Talking With Dr. Kevin Hand
At noon, the survey ship Barakuda is a hundred and thirty sea miles south of Guam heading southwest at nine knots. Mermaid Sapphire is well over the horizon ahead of us.
On Route to the Challenger Deep
After a full day preparing the ship, the sub, and the lander, we departed Guam late in the evening. Mermaid Sapphire, with sixty souls on board, steamed out of the harbor, turned left, and took up a southwest heading.
Good Friends
The wind has dropped off to fifteen knots and the waves are diminishing in size. If the weather continues like this we’ll leave Guam within the next forty-eight hours and head out to the Challenger Deep.
A Hive of Work
Mermaid Sapphire is moored firmly to the outermost pier at the eastern end of the harbor. The ship is a hive of work and animated conversations.
An Issue on Everyone’s Mind
This morning, just after sunrise, on the pier in front of the Mermaid Sapphire, a Japanese fishing vessel offloaded hundreds of yellowfin tuna.
