Now that the modifications are all set and the GPS's secured we decided it was time to test the buoys in the water. They were all supposedly tested this past fall but since we made some adjustments and they had not taken the plunge in a few months, we thought it was necessary to test them out before their long journeys ahead of them, and thank goodness we did!
Crystal:
Crystal is very light and flexible so she was very easy to bring down to the docks. She is a bit of a perfectionist so it was not surprising that she floated perfectly and sunk down to the expected depth. Crystal has always been the kind of girl who just wanted to fit in, because that is what all the cool kids do, and she is definently a cool kid. So as expected she kinda just went with the flow and easily followed the current. We can only hope that Crystals journey continues to go as perfectly as her test went!
Big Boy:
Bringing Big Boy down to the river was a struggle to say the least. He's taller than both of us and weighs similar to an elephant. After getting our workout in for the day we successfully got him down to the docks. He took longer to sink down then Crystal since his large PVC piping meant to act as a weight had to first fill up with water. Once he was
fully sumerged we were happy to find out that even though Big Boy
can be a big pain, he did float upright just the way he was supposed
to with the GPS facing the sky. Our assumption is that Big Boy may move slower than Crystal and Wilson when he starts his journey, but he definitely is a tough one that could make it safely through some rough waters.
We got a little smarter getting Big Boy back up to safety and found a way that didnt involve too much heavy lifting.
Wilson:
Wilson is on the lighter side but unlike Crystal and Big Boy, he does not have any holes in his piping that act as a weight when fully submerged. Unfortunately, he is much too disproportional to begin his ocean journey. He floated completely on his side and it was impossible to get him to stay upright. He will need a few more modifications before he is ready for the ocean again. What we plan to do to fix Wilson is put holes in his PVC piping so that it will fill up with water and act as a weight. He is built like a smaller version of Big Boy so we are hoping that after these modifications he will float just like him and be ready for the ocean waves.
While we were out on the docks we were lucky enough to see a few other visitors passing by the dock!
COOL FACT: The bonds of dolphins in a pod are very intense. They have been observed caring for their sick, elderly, and those that have been injured.
Stay Tuned!
Jessica & Jennifer