Crozet Mobilisation 1/12/2005
RRS Discovery Cruise 300 “Benthic Crozet”
is finally underway! It is about a year later than we originally
intended, but we’re here and we’re going. Following
the arrival of the AMT cruise (D299) on 28th November in Port
Elizabeth, South Africa there has been a complete changeover
of crew, scientists have departed and new ones arrived and
the mobilisation process completed in two days. So we have
sailed a day earlier than originally planned! Part of the
reason for this is that we have to make an extra port call
in Durban to bunker fuel oil. This means that we will lose
some time, but the great efforts of officers, crew and RSU
staff as well as the excellent agent have saved us at least
a day.
There have been a few hitches; lost luggage,
stolen computers and boots, delay in gear arriving from Congo
and damage to a megacorer during transit. We have a good 6
or 7 days to go before we hit our first station in anger,
but there is plenty to do.
(Click on pictures for a larger version!)
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