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“¡el mar amado, el mar apetecido,
el mar, el mar y no pensar en nada!…”
(¡the beloved sea, the desired sea,
the sea, the sea, and to think of nothing!…)
(Manuel Machado: Ocaso)
It has been many years since I set foot on a research vessel to do blue water work, but here I am in the R/V Neil Armstrong. While other ships I have sailed on are still around, the Armstrong is a new one. Not only do I have no prior experience with it but it was ordered only in 2010 and became part of the WHOI fleet in 2015. As far as R/Vs go, it is barely a teenager. As I walk the decks, it is difficult not to be impressed by the sheer power of the three cranes on board, including the A-frame on the back. The mission this time will include a CTD cast, retracting two sets of moored instruments, and deploying floating sensors for the Argo project (https://www2.whoi.edu/site/argo/). For us, faculty coming from mostly smaller institutions that serve very different groups, all we knew till a few days ago was that we were all part of STEM SEAS. Last week, at best, we were animated images on a Zoom call. Now, we are a crew, a temporary band of happy pirates learning together.
The first days of any research cruise are filled with safety briefings and drills, and we have been no exception…fire drills, abandon-ship drills, person-over-board practices…and those red gumby suits. With some slight technical constraints, most of us gave our introductions. It is a fascinating group of people with very different backgrounds and studies, but already common interests are emerging. The first flying fishes have greeted us now that we are underway…and we have an expert who could tell us what species they were. The first foraminiferans and copepods were seen under the microscope. The first sunset at sea is coming…
Edwin Cruz-Rivera
Morgan State University
