1920 12 August 2012
R/V Aquila
Bering Sea, Alaska

Evening of August 12th! It feels like at least a week has passed since we left Dutch Harbor, though it has only been four long days. The timing of our mooring turnarounds has left most of our crew on a somewhat erratic sleep schedule, only compounding the feeling that time has slowed to a crawl. We have changed out eight moorings now, four relatively short and easy, four anything but simple. Though we have the process nailed by now, each set poses its own set of complications and challenges. An acoustic mooring is about ten meters in length when it goes over the rail, making it the shortest, lightest, and most manageable mooring. The "long" oceanographic moorings are intended to sample the entire water coloumn, from sea floor to surface. Because of winter ice keels, the top of the mooring must end 18 meters below the surface, but that still leaves a good forty meters of delicate equipment that must be gingerly deployed over the side. The long moorings are deployed using multiple picks on the crane, sometimes as many as seven or eight. The first pick is the bottom of the strand, with a 2500 pound steel anchor at the bottom. This first pick is the most dangerous because of the nearly uncontrollable anchor at the bottom. Normally when we lift a heavy object at sea, the crane cable is kept as short as possible to minimize the swing. On a mooring however, each piece is ten meters long so we don't have much choice other than to time the launch with the roll of the boat and try to get the anchor in the water ASAP. With the anchor under water the swing slows considerably and we are able to bring the set back over to the rail and secure it with a chain and shackle. With the first strand secured to the rail, the crane hook is removed and we can get set up for the next piece. Once again a strand is held in the air above the rail while PMEL chief rigger Bill joins the two strands. Once joined, the set is lowered until the top is even with the rail and can be secured again. Finally the last strand is hung over the rail with a release hook. Last minute checks completed, the ok is given and the release is tripped, sending the entire set on an express freight ride to the muddy sea floor.
After a few close calls with heavy things starting to swing on the crane, it became apparent we needed to do something about our space situation on deck. While deploying moorings, there was room to work but nowhere to go if things went south like they often do when the weather picks up. Since our original pile of 45 anchors had shrunk quite a bit, we spent two hours carefully restacking the anchors and moving the whole pile aft by two feet. By then it was pushing 2300 and the sun was about to set so we decided to knock off and get an early start. Rising early at 0700, we shoveled down some breakfast and geared up to spend the next four hours on deck. Everything within 30 feet of our launch area was moved and reorganized, giving us close to 200 square feet of extra work space. While the boat is still stuffed to the brim, we were able to alleviate the immediate trip hazards and move the most expensive and sensitive equipment to safer spots on deck where it would be much harder for an out of control crane load to wreck them.
By 1100 we had the deck mostly squared away so we parked the crane and went to work securing things until the lunch bell was ringing in everyones bellies. After a delicious lunch of Havarti and Swiss grilled cheese sandos (on organic artesian sourdough bread) with a side of chicken and vegetable soup, we headed out for a quick mooring changeout. When we finished, CB gave us the news that it would be two days until our next deployment. Originally I had planned to spend some time working on our jetskis, but with the return of the rain I decided to focus on more practical and urgent matters, drying our wet boots. We had the material for the big pieces but no fittings to pretty it up so out came the duct tape. Half an hour later, with a large pile of PVC shavings on the deck and a shrunken roll of duct tape in hand, three sets of boots were well on their way to being dry by morning.
My last project for the evening is a set of adjustable pot racks for the stove so pots and pans can be left on the stove in rough weather with no fear of them jumping to the floor. Although I cut out all the pieces yesterday, it will take some time to get them fitted in and attached to the stove so i had to wait until all the cooking was done for the day. Now that I have the galley to myself, I had better get to it. Pictures will be forthcoming!