Nov 1st
Those little yellow nodes…they cost $13,000 each and so far in one week 10 are missing!  One slipped it’s supposedly secure line hook up and 9 on one line are missing.  The whole line!  Both buoys, anchors,  the whole works! Don’t know if a tree hooked them or what but we are still looking for them!

They weigh in at 70 lbs each, collect data, and we will have 2000 of them on the job when we start in the spring.  Right now we only have a few hundred for this winter section.

Using a long line system they are attached to one long ground line, spaced a specific distance apart.  The number on a line varies.  As they leave the boat a scanner (like in a grocery store) scans them so they know where each one is all time.  That is until they disappear!  When the land crews blast they collect data showing what the ground looks like down DEEP for the geologists.

The boats have special equipment to deploy and pick up the nodes.  They lay all the ones we have out.  The land crews shoot/blast.  Then we pick them up and move down the shore line.

This sea floor where we are at is like a smooth hard boiler plate once you get in 60′ of water.  The other morn we drug almost a mile before we gave up and moved.  Once we get into less than 40′ closer to shore we seem to hold pretty well most of the time.  We do have anchor watches all the time due to currents running at 4.5 knots and so many boats hanging off us at times.

Had another little weather storm come at us.  Snowed pretty hard all night.  Luke went out to take photos.  Came in covered!

Take care,
Rob