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Farewell Davis. Christmas Day seemed to drag on forever as we shifted cargo and passengers on and off the ship by helicopter. In a moving ceremony the outgoing winterers handed over the station to the incoming team. It was humbling for outsiders to witness the close bond between those who had wintered together on the harshest and most isolated continent on earth. Also evident was pride in the good name of the station and the continuation of the traditions of professionalism and comradeship that have characterised the Australian presence in Antarctica since the 1950’s. The station leader described the achievements of each member of the wintering party and presented a medallion recognising their service before formally passing responsibility to the new station leader. Next stop Casey, we are aiming to be there on New Year’s Day but Antarctica reminded us this morning who’s boss when poor visibility slowed us down somewhat. Ice conditions will play a part too, although the satellite pictures do look promising. The lighter sleepers amongst us were woken this morning by familiar tremors as we push aside the pack ice floes. We are currently passing the huge 80 kilometre berg we passed on the way into Davis. Even though it’s only six miles away we can only ‘see’ it on the radar due to the prevailing low cloud. Today we will have an emergency muster rehearsal, pass out presents from around the tree and have Christmas lunch. On the last day of Christmas …the Antarctic Division gave the bosun three cold beers.
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.