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Long-Term Ocean Climate Observations (LOCO) – D301/302
Cruise Diary – 24th March 2006	Watching the drifting mooring
Friday - Finally, the work on the mooring section has started. Somewhat later than expected yesterday. Our previous studies in this region have shown the reason for this: the current along the shelf of Mozambique is not a continuous current but it is organized in large (few 100 km's diameter) counter clockwise rotating eddies that migrate southward through the channel. Thus while sailing northward there are periods that there is no countercurrent (outside the eddies) and periods with a countercurrent (inside the eddies, up to 3-4 knots). Apparently last night we sailed through such an eddy. Anyhow, work started in the early afternoon with the recovery of the first mooring on the Mozambique side of the channel. Everything went very smoothly.
The acoustic signal (ping) disconnected the steel cable from the weight on the seafloor and 10-15 minutes later we saw the top of the mooring drifting at some 300 m ahead of the Discovery. Most of the people on board watched the picking up of the mooring. It is always spectacular but more so after a few days of sailing of course. I am curious to know how many people will be there tomorrow. Then we sailed to the station nearest to the Mozambican coast where, at 500 m depth, the first CTD cast was taken successfully. Presently the first Multicore, that takes samples from the seafloor is taken  (more on CTD's and Multicores in one of the following issues of this diary). From then on, all scientists on board will be busy with what they came for.
Top of the mooring	Lifting the mooring on deck