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In the last hour the wind has dropped from 30+ knots to less than 15 knots, as forecast. Overnight the winds peaked at about 50 knots and the ship was covered with a coating of snow and rime ice. We used the time to survey in the moorings we will deploy soon. The western site was already occupied by a large iceberg so we needed to find an alternative home. After some more surveys of the bottom depth and current patterns, we’ve identified a good spot. The mooring deployments should start in the morning; the improvement in the weather should make things much more straightforward. We will still be taking a bit of a punt, because we can’t know for certain where the icebergs will be in two years time, when we come back to recover the moorings. The batteries in the release mechanism last for about five years, so that is our window to get here with a ship at a time when they are not covered by ice. We’ve managed this in the past, and think we have picked some sites that provide the greatest chance we can pick up the moorings again as scheduled, in two years time. The sky has become brighter with the change in the weather, making all the icebergs around us even more spectacular. There are lots of tourists on the decks taking photos of ice and penguins, although for the time being some areas are closed as large chunks of ice fall off and land on the deck with a crash.
Regards
Steve, Fred and Penny
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.