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Yesterday afternoon helicopter operations continued until around 1700hrs. We were hoping that we would have a longer day but unfortunately a change in the weather brought things to an end sooner than we would have liked. Still, we were able to transfer ashore 5,311Kg of cargo and 11,050L of SAB. 23 flights from the AAs heli-deck to Mawson occurred yesterday, which was a great effort given the shorter day we had, and it highlights the team on the ship's deck and at Mawson are running a very slick operation.
Once we had the helicopters back in the hanger, we started to move the ship so as to get in a better position to avoid the weather, and to also see if we could get ourselves a little closer to Mawson. We are now parked in fast ice at the southern end of a polynya that is north to north west of Mawson station. This move has paid dividends as we are now only 39nm from Mawson station. This closer range will be a real advantage to us when we are doing helicopter operations. Obviously the closer we are the more flights we can get to Mawson each day.
As forecast, the weather has not been suitable for flying today. Whilst we are hopeful it may clear late this afternoon, in reality that is probably not likely. It is due to clear overnight though and tomorrow is looking like a good flying day again at the moment. The crew have kept busy though re-positioning cargo on the hatch lids ready for the next evolution of cargo operations.
Cheers,
Deepy and Brett
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.