Departure

Wednesday, we met at the Port of Pensacola at 8am (some of us spent the night at a hotel, while others of us crashed at Blake's house). Upon port arrival, we had to wait for the ship to finish unloading before we could get set up, so we unloaded the vans. Once it was ready for us, it was time to start carrying in all the equipment, some of which as hand toted while others was lifted aboard by crane. The second group of scientists from NCSU (another 7 people) arrived around 9:30am to finish helping load the ship, and begin the great unpack. We set up the labs, one instrument lab and one wet lab, tied everything down so nothing shifted during transit, and acquainted ourselves with the ship. We finally left port around 4pm, and headed out into the gulf. The Pelican is known for amazing cuisine, and did not disappoint. After dinner, most settled into their bunks for the night or watched the Presidential debates by satellite. During this time (and overnight), we deployed the Acrobat, an instrument which is towed behind the boat to detect various nutrient levels. This helped us determine where we will start sampling, which is set to begin in about an hour (Thursday morning).