ROV day

The ROV we used to record video today

I was on a Zoom call about my offshore wind project when one of the consultants brought up a familiar name: Marine Imaging Technologies. The small Massachusetts-based company had been sub-contracted to collect video data using a remotely operated vehicle. As the benthic ecology expert on the project, I was responsible for ensuring the video recordings were high quality and clearly showed the seafloor community. I needed to join Marine Imaging staff for a day at sea. 

I gave a wide smile. I was about to get paid to spend a day on a boat with my friends. Marine Imaging Technologies owner, Evan, and his deputy, David, were key players in our 2019-2020 Stellwagen Telepresence Project, and we collaborated on a project in the Gulf of Mexico in 2022, too. When I stepped onto R/V Catapult at 6:30 am, both Evan and David greeted me with warm hugs. The last time I saw them was in April in Portland, Maine, for a public event celebrating the Portland shipwreck. We were headed out on a mission, sure, but it felt like getting the band back together. 

David took the helm, and Catapult steamed to our first site. Evan sat next to me on the back deck and explained the strategy: we were going to tow the ROV. The area we were working in had strong currents, so there was no way we could expect to control the vehicle's position with just its thrusters. Instead, Evan welded skis onto the bottom side of the ROV so that it could skid across the seafloor. 

The view from Catapult, with Martha's Vineyard on the horizon

The plan worked brilliantly, actually. My job was to ensure the videos we recorded were high quality, but I honestly had nothing to do. The camera view was clear; the lasers mounted on the ROV showed a reliable size scale; and Evan is a master videographer. Instead of asking for tweaks or offering suggestions, I spent the day peering over his shoulder, just enjoying the show. 

As the day went on, the waves picked up, and it started to rain. I learned long ago that there is no dignity in seasickness, so I got David's permission and found a spot on the deck to lay down. My life jacket made a decent pillow, and I held on until we pulled back into the harbor. Overall, it was a great day - and we have plenty of data to analyze!