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The cargo conga line continued yesterday, with the record
setting pace kept up until the completion of play at 1558. Boxes were
moving here there and everywhere as the last of Mawson's RTA was loaded
to the ship. Deputy Voyage Leader (DVL) Simon, working with the ship's
Chief Mate Robbie, had devised a masterpiece of a cargo stowage that
ensured that every conceivable place on the ship that cargo could be
shoved was utilised.
For those that are wondering what we are bringing back to Australia, its
mainly rubbish. Because we aim to minimise our impact on the Antarctic
environment, every waste product, be it building material, packaging or
processed human waste is brought back to Australia for treatment and
disposal. So aboard at the moment we have multiple containers filled,
with empty fuel drums, recyclable materials and the odd tank of grey
water (nice way of describing it!). The opportunity is also taken to
swap out pieces of machinery, like utes and quad motorbikes. The
environment is particularly harsh on vehicles, despite all the
winterising that is undertaken by our workshop team in Hobart, and they
need to be rotated out of Antarctica quite regularly.
The big challenge for yesterday was how we were going to get a five
tonne, 40ft container trailer back on the ship. We have a system of
floating metal boxes called unifloats, that join together to form a
floating platform for the movement of large loads. The only problem is
that it is a very labour intensive and time consuming process to form
them up, so if we can avoid using them we will. It was looking like we
would have to use them for this load, but our watercraft operators came
up with a cunning plan to use just the barge to get this load across to
the ship. With the help of Steve on the crane and some great dog men
from Mawson, the team managed to fit the trailer into the well deck of
the barge. In the end it looked like the barge was purpose built for
this particular load. All up, this bit of lateral thinking probably
saved us around half a day of work.
One of the good things about the massive amount of rubbish we have just
loaded to the ship, is how clean Mawson is at the moment. Captain Murray
was so impressed that he has judged Mawson to be the 2009/10 Antarctic
Tidy Town. Well done to the 2008/09 and 2009/10 Mawson teams, well
earned! If I had any 'spare' fruit buns and was allowed to send them
ashore I would!
Following the finish of cargo operations, and with relatively good
weather prevailing, the barge set sail for Bechervaise Island to recover
the penguin monitoring team of Darren and Luke. A couple of their mates
from Mawson accompanied the barge across, complete with face masks as
well as creating a quarantine area on the barge for the two returnees to
remain in. By all indications the face masks were needed! These boys
were sent straight to the showers upon reaching dry land. Well deserved
after a month on the island.
Now for an update on our molting Emperor penguin. It looks like it must
have finally plucked the last of its old feathers as it was gone by the
end of cargo operations. It probably knew that I was coming ashore for
the first time, with the specific purpose of taking its photo, and
decided to make a run for it - thanks.
When you get to walk around Mawson, you get to see the whole spectrum of
Australia's activities in Antarctic. The scientific experiments, the
logistical facilities as well as the infrastructure required to maintain
life in one of the most inhospitable environments on the planet. You
also get to glimpse how people lived 56 years ago, when the station was
first established, as some of the original buildings from those days are
still here. It's a dramatic contrast between these reminders of the past
and the current living accomodation the Red Shed and all its modern
conveniences, including satellite telephones, Internet access, coffee
machine, stunning views, comfy chairs and pool table. Looking out from
the bridge you also see people getting around on quad bikes and
Hagglunds tracked vehicles, whilst of to the right you are greeted by
the sight of the stations old dog line from the time when the dog teams
provided the main form of land transport. Discussion round the breakfast
table this morning was that Mawson was like a living, breathing museum
to Australia's Antarctic endeavours.
This morning, the weather is being kind to us with light winds but a
overcast sky. We are taking the opportunity to undertake some work on
the refuelling equipment in preparation for Voyage 4 and the refuelling
of Macquarie Island. The hose is currently being rolled out from the
barge in Kista Strait from the barge, before being spooled onto the hose
reel. The crew is also using the time to conduct training and testing of
the ship's lifeboat as well as Fast Rescue Craft (FRC). Whilst Captain
Murray is out cleaning the bridge windows, great job Muz - fruit bun
waiting! We hope to collect the last of the refuelling gear and the
last ashore cargo this morning. Following this we will be doing some
survey work around the penguin colonies and that will be us pretty much
'job done' at Mawson. We intend to pull stumps tomorrow at around 1000
and head for home.
All aboard doing well and finishing up all their work ashore, the smell
of musty penguin biologists is reported to be dissipating but they will
be checked prior to boarding the ship for the return trip.
Regards
Rob, Simon and George.
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.