Teacher Logbook - NOAA Ship Ron Brown

The final match: Herb vs. Big Keith.

Jeff Goodrich's Sealog:
Axial Volcano - Sitting over ASHES vent field
July 29, 2001

We are at the mercy of the weather. Last night we had sustained 25-knot winds and experienced swells large enough to splash water up onto the fantail. The confused seas continue today, and as a result ROPOS remains on deck. ROPOS is connected to its cage by an umbilical tether. The cage, in turn, is connected to the ship by cable, which is reeled in and out by a winch on the back deck. When the ship pitches and rolls with ROPOS in the water, a tremendous amount of stress is put on the tether. Too much jerking on the cable can result in a snap loads that could damage the tether, or even break it. Risk of losing the vehicle means that we must simply play the waiting game. Ironically, we're seeing the largest stretch of sunny weather so far during the cruise (a few hours of partial sunshine). A few of the scientists have taken to the bow with a good book. Others work on write-ups or recheck their instruments for our last dives. This 24-hour a day operation is starting to take its toll, and many long for land and greenery.

BIG KEITH KNOCKS OFF DEFENDING CHAMP HERB WATSON!
We had our 2001 NeMO/RON BROWN Ping Pong Final today. In the "Battle of the Paddle" top seated Herb Watson faced off against "Big" Keith Tamburri. It took all seven games to decide the winner. In the last game, at deuce, Big Keith had a couple nice returns and came out on top. When asked for a comment about his win he stated, "I'd like to thank my fans. I gave it 110%. If not for my teammates, I wouldn't have won." When asked about his strategy coming into the match he said, "I tried to hit the ball onto the table." Nice win for Big Keith and a great game by Herb.