Sending Ben Home

Today was a rest day for us and a change in leadership. Ben has completed his portion of the Chief Scientist duties and is unfortunately on his way back to Honolulu. He headed off in a small boat today for the Pago Pago harbor and then on to the airport. The head of our program has joined us to be the Chief Scientist for March. I think Ben wasn't quite ready to leave the ship, but he is looking forward to this month of quiet time to work on his dissertation. Although C.A.T. can be quite demanding, I imagine that he will get much more done in a quiet house and work place. I will of course miss him, but I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of these islands, spending some time in Western Samoa at the end of the cruise and then returning to Honolulu at the end of March. Other than that, it was an uneventful day. We are back in the water tomorrow for another 8 days of diving.

Thanks for the e-mails that I've been getting. I always love reading about what you guys are doing and it helps me feel more connected. I hope you are doing well.

Take care and good night,

Cristi