The first few days on board were typical sailing days and a good time for me to get familiar with the ship and the daily operations. Because the ship was in transit there were no technicians on board so I was able to learn and perform the duties on my own.
Friday through Monday were designated for getting the boat from Lewes, Delaware to Fort Pierce, Florida. We ran into some pretty nasty weather (winds at 57 knots and we pushed through about a dozen 20 foot waves) which pushed us back 24 hours so we didn’t actually arrive in Fort Pierce until late Tuesday afternoon. We switched out a few crew members and moved on to Nassau, Bahamas where we picked up 8 scientists. Over the next 15 days we will be working around the Bahamas at the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) which is controlled by the U.S. Navy.
There are a few things on this ship that were new to me. I’ve never seen a hydraulically operated keel that deploys sonar before and definitely didn’t know how to operate one until I learned on this vessel. I also have never seen a Caley system which is the equipment the CTD is housed within. Everything else I’ve had to do has basically been an extension of the marine technology program at CFCC. I have felt well prepared for what has come my way so far.
We have mobilized the vessel and are ready to begin science. Because of the international rates I can’t upload my pictures at this time but I have plenty! I will have more to report in the following week. Other than that, the weather is beautiful here and the water is warm!
Also, I can’t say enough about the crew. I have been the only female on board and they’ve welcomed me and made me feel comfortable from the first day on. I look forward to the following two months.