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Our run of mostly favourable weather has come to an end! We awoke this morning to light snow, with the decks of the Amaltal Explorer covered.
Throughout the day the wind has increased and conditions are such that it is now not possible to launch the Remora. We expect these conditions to continue for the next 24 -48 hours. We are presently tracking whales acoustically north of the fraying ice edge.
On the science front, last night was pretty amazing. After the previous stirep was sent, we happened upon an area of ocean with fin whales in abundance - threre were whales blowing in all directions, similar to the sort of stories told by the early whalers. The reason was the abundance of krill near the surface - at one stage the observers counted in excess of 90 fin whales in the immediate vicinity. As we progressed through the mob, we happened upon a blue whale we had been tracking on and off with acoustics.
After a short chase we attempted to take a biopsy from the bow of the ship - Professor Paul Ensor managed to get a dart away, but it was thought to have missed its target. However, on recovery a skin biopsy had been captured, so a big success.
The Acousticians have begun naming the whales they are tracking, presently if you are a member of the Rock Band U2, then you have a blue whale named after you. They will be getting around to teenage daughters in due course.
Until tomorrow,
Regards Chris, Margaret, and the VWhales Team
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.