During the past few days, we were in transit from our last station on June 11 to our next stop in St. John’s, where we picked up the rest of the scientists who will join us on this journey. Life at sea during transit is a mix of preparing the equipment we will soon deploy, catching up on work, and finding creative ways to pass the time—something that requires a great deal of patience. One of our favorite distractions was starting a cribbage championship, which quickly became a ship-wide competition.
When we finally arrived in St. John’s, Canada, we met the rest of the scientific team. Taking advantage of the beautiful weather and our first opportunity to stretch our legs on land, we headed out together for a group hike and enjoyed the scenery before continuing our expedition.
City of St. Johns seen from the beginning of the trail. Photo by: Andrew Barna
Members of the scientific team during a hike to Signal Hill in St. John’s, Canada. From left to right: Tiago, Eduardo, Ana, Cedric, Andrew Treat, Joe and Heather. Photo by Andrew Barna.
A bald eagle and a crow soaring above St. John’s during our hike. Photo by Andrew Barna.
Our famous cheese thirty, served aboard the ship at 2:30 p.m. as an afternoon snack to keep the crew energized and spirits high. Photo by Andrew Barna.
Crew members and scientists aboard the R/V Neil Armstrong enjoying a game together during some free time at sea. Photo by Ana Mariani.
Joe and Bosun Katie competing in the ship’s cribbage tournament. Photo by Ana Mariani.
Workstation in the main laboratory aboard the R/V Neil Armstrong. Photo by Ana Mariani.
The full scientific party aboard the R/V Neil Armstrong for the 2026 OSNAP cruise. From left to right: Ana, Nico, Jan Dirk, Reiner, Jelle, Andrew Barna, Elodie, Andrew Treat, Heather, Tiago, Cedric, Eduardo, Matilda, Colin, Joe, and Dan.