We’re finally off!
Yesterday morning we finally left port and started our journey into the Straits of Malacca, towards our first coring site in the open Indian Ocean. How exciting!
And perhaps befitting to this being the “monsoon cruise”, it was absolutely pouring with rain all morning.
We were supposed to leave at 9am, but it took a little time to get the pilot onboard and the guide boat alongside and ready to escort us out to the main shipping lanes. By about 10am, there was definite movement.
The crew cast off the lines…
..neatly coiled them on deck…
…and winched up the gangway….
The science team went up on to the top deck to watch the land slip away, despite the iffy weather. Most were fairly sensible in their raincoats and jumpers, but in my infinite wisdom I decided that flipflops, shorts and my “hilarious” and very dated “I’m on a boat” t-shirt was a good idea. Oh well, at least it was warm.
We’ll spend the next couple of days steaming night and day through the Straits of Malacca, on our way to our first site. For now, this is one of our last sightings of land this close by, so we were making the most of the view.
Gosh I had forgotten how beautiful it is out here… even in the rain. Looking forward to the rest of the transit, and to getting on site on the morning of the 8th Dec.
Deep-Sea Discovery 