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Yesterday we continued to make slow progress through the heavy pack and as the day went on the weather deteriorated to a point where we had very little visibility as the snow and winds increased. So we turned the ship into the wind and just held the ship in that position. The pack itself is drifting in the direction we want to go, so by just holding position we were able to drift with it. So for very little effort we were able to make progress in the right direction at around 0.7 of a knot an hour.
This morning conditions have eased weather wise, and as the day goes on the clear skies and sunshine are returning. As soon as it was light enough we re-commenced the process of backing and ramming through the pack ice, and again we are making slow but steady progress through it. We are hoping that mother nature will play the game and “open up” the ice a little bit more for us as the day goes on, but no one ever said that ice breaking was going to be easy. This battle won’t be won in the first round, but I’m sure we’ll get there by the 12th!
Whilst most onboard would much prefer to be out of the pack by now, we can’t argue with the fact that it is very spectacular. As is the incredibly large ice berg off our port side at the moment, this berg is an absolute monster.
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.