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The bergs became more prevalent and small areas of sea ice were dotted about as we neared Casey. Minke Whales powered along beside us, barely breaking the surface in their haste while a pod of killer whales cruised past us somewhat more lazily. As we neared the coast we started seeing seals and penguins on floes and eventually we could see the rock around Casey in the distance. By mid afternoon we were anchored snugly in Newcomb Bay and the helicopters were prepared for flying. It's a very scenic bay with the station on the Western shore and the plateau rising up to the South. On the Eastern shore we can see the remnants of the now abandoned Wilkes station. A small number of people flew ashore while we welcomed the Casey Station Leader onto the ship to give us a brief along with some of the Casey expeditioners who will come home with us. With the light holding only until about 7pm here at Casey we flew the mail ashore and then finished for the day. This morning we put the barge in the water to commence cargo and passenger operations only to be foiled by ice around the wharf. The barge stuck fast in some ice about 200m from tying up and took a bit of wiggling to get free! We have now dispatched the AA2 into the fray to break up the ice and assist the barge getting to the wharf to attempt to allow us to deliver cargo and retrieve those coming home with us. It's snowing and windy outside and those working in it are doing well in the chilly conditions. So it's cargo operations for us here until the job is done. 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.