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Two additional helicopter ice reccon flights yesterday: one to our south, which showed no easing of conditions, and one to our WSW which revealed areas of open water. So that was the direction in which we headed. However, we made little progress overnight, and it wasn't until this morning that we picked our way through some heavier floes. We are now travelling, if not directly towards Mawson, then at least in the direction that the ice appears to be opening slightly. Assuming our satellite data is correct, we can then attempt to head south again, making for the open water off the fast ice to the NNW of Mawson. It's not an easy task, navigating through this ice, and the crew are working hard to get us to within fly-off range. Today especially, in poor visibility, and with little surface definition (which makes it much harder to discern ridges in the ice). According to our published schedule, we're halfway through the voyage today. REGARDS Doug and Nicki
Map
A map showing Australia and Antarctica. The map shows the journey of one voyage that has occured in the season, with each route highlighted in a distinct colour.