After leaving the dock yesterday, we went to Vineyard Sound for some testing.  We launched both of the small boats on board, did a test cast with the oceanographic instruments, and performed fire and abandon ship drills.

This morning, south of Nantucket, we awoke to the sound of the ships’ fog horn and low visibility (photo #1, taken from the porthole in one of the labs).

A scientist from the NOAA Fisheries lab deployed one of five yellow listening buoys, which will sit on the seafloor and record all ambient noise until August, when they’ll be collected (photo #2).

Foggy days mean that we can’t do much work (today most folks are working on their laptops, napping, watching movies, or reading), for now we’re steaming northeast into our study area and hoping for clearer conditions.