1. Hurricane Floyd has delayed the schedule of the R/V Seward Johnson. The SJ was undergoing scheduled maintenance on dry-dock as Floyd approached Florida. It was necessary to temporarily put the ship back in the water, which ended up costing approximately 5 days of work. This will lead to about a 5 day delay in the availability of the Seward Johnson for SAX99. The present tentative plan is to load APL-UW equipment on Friday, Oct. 8th, and depart on Oct. 9th. However, there can be no guarantees on the schedule. We are basically working on the basis of departing from Harbor Branch at Fort Pierce at the first opportunity, which could be after the 9th, or if the ship is ready earlier it could be before the 9th.
2. The R/V Pelican cannot delay its schedule, so we do not have the option of simply delaying the entire operation by about a week. The basic schedule for the Pelican will therefore stay as described in the Update of 16 Sept., but clearly some details will change. In particular, we now plan to deploy the APL-UW BAMS and XBAMS towers using the Pelican instead of the Seward Johnson. I will send a revised overall schedule within the next few days.
3. You should have received a map of CSS sent earlier today by Kerry Commander. Kerry advises that while one could go into CSS at any time, it would be preferable to avoid late night hours, and it would be best, especially the first time, to pass through the Visitor Reception Center during normal business hours.
4. Kate Bader from APL-UW will be at the Sandman Motel Suites during SAX99. We will have possession of 5 units (each with two double beds) starting on Oct. 1st. If you plan to come to stay over or just to pass through and take a shuttle out to the ships, let kate (kate@apl.washington.edu) and/ or me know. The phone number at the motel front desk is (850) 243-1511. The address is 480 Santa Rosa Blvd., West Destin, FL 32548. Kate will have a car and could assist in transportation from nearby airports if set up in advance. The closest airport is in Fort Walton Beach, and Pensacola is roughly 30 miles away. By car, get on US 98 which connects Destin and Fort Walton Beach. Coming from Destin, cross the bridge just west of Destin, continue about 5 miles, then turn left on Santa Rosa Blvd. (If you miss the turn you will cross another bridge almost immediately and come into Fort Walton Beach.) Travel west on Santa Rosa Blvd. about 0.75 mi and the Sandman Motel will be visible on the left. I do not know the numbers of our rooms, and they will be sent later. You will be able to read and send email at the motel.
5. Tropical depression 10 has just formed in the Gulf of Mexico and may move onto the west coast of Florida in the next few days. The track is uncertain at this point, but it does not appear that this system will develop into a major hurricane.