Hey all!
As our title suggests, our team is still looking for solutions to the head current Silbo is continuing to contest with.
Later today at the next surfacing, we are going to try a hover mission, where theoretically, Silbo will dive to ~200m and maintain that depth for a few hours. With this strategy, we intend to dive below the euphotic zone while riding a more favorable current rather than diving deep and hitting the northern current that has been slowing us down.
As for Challenger in the south, she is continuing to make good time as rockets towards the new way point to the North West:
Looking at the surface currents and sea surface height from GeoEye/SeaStar, the new way point lines us up to fly the outer edge of this warm core eddy as we make our way out into international waters.
The presence of this eddy is again supported by the aggregation of chlorophyll a levels to the north of us. This gives us another view of the way the waters are moving, as the organisms that produce these signals move at the will of the currents.
Finally I will leave everyone with the impressive 3D representation of the sea surface height, showing the path ahead for Challenger:
Tomorrow I will update on the progress of the hover test
Force Wind Sea & Honor!