Log Post: Sunday Race Day

Hello there.  Did you miss me?  I’m afraid I have been feeling rather disoriented. Last night (or was it the night before) I was having a weird dream – I had got up in the middle of the night for a Nereus launch but then the dive went wrong and the vehicle had to come … Continued

Log Post: A Big Blue Ball

If you are reading this on the day it is posted, then know this: Today, June 8th, is World Oceans Day. What’s so special about the Oceans, you may ask? [Great thing rhetoric, we can make you ask just the questions we wanted to answer]. OK, listen up, puny air-breathing Earthlings… For a long time … Continued

Log Post: Technical Difficulties

We apologize for the interruption to Chris German’s blog from R/V Falkor.  Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.

Log Post: Winnie the Pooh and the Uncarved Block

Lots to tell you about today. We started off with a CTD coming on deck from the furthest north point we have been to (and also about as unpromising as can be) since we started our latest search.   Then, because Casey and the Nereus team needed to do some engineering work on the back deck … Continued

Log Post: Silent Running

Today has been a quiet day but we’ve been making steady progress.  The first CTD cast started at 4am and the last of the day will finish just before midnight. Tomorrow we will start again at 04h00.  Working to that pattern we have managed to measure water column properties from top to bottom at three … Continued

Log Post: Some days seem longer than others

A busy day today but also a strange one.  I was woken just after 5am by a feeling in my bones – quite literally, actually: the ship’s motion had suddenly changed which brought me alert and, in a matter of seconds I realized why: we must have finished the 2nd CTD station at Piccard – … Continued

Log Post: Sometimes you eat the dive…

Up early again today for our first Nereus dive in earnest, heading down to 2250m at the top of Mt Dent, just West of the Von Damm hydrothermal field, for engineering tests. After a few concerns right before diving (waiting for the coffee to kick in and provide clarity) we were ready to go and … Continued

Log Post: Virus Alert

I have a cold. Yuk. I suspect I am not alone and given that there are about 50 of us all living close in one another’s company, I likely won’t be the last.  But right now I feel pretty grotty. Still, so long as you wipe down your screens after reading this, hopefully you won’t … Continued

Log Post: Transit

You know it is going to be a bad day when just taking your morning shower is tricky.  Having to cling to a hand-rail just to stay upright, its hard to find your inner calm. After breakfast and our traditional morning meeting (that’s right, three times in a row and it’s a tradition in my … Continued

Log Post: First Salt!

Today was a good day. Even before our 7:00 am kick-off meeting on the Bridge, Leighton, Nathan and Jimbo from the Falkor together with Ko-ichi and James from our science team had been up and busy on the back deck readying the CTD for deployment. After a quick polishing of the optical sensors (I like … Continued