Page Content (OCR)
We saw proof of his claim when the boat passed over a submerged electrical power cable that was known to run from a fixed point on the shore over to Bon Portage Island. The cable's acoustic signature showed plainly on the sonar readouts. This was very reassuring, giving us confidence that our data was good enough to assess our targets for the video cameras and divers. However, for the rest of that day the sandy bottom was mostly featureless. The two techs from CSR were busy, though. It was not unusual to see John spring to his feet and run to the stern of the boat to rescue the sonar towfish or magnetometer from a narrow and unexpected collision with a rapidly shallowing bottom. His navigator, Patrick Campbell, had to deal quickly with computer crashes or sudden fluctuations in GPS signals. John also had to provide additional talent as an actor, providing dialogue for sound bites and on-camera segments, while still saving the day with his technical expertise. It was clear by the end of our first workday that days two and three would have to be longer and more productive if we were to complete our search in the sound. I had planned for a flyover the next day, in my airplane, a Cessna 172. The plan was to remove the passenger door of the airplane and then strap Dean Brusso, the cameraman, into that seat sideways to allow filming of aerial footage. The director, Alec Griffith, would be in the back of the plane, directing and watching what the Sony camera was seeing on his own monitor. The next morning Alec Griffith, cameraman Dean Brusso, and I drove thirty-five miles to Yarmouth Airport. I removed the right side door from the Cessna 172 and Dean was strapped into the passenger seat on that side while Alec took a seat in the back. The three of us were linked electronically by an aircraft intercom from the beginning of the flight until the end. With the prop wash and slipstream roaring past the opening at one hundred plus miles per hour, it would have been impossible for us to hear one another without the intercom. Dean, outfitted with protective clothing to cut the cold September air aloft, seemed to take the whole thing in stride. We found out that he was always getting crammed, mounted, or strapped into one position or the other in order to accommodate the particular shooting demands made by the director. The weather was fine for flying, like driving on a freshly paved highway. The boat spent an hour and a half trolling up and down the sound, recording more rolls of paper, while they waited for my plane, the Kilo Julliet Julliet, to arrive on the scene. When the crew and I arrived overhead, we talked back and forth with the boat crew over radios, while being directed to the areas we were to film - the survey boat, the islands, and Shag Harbor. After about forty minutes we returned to the airport. In the meantime there was more survey work to do and hopefully a couple of underwater video drops and a chance for some dives to check possible targets. A second small boat was used to get footage of Murphy's Law as it plied the waters of the sound. It also served as a tender between our boat and the dock in Shag Harbor, bringing or taking back people and equipment as needed. quality was good. Alec and Dean finally made it back to the boat and Alec put in a call to me while I was still at the