There was supposed to be a second test, so I sat by the beach across the street from my quarters to wait for it. I could listen to the waves breaking and watch the surf by the light of the moon (now in first quarter). Another visitor joined me and we traded stories about our respective projects as we waited. It turned out he was very interested in the weather because he likes to hang-glide. We eventually gave up because of the late hour and let the second test come without us.

Another big event today was the arrival of the NOAA (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration) research ship Ronald H. Brown. This triggered a whole round of arrivals and departures that will echo through the weekend. On the whole the stories of life on the ship are pretty favorable, but toward the end most people were ready to be done. Apparently the ship was far enough from Kwaj that they couldn't see the island, but they could see the glow from Kwaj's lights reflected on the clouds at night. The port call gives the permanent crew time off, permits the exchange of KWAJEX scientists, and allows for re-provisioning. It also gives researchers on Kwaj and the ship a change to talk directly, instead of by HF radio or e-mail.

Fortunately for KWAJEX, but unfortunately for the ship's personnel, today featured very active weather thanks to the remnants of hurricane Eugene. There were numerous rainstorms, sometimes organized into lines and sometimes not. Two of the aircraft took off shortly after sunrise and recorded some excellent data despite the failure of two key instruments. One reason that field programs last as long as they do is that it is very hard to get the phenomenon you want to study to occur at the same time that all of your instruments are actually working correctly and taking valid data. An engine part that is being hand-carried from Seattle should arrive tomorrow and allow the Convair to return to flight-worthiness.