The day started for me with sunrise, over Ilsa del Caño. It is my new morning routine, despite the clouds I was complaining about last time it was stormy. I love going out to stretch and watch the light change. This morning I was saluted by a sailfish jumping out of the water 3 or 4 times. This is something I will definitely miss at home. 

 

We have reached a point in drilling where the hole is not cooperating. I still haven’t learned everything about drilling, but I’m told that they are conditioning the hole with reaming and sweeps. No core is being brought up.   This is the first extended cleaning for this cruise, but not unexpected either. We’ve caught up with squeezing core for water and the core describers are trying to catch up. 

 

I won’t miss my cabin (can’t wait for my own bed). I will miss the laundry service (every day). Others tell me they will miss having their beds’ made, and the fresh clean towel left on our beds every day.  The service is great.

  

 

One way to remember the expedition is the tradition of the T-shirt contest. From what I hear this began with the technicians having a little fun in their off hours and designing something about the cruise – the people, the location, the research focus, and all the inside jokes that go along with being at sea for a long time. Now it has become an unofficial part of each expedition. With just a few submissions for the first deadline, some of us put on our creative hats to make a few more designs. But in the end, one of the first submissions was the clear winner.

 

 

A few themes to the designs were

·      biscuits – the shape and size of rock core that no one likes. 1-4 inch long chunks with lots of drilling fluid surrounding the biscuits. 

·      Costa Rica – the warm tropical area

·      subduction and earthquakes – the scientific objectives of the cruise

 

And the winner is . . .

 

 

 

Thanks Tim for making this great t-shirt design.