About 45 min ago, (4 am on 2/25 our time) we officially shot the last point of the seismic experiment. This is definitely a nice milestone and it feels good to be done with that part. We are in the process of bringing the airgun strings back on board, and then over the next 4-5 days we will be retrieving the OBS's from the seafloor. The end is in sight, but we still have over 10 days to go. The remaining time after retrieving the OBS's will be used to fill in gaps in the bathymetry data for my advisor, and then the transit to Fiji.
1. OBS retrieval: the OBS's are retrieved by sending an acoustic signal from the ship (basically an unlock code) which triggers the instrument to be released from its anchor that is keeping at the seafloor and then it floats up to the surface over the next 30-45 min. It is visible by a flashing light (for nighttime retrievals) and an orange flag (for daytime). We pull the ship up next to it and use a long pole with a hook on the end to grab it as it passes by, then hook a rope onto it and pull it onboard with a winch. Many things can go wrong in this process: the OBS not receiving the signal, drifting as it floats upward, missing the OBS with the hooked pole, etc., but for the previous ones we retrieved we didn't have any problems.
2. I was having a rough time over the last day or two, but I definitely was cheered up by the show that nature put on for me earlier tonight at about 1:30-2:30 am. I went out on deck like I usually do to get some fresh air, hoping that it wasn't raining. It was about 75 degrees and the wind was blowing pretty hard (there are thunderstorms in the vicinity). The horizon was obscured with thick black clouds 360 degrees around the boat. However, the sky above the boat was completely clear and there was no moon to obstruct the stars. I got the best view of the stars and the milky way that I've seen since being on the boat (although still not as good as being out in the mountains, due to the few lights that were on on the ship). To top it off, I was treated to a lightning show the whole time I was out there, which was pretty awesome. So, it was another little bright moment amidst the monotony which I thought I would share.
3. We are in the final round of the second ping pong tournament, this time we're playing doubles. I was fortunately paired up with the winner of the singles tourney, so we were definitely the favorites going into it. We're down to the final 3 teams now, but I'm not sure when we're going to get to play the final matches because we will all be busy when we start retrieving OBS's. I'll keep you posted on the results, since I'm sure you're dying to know what happens :)
4. At the request of my mom, I will provide some more details on the meals. "Breakfast" for me, is usually around 11:30 pm, and always consists of cereal (usually honey nut cheerios) and before we ran out I would have yogurt as well, nothing exciting. The regular breakfast meal is 7:15-8:15 am, and as I have described in detail in a previous post, always consists of eggs, bacon/sausage, and hash browns, and varies from day to day between pancakes, french toast, waffles, and cream of wheat. We used to have watermelons and pineapples as well, but the fresh fruit is pretty much gone by now. Lunch (dinner) is at 11:15 am-12:15 pm and is much more variable than breakfast. We almost always have french fries and rice, and there is always a few different options for a main entree. We've had lasagna, stroganoff, fried cod, fried clams, clam chowder, grilled cheese, grilled turkey/roast beef sandwiches, burritos, tortilla soup, fried rice with teriyaki beef (only once unfortunately), and other similar types of food. None of it is fantastic or particularly high quality, but for the most part it's pretty good, especially given that the food budget per person/ per day is $3. I know, that's pretty ridiculous, I would have gladly thrown in $50-100 of my own money to get better quality food. They always have some kind of desert, usually cake of some kind, sometimes pie, and almost always some kind of cookies (many of the deserts are cooked at dinnertime too). They have made some peanut butter cookies that were absolutely fantastic, probably the best single thing I've tasted on the boat, even rivaling and probably topping my mother's own pb cookies (sorry mom, but it's true). In terms of beverages, they have an assortment of long-life (i.e. lots of preservatives) juices and milk in a fridge, as well as water, gatorade (which tastes terrible), and another fruit drink (not juice) : lemonade, grape drink, or fruit punch which are in those clear plastic dispensers with the tap that constantly circulate the liquid. I think that's about it for the food. I can't tell you anything about dinner because I've never had it once on the boat.
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