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All participants for Leg 5A arrived safely,
with some stray luggage coming the next day. We noted that our arrival in
La Paz on Easter weekend happened to coincide with John Steinbeck and Ed
Rickets coming here aboard the original Western Flyer 63 years ago. Preparations for the Paull/Brewer leg got into full swing Saturday morning. Shipping containers were unloaded, the chemistry van was disgorged of its contents, and lab equipment was setup and tested throughout the day. Pete Braccio and Dan Chamberlain addressed computer system issues and made successful repairs. Mike Conway prepared the benthic elevators for use with the ROV Tiburon vibracoring system on this next leg. The ROV pilots went through a painstaking labor of love, carefully repairing the fiber optic cable that enters the main pressure case for the Tiburon. On the previous leg, small amounts of moisture migrated down the cable towards the pressure can, threatening to damage the main control circuitry for the vehicle. We all hope that this repair will hold for the remaining legs.
Dave French (right) and Jim Cohen troubleshoot some wiring on the ROV Tiburon. |
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By late Sunday afternoon, some of us
explored a shallow lagoon in Balandras Bay, seven kilometers north of
Pichilingue. The seafloor of the lagoon was covered with foraminferal
sands. A variety of small benthic creatures were found crawling or
burrowing into the sand. While wading through the water, we experienced,
first-hand, fragments of je We set sail tomorrow at 8:00 a.m., heading
for the transform fault north of Guaymas Basin. This will be about a
24-hour steam north, and preparations will continue throughout the day. We
expect to make our first dive Tuesday morning.
Rumor has it that ROV Pilot Paul
Tucker has a trained pink flamingo that chases the guard dogs on the
pier. The elusive creature has been spotted, but its true talents have not
been revealed.
Enthusiasm is running high, and everyone is
in good spirits, anticipating the adventures that lie ahead of us for the
next 11 days. Bill, Debbie, Elena, & Patrick
Sheri
White is hard at work with
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