Life Beyond the Beaker

October, 2015...the first time I met Ben! We were doing our pre-deployment training at Plymouth University with BAS and this was the first day we had met but also the first day that he tested out his remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Deep-sea trekker off the Uni pontoon.  An  ROV   is an unoccupied underwater robot that is connected to a ship by a series of cables. These cables transmit command and control signals between the operator and the  ROV , allowing remote navigation of the vehicle. Ben, myself and Emily Davey made up the 2016 wintering team at Rothera. We had such a great time and the times when we were helping Ben drive the ROV either by being his tender (watching where the line was going and if there was too much slack/tension), driving the boat or generally helping him faff! As you can see sometimes the faffing and the cold was too much for anyone to handle haha. Then 2 years after we had finished...

I have been pretty quiet on this blog for the past year! The reason for this is at the end of 2019 I had a few medical issues which resulted in a pretty scary surgery. However, I am now fully fixed, back smiling and hopefully when COVID allows I will get my full ENG1 (seafarers medical) and HSE diving medical back in full. I have been restricted to the UK for the past year!  This last year, I have had a happy time learning how to drive Seol Mara!! https://www.sams.ac.uk/facilities/vessels/   Although I missed out on a few cruises and travels I think it has been really good for me to connect with Scotland properly, as since living here last year was my first summer here! And, being locked down in Scotland this summer during COVID has resulted in lots of networking, learning and an epic amount of Citizen Science interaction! So all things happen for a reason, right? Which brings me onto my second reason for being quiet, whilst also going through my medical issues my boss Prof Da...