19:50, 5th of December 2010. Today is the 42nd day since the cruise has begun. At last, Long Term Borehole Monitoring System (still a tentative name) has landed on the water. Upon LTBMS’s departure to the C0002 drilling site, we dads could not do much but to lean on the handrails at moonpool to say “Good luck, boy! All the best on the way to C0002! Never let the current overtake you!” (You notice that we think LTBMS is a boy.) However, I admit that the past nine days have been extremely troublesome. I felt it lasted forever. In an exaggerated term, it was the “birth pang”. Does it sound too dramatic?

I know people want to read something “exciting”, but I am rather attracted to more quiet, steady and honest things.

Therefore, today, I would like to introduce the METABO boy. No, not you who is reading this and is worried of your metabolic syndrome! It is a stainless band-fastening tool called “The METABO” produced by a certain famous manufacturer.
As I explained before, we have to run cables along the 3-1/2 inch (9 cm) tubings that measure 1,000 m long, and it becomes critical if the cables get damaged while running down within the 8-1/2 inch (21 cm) internal diameter borehole.
Thus, it is needless to say they need to be tightly bundled. This may sound so basic, but the basic is what matters the most here.
The METABO boy is one of our strategies to counter with possible accidents and mishaps.
He (the METABO boy) has got on board from Shimizu Port with quiet but clearly audible rumours going around him, saying “Hey, did you hear about him? Is it true that he can easily tie up all the stainless bands at once!?” and “Oh, yes…! He sounds like a great guy…!”

So, how does he look like? Hmm…, he is quite attractive. He comes with an ebony-black portable case, and when you open it, there he is. The METABO boy looks stunning, like a Kalashnikov.
I think that any boy would want to hold him up and have him at ready.
Anyhow, on the night before the real thing, we decided to have a light warm-up, and had an operating check under the supervision of A.C. instructor but something was wrong.
The boy could not really bundle the stainless bands.
After a while, there were piles of stainless bands that could not be successfully tied up.
We struggled, cheated and pacified, and finally the real operation had to be done the following day.
The boy could not perform well despite everyone’s faint hope. Sad. In addition, our pre-cruise plans depended a lot on this boy and we brought more stainless bands, so the problem came onto our shoulders now.
An emergency top-level meeting was held. They decided to halve the number of stainless bands for faster operation, but they knew it was still too slow… They were distressed, thinking of how to cope with this situation, and at one moment, someone saw the large screen in the office showing what was going on at the moonpool. Next moment, they all got shocked!
The METABO boy was working at his full speed!
It had been slow and troublesome as if he were working and complaining “Hmm… Oh, don’t really like this bit. Oops, dropped it! Okay, one more time…” And now, he was much faster, probably he was working and saying “Got it! Tied and fixed. Come on, next, please!”
The scientists were so amazed and asked who were operating the boy. JOYCEN-kun and JASON-kun? What great operators we have got on board!
The problem was that we had not fully understood how to operate the METABO boy!
The superior drilling crew team members of Chikyu have quickly mastered the operation method of the METABO boy, and the operation is now going at the speed ten times faster than before! We can not thank them enough.

“Got it! Tied and fixed. Come on, next, please!”

I guess by now my report is beginning to annoy those top-level people on the land, but please consider my situation; when we get stressed, that is exactly when we need some laughs.
Right now, the LTBMS is heading to the direction where the current is stronger.
The ROV is already in the location where the current is strong and is taking the rope from the LTBMS.
The long Chapter 1 is finishing, and continuing to Chapter 2, “Into the Current”. 　　　


Nori KYO