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Another fantastic day yesterday with over 60 loads flown ashore for approximately 28 tons of cargo delivered with much also coming back to the ship for return to Australia. We parked in the fast ice some 7nm from station yesterday morning. This ice is about 600mm thick and is attached "fast" to the land so runs all the way in to station. It provided an excellent stable platform for the ship to sit in while cargo was moved around on the deck and flown ashore. A polynya, an area of open water surrounded by sea ice, just West of Mawson is what has allowed us to get so close to station. It was a very cold day yesterday and a huge effort was put in by those working on deck on the ship and out on the helipads ashore to achieve so much. A few Emperor Penguins swam about the ship and wandered around beside us on the ice while the odd Antarctic Fulmar visited for a look. The mountains seem very close now and the view constantly changes with the light. By the end of the day a tired but satisfied team on the ship had delivered most of the cargo to Mawson and an appreciative and equally weary crew of on station. This morning we have again bladed up the helicopters and are now re-starting cargo operations with the intention to finish the job today, embark the 11 expeditioners joining us here and make our way back out to the other side of the polynya before negotiating the ice to the open ocean on the other side. Yours Aye Robb and 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.