Greatly looking forward to getting on the brand new RV Investigator for its maiden science voyage in early November. Unfortunately we have had 2 cruises cancelled over the last year due to the lateness of delivery, but now get our opportunity. We will sample the tail of the East Australia Current at its current most southerly extent off the continental shelf of Tasmania, starting at the Maria Island National Reference Station. Ill be leading the microbial ecology part of the voyage along with Martin Ostrowski from Macquarie University. The new ship allows for much greater interdisciplinary activity in marine science. Our voyage leader is Prof Iain Suthers from here at UNSW, and we have chemists and physicists and climatoligists aboard. The voyage is titled :

Physical and biological oceanography of the shelf break off Maria Island; An exploration for frontal eddies

Rv Investigator, picture from CSIRO