Closing in on Manzanillo

The science group photo usually signifies that the cruise is nearing completion. We took our photo with ALVIN on the stern deck this morning.

We are spending our time cleaning and carefully packaging all the samples we have collected. Most of the larger vent chimneys have to be crated and stored on the Atlantis until it comes back to Woods Hole sometime at the end of June. Sounds like I need to take a road trip to get Cape's chimney!

Tonight for dinner we had a cookout on the stern of the ship. They have a barbeque pit that they can move around. It was a lot of fun hanging out with the crew. They are a really interesting and neat group.

Calmer seas allowed for us to have it outside. It was nice being away from the laboratories and in the fresh air. As of 7:00 PM Manzanillo time, we are 285 nautical miles from port.

Hey robotics class!

My VEX team leaves for Louisville, KY tomorrow for the World Championship. Thanks to Mr. Harrod for filling in for me in my absence. The remainder of the class is home practicing for this weekends upcoming MATE Underwater Robotics Competition in Norfolk, VA. Currently, they are experiencing some difficulties in waterproofing their connecting wires to the on-board computers.

The ALVIN guys offered a solution in waterproofing the wires going into the main control box.

This is how they deal with leaking connections. Yes, they are what you think they are. Even such advanced machines like the ALVIN have problems that sometimes are solved by the simplest solutions!

More cleanup for the evening and then we should be in port tomorrow by 5:00 PM local time. It is tradition that the science party treat the crew to a party at a nearby bar/restaurant. Should be a fun time!