Charlotteville

She's yellow, she's sleek, she's powerful, she purrs like a kitten, and her lungs don't collapse at 450 feet under the surface of the sea -- she's the Caledonian Star's Remotely Operated Vehicle, the ROV. We took her out for a few pictures this afternoon. Although her primary purpose is not diver-depth exploration, she's likable, accepted in all societies, the fish aren't afraid of her, no bubbles. Since she was dressed up, we decided to drop her in the water after dinner, in the dark. We weren't sure what we would see, next to the ship, in about 140 feet of water, on a sandy bottom. Exciting? You bet, especially since we drove her from the lounge, live on six TVs. David Cothran kept up a constant commentary while hundreds of fish darted through the ROV's light. I drove: up, down; left, right; forwards and backwards; easy, easy, that's the bottom there! On the bottom there were goatfish probing through the sand, each with a pair of sensitive barbels, searching for food, undisturbed by our lady until her entourage of frantic, light crazed fish crashed the party. There was a crab and lizardfish and strange holes in the sand, and things not quite recognized. Not a lot, no monsters, but more than we knew was there, deep, in the dark, where no one ever looks.