July 16, 2025

by Elizabeth Tedder Wood

Starting the Day

Day 2 began with waking up for the first time on board the R/V Marcus G. Langseth! It was hard to eat a light breakfast, keeping in mind we’d set sail that afternoon, with so many tasty options like croissant sandwiches, eggs, bacon, oatmeal, and french toast to name a few!

After a morning icebreaker, participants were given a final opportunity to kiss the ground or get anything they needed from shore. Worried I’d miss the boat, I stayed on board and worked with other participants to help unpack equipment, lab materials, and workshop supplies. I also took a few moments to send home some snapshots of a stowaway- a tiny pineapple toy my daughter Charlotte had sent along with me.

Activity Time

We took advantage of our final few hours at the dock to engage in an activity using a Secchi disk to measure turbidity. We discussed data keeping practices including the importance of recording metadata such as ambient light, air temperature, and additional information that may be useful when analyzing data. We lowered the Secchi disk at 3 locations around the vessel and determined factors like glare, breeze, and current were some factors that impacted our data collection.

Video taken by Ayniah Payne

Setting Sail

After lunch we prepared to set sail by gathering on the bridge deck. We watched the harbor pilot (maritime professional who navigates vessel out of port) board, the gangway hauled on deck and the ropes released. This was it; our expedition was really happening!

 

As we sailed out of the harbor, we saw jet skis, sail boats, yachts, and navy vessels sandwiched between Coronado homes/resorts and the San Diego city skyline. After clearing the harbor we watched the Pilot leap off and we are on our way to the open sea! The group stayed on deck for over two hours, mesmerized by the sights of Cabrillo National Monument, sea lions piled on a buoy, Mexican/American boarder, and South Coronado Islands.

We enjoyed a gorgeous first sunset aboard the R/V Marcus G. Langseth thrilled for many for to come!

#NSFfunded