….. back to Caldera …. again!
It is turning into one of those cruises.
How many things can happen we ask?
We are off back to Caldera again – this time towing the chase boat.
We have been undertaking a seismic reflection survey using a multichannel seismic streamer, towed behind the vessel.
This streamer is 6 km long and so a boat – called a chase boat – is used to protect the far end of the streamer from other vessels and chase off any that get too close.
So far, so good.
The chase boat’s engine has broken down!
So we are now towing it at a speed of 5 kn (ie slowly) back to Caldera for repairs.
This, of course, required recovering not only all 6 km of the streamer which takes several hours, but also all parts of the seismic source airgun array.
This is the seismic profile plan, and you can see from our tracking system that we are yet again departing from this and heading to port.
Having first recovered all the surveying equipment the Cook then had to manoeuvre alongside the chase boat.
Then get it close enough to throw it a tow line.
Attach the tow.
Then gradually manoeuvre so that the chase boat and tow line come round astern, being careful to not get the line wrapped around the Cook’s propellers.
And when astern, off we go towing at 5 kn.
This is going to take a while!
After dropping the boat off in Caldera, we’ll transit back to the survey area again and start collecting about half the instruments currently deployed on the seabed.
Then, once recovered, we’ll finishing shooting as many of the remaining lines as time allows, before recovering all the remaining instruments – we’ve got about 10 days!
We wonder what will happen next!
OBS'ing at sea 