2011.01.22
19:47HST
Barna, A
R/V Kilo Moana

Conditions

  • Lat: 18 2.150 N
  • Lon: 167 53.344 W
  • Speed: 10.8 Kts
  • Heading: 79
  • Sal: - PSU
  • SST: 25 °C
  • Pres: 1012 mbar
  • Air Temp: 26 °C

Weather and Sea State Observations

The seas have calmed. Swell height perhaps 2-3 meters. Cloud cover is 50% and rain could be seen in the distance.

Journal Entry

Got up as usual for what would be my last watch of the cruise. When I first got up we were still in transit, meaning I would have no work. But I decided that I should go down anyway and so did my watchmate. After about an hour of transit, we were at our last station. Everything started fine, CTD in the water, pinger pinging, a faint bottom echo but at least it was there. Then some 1000 meters down, the bottom echo disappears. Not late after, the entire trace disappears. We are flying blind, all we have is the initial depth from a transducer on the ship and how much wire we have spooled out.

The decision was made to go to 5000 meters wire out, about 100 meters short of what should be the bottom. Since there was no indication of a bottom hit, we think all went well. Since the downward looking LADCP can usually see the bottom about from about 200 meters, we should have complete data for the entire water column (the important bit).

Breakfast was an egg, ham, and cheese muffin sandwich. Tasty. I went to bed after breakfast and ended up sleeping through lunch. The menu said that today’s lunch was “pizza day!” so I’m a bit disappointed that I missed it. Though, perhaps I have been eating too much.

All the while I was sleeping, a mooring deployment was occurring. This one took a bit longer than the others as it was 2000 meters deeper. I did watch as they dropped the anchor, apart from hitting the A-frame with the weight, uneventful.

After the ship was no longer tethered to the mooring, we went chasing after what would soon be the subsurface buoy. Sure enough we found it being dragged along the surface and the ship was quickly turned so that we could follow it. Perhaps 10 minutes later it was pulled beneath the waves (as designed).

Dinner was gyoza and a teriyaki beef kebab. The kebab had some bell peppers and mushrooms along with the meats. Everything was cooked perfectly. Dinner felt a bit more high energy, people are excited to be heading to port and the science party was feeling pleased with the way things went, particularly the successful redeployment of the moorings.

It is a two and a half day steam back to port and I’m not sure what will be done during this time, though some packing up and disassembly of some instruments will occur for sure. I’ve heard rumors (which travel faster and change more quickly on a ship than any other place) that we will be picking up a drifting instrument somewhere close to Molokai.

The moon has finally started to rise late enough that I might get some stargazing in tonight. I also don’t need to be up at 0400 tomorrow!