The ship left late from the dock due to waiting for groceries to be delivered. We were underway by approximately 10 AM. We did not arrive at the first station until 3:00 PM. This is a sand station, which simply means the bottom is mostly sand. Betsy showed me how to set and guide the grab over the side of the vessel. She used a long metal tool to set the grab. It is a kind of spring-loaded device so that when it hits the bottom it automatically snaps shut. As soon as this happens the wench is reversed and we begin bringing the grab up. Once it is beside the vessel it is carefully guided into its stand and a bucket is placed below it to grab the samples once they are released. Using a salt-water hose we hose the grab basket out catching the sampling in the bucket. The bucket is then put aside for sorting after all three samples are taken. We will follow the same procedure at each station three times. We were only able to do one station today because of our delay this morning. After dinner we began sorting the samples. This was a slow process because you must be careful not to lose any animals while removing the sand around them. In this process you use a salt-water hose and a sieve. You can only do a handful of sand at a time. Once all the sand in the bucket has been sieved through the animals are then collected into jars and marked. We finished sorting our three samples about 9:00 PM. Needless to say, I was asleep in my bunk shortly after.
The ship left late from the dock due to waiting for groceries to be delivered. We were underway by approximately 10 AM. We did not arrive at the first station until 3:00 PM. This is a sand station, which simply means the bottom is mostly sand. Betsy showed me how to set and guide the grab over the side of the vessel. She used a long metal tool to set the grab. It is a kind of spring-loaded device so that when it hits the bottom it automatically snaps shut. As soon as this happens the wench is reversed and we begin bringing the grab up. Once it is beside the vessel it is carefully guided into its stand and a bucket is placed below it to grab the samples once they are released. Using a salt-water hose we hose the grab basket out catching the sampling in the bucket. The bucket is then put aside for sorting after all three samples are taken. We will follow the same procedure at each station three times. We were only able to do one station today because of our delay this morning. After dinner we began sorting the samples. This was a slow process because you must be careful not to lose any animals while removing the sand around them. In this process you use a salt-water hose and a sieve. You can only do a handful of sand at a time. Once all the sand in the bucket has been sieved through the animals are then collected into jars and marked. We finished sorting our three samples about 9:00 PM. Needless to say, I was asleep in my bunk shortly after.