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Whilst underway on a flat calm sea, Christmas celebrations took place yesterday afternoon amongst icebergs. Just after noon, a sumptuous meal prepared by the galley crew with the help of Noel, Zane and other expeditioners appeared like magic on the tables of a decorated mess. Gigantic plates of seafood, fruit and cheese platters, a maze of desserts and various treats were photographed before being devoured. With more than sixty people sitting together, merry conversations took place. Our station refueller Graham played a few harmonica tunes, attracting cheery applauds from all directions.
Santa eventually turned up, this year in a very unusual shape. How can a tall skinny crewman turn himself into a fat jovial Santa ? An inflatable suit is the answer. The distribution of presents took place in the Ship’s library, disguised as a colourful Santa’s grotto for the occasion. The gift ceremony had to be interrupted from time to time to reinflate Santa’s bottom, adding to the hilarity of participants.
Meanwhile, allowing himself only an hour off for Christmas lunch, Rob kept a sharp eye on the biology echo sounder to detect any trace of krill, in the hope he could attempt another trawl. The pack ice is a very dynamic environment: despite being so close to our track on the way down, which looked so promising in terms of krill trawling, the sea ice landscape had changed dramatically and the lack of whales and birds was another clue to the lack of krill. Adding a positive touch, Rob commented after spending many hours servicing the krill labs: ‘it was a great plumbing trip!’
Dessert of the Day: still too many yummy leftovers to review!!
REGARDS: Fred and Kerry
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.