I forgot to mention that we were near Land's End when we did the CTD trial yesterday. By this morning we were half way up the Irish Sea with a force 8 gale blowing. Fortunately it was behind us so the ship sailed pretty smoothly.
We have had no internet since yesterday afternoon hence the lateness of the blog post. Apparently when the ship is sailing a few degrees either side of north, the receiver is shielded from the satellite by the mast!
It was a long day to keep the troops busy as it will be middle of the night when we arrive at the first station. We went over the watch duties, logging protocol and how and where samples would be stored. The day team prepared for the sample analysis and labelling procedure. In the afternoon groups were shown round the engine room and other usually unseen areas like the desalination plant, the sewage works and the incinerator. We tend to forget we have to be self-sufficient for the duration.
In the evening, Estelle Dumont gave a talk on the future of oceanography and her work with sea gliders. These instruments are autonomous underwaters which can collect similar data to this cruise without the expense of ship time.
http://www.sams.ac.uk/news-room/news-items/seaglider-201cardbeg201d-goes-to-sea
From tomorrow, the SAMS and NOC students will be contributing to the blog with their own views of the seagoing experience.
Earlier there was a magnificent sunset over the bows and a full moon over the stern. Islay was visible on the starboard and now as darkness falls, the lights of the Queen Elizabeth are passing on the port side.
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