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Autumn SESAME cruises: SESAME SP 2 
Day 9
Alberto Agudo y Raul Santana,Unidad de Tecnología Marina
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utm
Today we finished the station 2 and 1 in the Gulf of Cadiz. Ending this cruise, we’ll give our point of view as technicians from the UTM, Alberto and Raul.
That was a quiet “relax” cruise, we had lot of time between stations. However scientists threatened to work during those time-out. The weather was good despite 2 days when each of us were bearing the sea-sickness, that one used to pass in the Garcia.
We’ll baptize this cruise as Sesame street, greatings from Espinete and Mister Pinpon.
We will arrived in Cadiz harbour tonight, where the cruise will be completed.
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- vessel
Day 7
Pedro Echeveste de Miguel,PhD Student and responsible of making Willy a great bear.
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- Sunset from the vessel (Garcia del Cid).
The morning before leaving, I found miss Concha, the 3rd floor’s neighbour, on our building’s stairs. She noticed I had my bag full of things, so she asked me if I was going to leave on a cruise and I answered that we were going on a new cruise along the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. However, she added, in a sarcastic tone, that we were going to repeat our last cruise (she perfectly remembered that in april we were on board the Regina Maris for the Sesame I campaign). I did as if I did not have listened her and went downstairs completly sure that, even if I would have tried, I would never convince her that there are not two same cruises.
Even if we are making the same itinerary, with the same stations and sampling same things, actually it is not the same. Thus, weather is being more grateful (on our last cruise, it was difficult to see us with short trousers), each meal is delicious (I hope that Jesus, our last chef, will not read these words, even if he knows I say them with affection…), and, besides, here we can remember that thing Coco, from “Sesame Street” (I know, it was easy), taught us about “near” and “far” (actually, we should say “near” and “less near”, because even if we have the sensation of being on board the Queen Mary, this one is also a “familiar” vessel). Although it seems so, it is not the same cruise…
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- Pedro and Willy take the sample in the rossette
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- Garciadelcid
Day 6
Itziar Alvarez Ellacuría, Scientific Technician and icemaker.
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- Flying fish
Today is a really ‘looooong’ day because we are doing a transect where the stations are so close. Fortunately there is a really good atmosphere on board and there are enough people to find a substitute when you need rest for a while.
Life on board is as good as expected between the scientifics and the crew members. We are surprised about the positive energy crew have, even when we are especially tired, they are joking everynigth. Tonight we fished “flying fishes” that are blue (even if they appeasr in black in the picture).
PS: Greetings to my family and friends that follow us in the web.
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- Itziar
Day 5
Antonio Moreno Muñoz,Tecnicien scientifique
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- Antoni & David
Hello all. Last night has been a little “hard” because the sea was strong rough, although we were luckcy due to crew and technicians were very professional and we could sampled all stations anticipated for the day. On midday, we have arrived to Malaga, because we had to change 2nd mate, buy some provisions to continuing the cruise. Scientists had lunch in the famous Tintero, were the meal is very good and typical (fried fish). After, we were walking around the Larios street and we had dinner in city center.
About my life onboard, I am working fishing with WP2 net to collect zooplankton and ictioplanckton, using also bongo net for cathing larvae,… By the way, I have some “made in house” that are working very wonderfull (in my free time onboard I make DIY and help to take samples to the rossette).
Antonio
Day 4
Susana Flecha Saura,Scientist
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- platform
Hello, we’re now in the middle of the Alboran Sea. Today seems like Neptunus is angry with us and is discharging all his fury against us . We have some people sea sick, who are now having a rest in their cabins, we’re few people now working, the strong ones.
I’m working from 08:00 to 14:00 and from 20:00 to 02:00, turns I’m sharing with Gabriel, the chief scientist and Irene (the new girl who is analizing pH). (
One of the greatest moments of the day, besides lunch-time that is on board really tasty, was being so close to a pipeline builder platform, for gas or for oil… we don’t know.
The ambient is truly relax, it’s not because we don’t have anything to do but that we laugh all the time and have good time together. That’s all, greetings and wish us to have good weather.
Chao
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- Susana
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- Swell
Day 3
Dr Sebas LASTERNAS,scientist
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- CTD
Hi everybody! I’m Sebas and for the second time I’m on board with the “S-Team” (for SESAME) in order to investigate Waters of the Strait of Gibraltar and its vicinity. I’m spending most of the day sleeping, Reading articles or books, watching movies or looking at the others that work. What a pleasure-cruise, and then what am I doing here on board? I’m one of the sleepwalkers…with David, Simone and Raul.I’m working during the night that explains my laziness during the day. Until now, we didn’t talk about that subject. SESAME cruise consists in 33 stations with sampling every 4 hours or so, that implies also working at night. Not such a big deal, after acclimatizing, one can appreciate the sweet light of the moon, cooler temperatures and the quietness of the lab (even if we are 4 of us, tiredness don’t let time for long talk). Today, 21 of September, we achieved stations 19, 18 and 17. There are still many to come but the good ambient is present and we all want to success this cruise. I have to go now; breakfast is served (or diner for the others ;) ).
Bye.
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- SESAME Team
Day 2
Dr. Irene Olive,scientist
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- Irene
Hi all!! I’m Irene, the “novel” oceanographic scientist. Here we are, in our second day in the SESAME’S cruise. During the night found a “jellyfish colony” with several hundreds of cute and pink jellyfishes (Pelagia noctiluca), David captured some ones and we keep samples for analysis .
So far all seems ok, I’ve spend all the day measuring pH and, surprinsingly, the spectrofotometer has been working at 100% efficiency (like all of us, ;).
Right now, we are in the station 20 waiting for the rosette’s arrival, just look at the picture to corroborate how efficient and well coordinated we are .
Uops, the rossete is arriving, time to work, see you!
Irene
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- Jellyfish
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- Rossete
Day 1
Dr. Gabriele Navarro,scientist
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- cartagena
Dear all, today is the great day, we are going to start our SESAME cruise. We are onboard Garcia del Cid vessel , that belong to my institution called CSIC. We are 25 people, 14 crews, 2 technicians and 9 scientists. We are the same scientists that SESAME I cruise in April, although there are only one a new scientist called Irene. Tomorrow, she will write this diary.
The sea is very confortable, the weather is sunny and the forecast for the next couple of days sounds very nice.
The first station will be number 23, that is the most eastern station of the spanish grid. We think that we will arrive after 10 hour sailing from Cartagena. In the harbour, we could see a submarine from Spanish Navy. For a lot of us, was the first time that we have seen a “black submarine”.
That is falks ...
Gaby
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- submarine
