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It’s easy to get into a routine on the ship and forget your surroundings. Outside the wind is whipping spray off the tops of waves and streaking the surface of the ocean with white lines that stretch out of sight. The blanket of low, grey cloud increases the feeling of remoteness. The constant deep booming of our snub bow striking into the troughs becomes background noise. Our constant companions of graceful albatross and tiny, tireless prions risk becoming too familiar. As we anticipate the new sights and busy days that await us in the ice, we try to appreciate the power of the only ocean that extends uninterrupted around the globe. We had another reminder of the majesty of nature last night when Wade and Frederique gave their captivating presentation about the winter they spent in Antarctica filming an emperor penguin colony. The dedication and humility of the presenters was almost as inspiring as the amazing scenes they captured on film. Our rate of advance lifted a little last night as the winds swung away from the west. We are finalising the field training tomorrow thanks to a sterling effort by our lone field training officer and over the weekend will commence preparations directly related to flying people off the ship.
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.