Tuesday 25th January
Today's contributor: Dr Clare Woulds
Well, you know a cruise has really started when you have trouble getting six hours of sleep in one go.
Today started slowly enough. The weather had worsened slightly, and the waves had got big enough that we had to stop lowering equipment over the side, for fear of damaging either kit or people. In my cabin near the waterline an occasional wave would hit the glass and swirl around, making it a bit like looking out of a washing machine. The waves didn't stop me working though, as I had four sediment cores in an incubator which had to be sliced.
Late night sediment core slicing
Later on, after our Burns' night dinner (excellent veggie haggis), the waves abated enough to allow us to start collecting sediment samples. The corer was deployed again and again, and all hands were required to work shifts through the night to deal with all the mud.
Unfortunately that led to the postponement of our Burns' night ceilidh, so you'll just have to watch this space for photos of us all dancing in the bar.