Day 4

Wednesday 3rd September, 2014

Everyone seems to have woken up in a good shape, thanks to the calm seas that allowed the resting crew to have a well deserved good night sleep. Meanwhile the night shift made a lot of progress with collecting multibeam and seismic reflection data for most of the northern area, and also filling in missing data gaps. Data collection will also continue throughout the day as we navigate towards an other research area. 

Today we are going to give you an insight into how it feels like to live and work on board a research vessel such as the OGS Explora. The day starts with breakfast between 7 and 8 am and we start the day with selection of savoury pastries such as pizza, bacon rolls and focaccia washed down by tea/ coffee or juice.

Someone already took 2 slices of pizza ?!

Lunch is then served in two shifts between 11am – 12 pm and 12 – 1 pm to feed different people on different shifts. Lunch and dinner consists of two courses, followed by fruit and desert and varies by the day. 

The lounge

All the food is freshly prepared on board by a very dedicated team of cooks and chef.

The masters of the galley.

Our sleeping quarters are traditional cabins with two bunk beds, hand wash basin and wooden cabinets, complete with a table and couch. Science complemented by luxury, what else would one ask for ? :) 

Inside one of the cabins

The research vessel also has a very special spot known as the Monkey Island. Researchers and crew often escape here when off shift for a spot of refreshing sea-breeze and a healthy dose of sunshine (or moonshine)! The Monkey Island is located just on top of the ship's bridge. The bridge is central to the ship's navigation, it is where the captain or the first or second mate steers the ship. 

The Monkey Island

Second mate in control of the bridge

The ship is also equipped with a refrigeration room where all perishables are kept, a laundry room and of course an engine room.