Float was launched ~85 km west southwest of Monterey Bay at CalCOFI station 67-60 during a hydrographic survey of Central California waters. It was the center float in a triad (NPS#87, 88 , 89 ) of floats launched along Line 67 at 18 km intervals. On surfacing, the float failed to broadcast for 35 days but all data were recovered.

The float was entrained in the undercurrent at the time of launching (May 20, 2001) and remained over the continental slope for the next 148 days (Figure 2). During this time the float was displaced poleward, although the poleward motion was interrupted from June 26-July 3, 2001, southwest of Pt. Arena and from July 29-August 23, 2001, southwest of Cape Mendocino.

Maximum speed was observed to the west of Point Arena on July 7, 2001 (Figure 1). On September 22, 2001, the poleward motion again ends, about halfway between Cape Mendocino and Point Saint George; during the next week, the slope of the temperature vs. pressure variability changed, suggesting that the float may have grounded, and the warmest temperature (7.36°C) and shallowest pressure (278 dbar) of the mission were recorded on September 25 and 26, 2001, respectively (Figure 3).

Beginning October 15, 2001, the float began moving westward in an offshore jet, traveling about 350 km along a relatively smooth trajectory. On November 26, 2001, the float turned southward, then southeastward on December 14, 2001, its path unperturbed along the latter segment when it crossed the Mendocino Ridge. On January 10, 2002, the float became entrapped in a cyclonic-like movement for the rest of the mission. It took 200 days for the first circuit around this feature which had a diameter of about 100 km. On this first circuit, the southern portion of the trajectory included two smaller scale (30 km) cyclonic features at 38.8°N, 128.1°W and 39.4°N, 127.3°W. The second circuit of the larger cyclonic feature began on July 20, 2002, and took the float further to the east; it reached the most eastward point on this circuit of the cyclonic feature on August 15, 2002, moved very little for about a week, and then resumed its cyclonic movement.

The target pressure was 275 dbar but the observed pressure was between 278 and 404 dbar (Figure 3). The larger vertical excursions were observed in the California Undercurrent portion of the trajectory. After the float left the CU, it settled at about 350 dbar with the temperature decreased about 0.5ºC, indicating a transition from Equatorial to Subarctic waters.