We submitted our Project Execution Plan to NSF today. Fingers crossed! If the project is funded, the new research vessel will be built by All American Marine of Bellingham, Washington, about a 3-hour drive north of Seattle on Puget sound. Very pretty place.

Oh, my head. The closer we get to finishing the Project Execution Plan, the more questions come up! Who should be on the project org chart (and where)? Can we nail down a construction slot with the shipwright before the final contract is signed?

The shipwright has confirmed that the vessel we hope to build will be too tall to go overland and will have to go by sea, so we have to find a transport company. Do any of them have a schedule that will work for us? Has the price gone up since we got the most recent bid? Where do we find prevailing wage determinations for Washington State? Who conducts the sea trials for the vessel, and what exactly do they test? What’s the US Coast Guard’s role? Can we use the R/V Baldwin’s navionics, or do we have to replace them? Do we get a title? Does someone from Middlebury have to accompany the vessel to Port Everglades? Who will pilot it up the east coast? Are we insured for that trip?

…Is there any coffee left in that pot?