Axial Day 3
It is now day three and things are finally getting underway! We left Seattle on Tuesday at around 5:00 am local time and traveled through the Sound toward the open Pacific. Some of us ended up getting out of bed at just about 5:00 because of the lovely sound coming from the bow thrusters and the anchor, but it was alright because the view of the Seattle skyline was worth it.
As far as I know no one has gotten sea sick, maybe that’s because we have been fortunate with wonderful weather and calm seas…hopefully things stay this way for a while (knock on wood).
Ship-life isn’t too shabby at all, accommodations are small but nice and the food is pretty good! For the most part, two people share a room and two rooms share a bathroom…it’s almost like being back in a dorm room.
Shawn’s living quarters for the next few weeks.
As far as the food goes, we get three hot meals per day, there are always a number of options, at least one vegetarian choice, and always dessert. Some of the delicious items that I can remember include, blackened salmon, roasted beets in balsamic vinegar, squash curry soup, asparagus and smoked salmon omelets, and squashcanos (get it…like a volcano)! On board there is also a small workout room with a treadmill, which I am scared to run on for fear of either hitting my head on the low ceiling or falling over due to the roll of the ship, a stationary bike, an elliptical, and some free weights. There is an entertainment room full of DVD’s, VHS’s and there is even an Xbox!
On a science note, we arrived at Axial Seamount around 2:00 pm yesterday afternoon and one of the groups launched a buoy. The launch took about three hours due to roughly two kilometers of rope being reeled out after the buoy. Attached to the rope were two acoustic releases and at the end, an anchor consisting of three train wheels each weighing about 700 pounds. The anchor release was a little anti-climactic as it was lowered into the water slowly before the quick release was pulled. This morning, three Bottom Pressure Recorders (BPR’s) were deployed.
Jason dives begin in just a few hours with a group interested in the microbiology associated with hydrothermal vents.
Dr. Scott Nooner's Lab at UNCW 
Wow! Sounds so exciting. Looking forward to more post as your work begins.