearly heard on deck by all personnel.

R/V Mirai turns east-bound towards Northwind Ridge, leaving the ice of the Chukchi Basin astern.

JAMSTEC's Dr. Sanae Chiba examines plankton specimens as part of her ongoing Arctic studies

Johanna Jenkins from the Institute of Ocean Sciences in Sidney, BC adds preservatives to water samples

R/V Mirai navigates through strips of first year ice in the Chukchi Sea. Mirai is classed equivalent to Canadian Arctic Shipping Prevention Regulations Type B, similar to many of the ice strengthened cargo ships working in the Arctic today.

CTD casts are monitored from the Aft Bridge overlooking the working deck of R/V Mirai. All aspects of the operations can be controlled from the Aft Bridge, but in practice the deployment and recovery are controlled on deck under the supervision of the Chief Officer.

Quartermaster Masashige Okada and Second Officer Takeshi Yasui

36 tonne Aft A-frame dwarfs deck crew preparing to deploy deep water current mooring anchor.

The top float and CTD of a 100m current meter mooring is deployed over the stern. The mooring was deployed 250' NW of Point Barrow AK south of the Chukchi Plateau