All,
Just wanted to report on one of the most interesting experiences I've
had for a while.
At the kind invitation of JT and the VB Tech group, I went down to
Virginia Beach Thursday night.  (they had used two of my favorite words
in the same sentence- "free" and "diving").  The trip took alot less
time than I had imagined, so when I arrived, there were only a couple of
people around.  I met the captain, he found me a bunk, and I put my gear
on board.  Quiet, AC, pure luxury for me. Then about 4 hours later- 3
a.m. or so, the VB tech crew showed up in force.  When nobody in the
f'ocsle stirred, JT eventually came down and introduced himself to me
and said hello to everyone else, took a few pictures with his
omnipresent camera, and made a quip about my genuine 1960's aluminum
"space blanket" (I got it for winter camping in Northern New York State
when I was a Boy Scout. Its kept me warm for over 30 years now.)
After the boat left the dock at 5:30 things finally got quiet again. 
Being a true old guy, I couldn't sleep after 6:30 or so, got up, picked
my way over the sleeping bodies in the main cabin and went out on the
deck to paint my swing bottles.  Somebody had mentioned using finger
nail polish to give both a lasting paint job, but also something that
could be easily removed and redone.  I've been doing this for a while
and its working out very nicely.  JT missed a great picture though- just
me and my finger nail polish doing a little "touch up" work :)  When I
was done, went back to bed for a while, then woke up to get a briefing
from JT for those of us who hadn't been on the Eureka before.  Very
detailed, when I arrived on the bottom, between the good vis- 10 to 15
meters, and the briefing, it was immediately obvious where I was and
were to go.  That plus Cobb had run a reel around to the "good stuff"
After a 45 minute BT and uneventful deco, the surface interval started
with the mate, Becky, cooking hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill, and
interesting discussions of the dive, parading of artifacts, etc.  I also
got some very useful feedback on my rig, etc. from JT.  He knows the DIR
set up to the 'nth degree!
I was using Phi Le's "decoweenie" for my tables- worked very well.  What
I find very useful is the ease of running a new set of tables when
conditions change at sea.  We were originally going to do 2 dives on the
Eureka, but with threats of very rough conditions by late afternoon, we
moved inshore for the second dive.
I had trouble understanding the name of the second wreck, so I wrote
down "Luca Brazzi" so as to remember about what it sounded like. (This
was the enforcer from "GodFather part I" who was murdered and his bullet
proof vest was sent to the Godfather wrapped around a couple of fish-
"It means he sleeps with the fishes")  The actual name of the ship was
the "Lillian Lukenback"- a WWII Liberty Ship that sank after a collision
with another ship.  The briefing for this one was basically- this is a
Liberty ship, you all know what they're like.  This was true.  Tires,
axles, a few fish.  I'm not a very good bug hunter, but didn't see any
lobster either.  Vis was way down, more like New Jersey- 5 meters or so,
plus when I went around the stern there was a noticeable current.
Bottom temps on both dives were in the low 40's F (maybe 5 C).  The poor
Southerners got chilled!
Getting back up to the surface, there was Becky standing on the pitching
dive platform, absolutely soaked from head to toe, helping people off
with their fins and swing bottles.  Every time a wave came by she would
get drenched.  I nice feature they have on their ladders is that there
is a trail rope at the bottom of the ladder so you can go from the deco
bar to the rope, and use that to hold yourself in position to get on the
ladder.  I found it very helpful with the rough conditions on top.
Somehow, Becky got everyone out of the water then cooked dinner!
By the time we got back to shore at around 7 p.m. we were well rested
and well fed.  Handshakes and good byes all around.
I won't tell how JT got everyone to laugh for the final group picture;)
This is a good team, they really have their act together. The skill
level of the entire team was very high. I was also quite impressed with
their ability to have fun.  All too often I see groups who are not
comfortable enough with themselves and each other to relax and just
enjoy when they have the opportunity.  I also know they are ready to
respond when it hits the fan.
Wendell
I warned you it was a long report;)
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