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Still living the dream – the dream has just changed a bit. We are parked up at the fast ice edge, just over 20 nautical miles from Mawson. We can see the mountains clearly in the distance, the Masson, Casey and David Ranges, and of course Mt Henderson directly behind Mawson Station. We’ve been here since yesterday evening – the ice extends for as far as we can see and a cruise along the edge didn’t reveal a lead (a gap in the ice like a road) for us to take. As the wind here was around 50 knots and even higher at Mawson it seemed pointless to push our way in there last night as we would not be able to commence operations in these conditions anyway. This parking spot has been popular though – the bridge has been packed with people taking photos of leopard seals, killer whales, adelie and emperor penguins perched on the top of icebergs, and snow blowing across the fast ice. Once this low pressure system passes by we will use our helicopters to get a better look at the ice and identify the most efficient way through the ice. The helicopter is now out of the garage, bladed on the deck ready to go at 13:00 and the wind is dropping, now below 30 knots. Once the ship has found a path in we hope to commence fly off of light cargo to get things underway this afternoon for as long as this weather window holds for us. Cheers, Nicki, Rob and Peter.
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.