Author: Matt Creighton

  So the last cruise didn’t go so well. Once again there was a lot of time spent just waiting around for science to need me. And the chief scientist on this particular cruise was like that one customer that no matter what you do, they are never happy. I guess that is part of the learning experience, though.

   The last cruise consisted of more CTD casts and the over the side deployment of the science teams FIRe. The FIRe is an instrument that determines the health of an organism (phytoplankton) by measuring it’s fluoresence. We spent most of our time anchored just south of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. It was monotonous and boring but at the same time, I am now an expert at doing CTD casts!

   The last few days were spent about 137 miles offshore just past the continental shelf in over 2500 meters of water. There we tried to do several casts at varying depths. First at 50 meters, then down to 750, then 2500. During the 750, the termination failed at about 500 meters. We brought it up and reterminated. The next cast was a success. Unfortunately, the 2500 meter attempt ended in failure as well. This time though, it wasn’t the termination. It stopped reading at a certain depth but then continued as we brought it up. We are pretty sure it has something to do with a faulty cable and extreme pressure. They will have to do further investigation to figure this one out.

   Back at the dock in Lewes, DE. We spent the day getting the ship ready for the next cruise and I helped Ted reinstall the ship’s ADCP after two weeks of being out of service. I have only slept about 6 hours or so in the last three days so this blog will have to remain short once again. I’ve learned a lot over the last few weeks and will be walking away from this experience confident that I can do this job. This time tomorrow I will be sitting in my new house finally able to get some much needed rest.

      Signing off…

       It’s been a week since I boarded the R/V Hugh R. Sharp. So far the experience has been amazing. The crew is pretty laid back and very helpful. The food is delicious and the weather has been great! I feel right at home.

      We spent the last few days surveying a fish haven just off the coast of Delaware. We used several different instruments to map the seafloor and compile data; the ship’s multibeam sonar and sub-bottom profiler and the science teams AUV. We also did CTD casts and sediment grabs with a Smith-Mac. The science team used their ROV to check out some sites for dive ops (unfortunately all the diving happened off my watches). 

      I was pretty much thrown right into the thick of things starting on my first watch. I was given some direction on what was going on and how to do it and then left on my own. It was a little overwhelming at first but my training kicked in and everything went smoothly. I was even tasked with doing a hard eye splice on either end of a rope later used with a mooring. It took me a couple tries before I remembered how to do it but they came out awesome. That rope is now sitting 25 meters below the surface connecting an ADCP to a 900lb. mooring anchor.

      This past week has been nothing but hard work. It’s dirty, wet, somewhat dangerous, and the work is never done. Your either working, sleeping, or eating. Before I started this internship, I expected my blogs would be a lot longer than this but man, I’m tired. I can barely keep my eyes open. At the end of the day though, that’s what I like.

I am right where I want to be.

As I count down the last few days of my summer vacation leading to my internship aboard the R/V Hugh R. Sharp, I find myself becoming increasingly anxious. I have spent the last weeks preparing for my adventure by going over the information sent to me by my mentor, gathering items to bring, and tying up some loose ends at home. No matter what I do to get ready, I still feel unprepared, although, in reality, I am most likely more prepared than I think I am! This opportunity means a lot to me and I have worked hard to get here. Hopefully I will be able to hit the ground running!