Information
Comments
Rather than 6-8hrs as predicted the team here on the Aurora yesterday cracked the job of laying a 270 drum fuel depot in 4 hours!! The work at Davis of rolling the drums out and having them ready on the heli deck paid dividends with the helicopters having a constant supply of drums to sling off the deck all morning. Crew and expeditioners rolled the drums out and hooked the loads while Sharon and her team on the ground unhooked the drums and built the depot. The pilots and heli engineers went non stop and we all watched the drum numbers to be flown ashore count down to 0! The fuel is for an International Polar Year program (AGAP) investigating the Gamburtsev Mountains that are hundreds of miles South of Prydz Bay . These mountains are actually underneath the ice so the fuel will be used for aircraft fitted with gravity meters, magnetometers and ice radars that will look "through" the ice to reveal the mountain range beneath. We made a quick visit to our Chinese and Russian friends at their stations on shore and wished them well for their winter before recovering the helicopters, removing their blades and packing all three neatly in the hanger. We then backed out of our park and headed out of Prydz Bay. As we went it was a hive of activity on the water and in the air. The MV Emerald Sea, a cargo vessel, was there as part of the Indian Antarctic program establishing a new base on an island of rock in the Larsemann Hills. We chatted by radio with our German friends on the research ship Polarstern while their helicopter flew around us and each of us gave three blasts of the ships horn as we sailed passed and waved hello and goodbye. A very busy 5 days in Prydz Bay made for a tired team on the ship so it was quiet this morning on the ship as the sun rose. We are steaming through light pack ice and the rising sun cast a beautiful light on the floes. We are now turning our attention to Mawson and all that we need to achieve there. Yours Aye Robb & Simon
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.