This has been the most eventful day so far. The AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) was deployed for the first time in order to check that it was working properly. The AUV, aptly named “Abyss”, is a torpedo-shaped submarine that almost has a mind of its own. It is pre-programmed on the ship, and in the water it moves around freely at depth to carry out various measurements (bathymetry, sonar, water temperature, turbidity, among others).
After deployment Abyss was left alone in the water. Perhaps it was because of not getting enough love, or perhaps it was too happy to be liberated from its cold, dark container; in any case Abyss decided to get picky about the information she wanted to give us. We knew how she was and what the progress of the test dive was, but she would not provide the range information.
After an hour the Abyss surfaced, flashing its lights about 400 m from the ship. The Pourquoi Pas? carefully positioned herself, moving like a birds "parade", next to Abyss, and after a few unsuccessful tries with the lasso, the crew was able to haul her in with the crane, just as the last sunlight disappeared.
There was also another scientific meeting, where Chris presented the area of study and gave the science team some background on the geology of the region. Javier disagreed with some of his interpretations, but in the end Chris spoke the loudest (well, he had a microphone).
The bond store opened today. People got to buy drinks and cigarettes. Due to some delivery issues in Toulon (we only got 1/3 of what was ordered), we are running dangerously low on sweets and junk food. However some scientists keep a decent reserve of chocolate and candy in their cabins, so as long as the predators keep away, the odds for survival are looking good.
The bond store opened today. People got to buy drinks and cigarettes. Due to some delivery issues in Toulon (we only got 1/3 of what was ordered), we are running dangerously low on sweets and junk food. However some scientists keep a decent reserve of chocolate and candy in their cabins, so as long as the predators keep away, the odds for survival are looking good.