It’s hard to believe that it’s been a week since I last wrote a blog. Every day is so full of things to do that the time flies by. We were delayed in leaving port two days due to some thick fog. When we finally got the all clear, we zoomed out to the dive site. I was fortunate enough to not get motion sick but others were not so lucky. In the time that we were delayed, we finished working on the elevator. In addition to the fence, we added a cover that can be pulled over in order to keep everything inside.
During one of the work lulls, the bos’n taught me some knots: the clove hitch and the bowline. Now when I’m sitting with nothing to do I’m thinking ‘the rabbit comes out of the hole, around the tree, and back into the hole’. We have had several sub launches. I am in charge of the cameras and have gotten the routine down. During one of the sub recoveries, I was able to throw the tow line out. While it didn’t get very far, the line made it into the water and I stayed on the boat so I consider it a success.
Waking up early in the mornings isn’t so bad now that I’ve adjusted to the time difference (Mississippi is 2 hours ahead of California). After the sub is launched and we clean up, I have a couple hours of free time. I’ve been using that time to read for the most part, a little bit of Steinbeck to remind me of home. The food on the ship is also really good. Fortunately there’s a little gym on board so I can work off all the extra food I’ve been enjoying.