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I suppose I put the mocha on us yesterday by stating,
'...barring any bad weather...' because the bar was well and truly
beating us on the beam all last night! Gale force winds and seas made
for a very ordinary nights sleep. None of the usual tricks to keep you
in your bunk seemed to work that well, except being curled up in the
foetal position, sucking your thumb, calling out 'Mummy' and just
bouncing back and forth hoping that that the ship was coming back from
that 50 degree roll. By the sounds of it most people decided to ride it
out fully awake and not even attempting to sleep. The aim being to catch
up on sleep when the conditions eventually settle down a bit, which they
have as I write this. By noon the wind has abated to a refreshing 30
knots and the sea and swell has eased to a more comfortable 5 metres and
moved to the ship's port quarter. Looks like most people are taking
advantage of the gentler conditions and forsaking meals for sleep as
there were only six expeditioners for lunch, building on the three or
four that made breakfast. Just now the sun has finally started to shine
through the clouds after more than a week of grey skies, fog and mist.
The relentless pace of Marine Science continues, with the Argo team
forced to launch from C Deck this morning at 0400 due to the Trawl deck
being constantly awash. It was still a precarious operation in the
prevailing conditions, but completed successfully and safely. Another
Argo was also set free last night at around 2000 to join the other 3000
Argos on their seven year mission to boldly go were only a couple of
scientific instruments have gone before. The CPR was also recovered this
morning at around 1100, we all knew this was happening as the ship had
to slow down and as a result the seas made the ship roll significantly.
We again got to get up close and intimate with the Southern Ocean as our
portholes provided glass bottom boat tours. Not very comforting when you
are five decks above the waterline! Have yet to hear from John about the
latest CPR catch or changeover time, maybe they are too scared of losing
access to the fruit buns.
Had a very interesting wildlife encounter yesterday when the fog
dissipated a little, the bridge team reported a Skua engaged in a dog
fight with two smaller sea birds. The interesting bit is that Skuas are
not usually seen this far out in the Southern Ocean, at 1500nm off any
land. Beyond this, just a couple of smaller seabirds who move to fast to
identify. With just over 1000nm to go to Hobart and the sun shining we
should hopefully start to see a bit more birdlife.
A very interesting development on the Dessert War front, last night Ken
employed some psychological warfare tactics. At the outset he said that
the simple rice pudding on offer was not meant as an offensive weapon
but the result of a request from Don the ship's First Engineer. He
stated, and this is a direct quote, "Its not my favourite recipe. Just
something I knocked up for Don." Was this the old 'under promise over
deliver' tactic or a strategically placed smoke screen meant to force
the judging panel off target? At the same time Kate let fly with a well
timed and executed accusation that Ken's dessert had originated in a
can! These caterers are absolutely ruthless with each other and this war
is certainly getting down and dirty, when these type of sledging tactics
are employed. As they say the proof was definitely in the pudding, and
the judging panel, armed with low expectations, were taken by surprise
by this simple but non-the-less scintillating gastronomic delight.
Although not the planet cracking performance needed to remove Kate's
Torte from the top spot, it kicked the crepe out of fourth spot! Well
done Ken!
The major 'highlight' of today, is making sure our footwear, that was
used in Antarctica is cleaned in preparation for arrival in Australia
and ensuring we are meeting our quarantine requirements. Starting to
make it feel a lot like we are getting closer to home time....
All aboard, not currently sleeping, are enjoying the break in the
weather and their first dose of gamma rays and vitamin D in what seems
like an eternity.
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.