After the entertainment comes the work. Yesterday we were wandering around Istanbul, admiring the incredible architecture, overwhelming cultural heritage and sheer size of the metropolis. This morning we packed our stuff, got in the vans arranged by our agent and were whisked away to the Istanbul harbor. Here the Pelagia awaited us, as well as all the work associated with getting prepared for the business end of our journey: collecting water column and sediment samples for a whole array of geochemical analyses.
Everybody got straight into it: the desired pieces of equipment were located from one of the many crates and set up in the appropriate lab. Tom set up oxygen-free chambers and core slicing equipment, Fatimah and Matthias prepared core tubes for methane sampling, and Nikki, Eveline and Iuliana got busy with various filtration apparatus. You name it, we did it. Unpacked and given a temporary home, all this stuff will allow us to unravel the fascinating geochemistry of the Black Sea.
Of course, a first day is also about getting familiar with your new surroundings. Safety videos were shown, tours of the ship were given, and the ever helpful crew was flooded with questions and requests for help. The chief engineer Jaap helped us set up our gas supplies, while Lorendz, Jan-Dirk and Sander were on hand to locate core tubing and tools. Slowly but steadily, things have started to shape up.
Around 9pm, we set sail and after an awesome trip through the Bosphorus with brightly illuminated bridges, we are now steaming towards our fist station. Tomorrow morning, it will all start and our first samples will hit the deck and this undoubtedly fully prepared team of technicians and scientists. Now, we have to get back to getting some last things sorted...
Cheers!
Peter and Tom
Peter and Tom