All expedition officers get together for three days to collaborate and discuss best practices of what they might want to do while at sea. It was so fun to meet people who enjoy the same interests and learn skills from them that we might not already know.
Afterward, we connect to communities around the world to see who would like to participate in virtual calls to meet the scientists on our expedition, experience the ship, and talk about life at sea. We now have a list of people who will be joining us virtually during the expedition - you included!
Lastly, we meet with the scientist crew before sailing to plan ways to work with each other. By the time we got to the ship, we were already good friends with lots of energy to get started! Even though expeditions are hard work, it is fun because you get to find all the rocks and mud you want to study back home.
What do we do on the ship while we sail?
Upon arrival in Naples, Italy, all scientists and crew spend a night in the city to make sure no delays affect their ability to get on the ship the next day. There is always something that happens with airlines (think missed connections or bad weather), so the extra day is a safe option.
The moment we step onto the ship, there is a mix of different meetings where we learn about safety while sailing on the ship and protocol in the different labs on the ship. We meet the Captain and his team to understand how they plan to sail for the next two months. We meet with the drilling team to learn how they plan to collect the seafloor samples.
