  We report about the design and the initial performances of the pathfinder
mission for a possible large scale neutrino telescope named "STRings for
Absorption length in Water" (STRAW). In June 2018 STRAW has been deployed at
the Cascadia Basin site operated by Ocean Network Canada and has been
collecting data since then. At a depth of about 2600 meters, the two STRAW 120
meters tall mooring lines are instrumented by three "Precision Optical
Calibration Modules" (POCAM) and five Digital Optical Sensors (sDOM). We
describe the instrumentation deployed and first light in the Pacific Ocean.
