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As expected the winds did increase overnight however we were tucked safely in the lee of the island doing our nightly laps off the coast. We didn't really feel the effects, though we could hear the wind whistling through the masts, antennae and towers of ship. Mike the DVL (Deputy Voyage Leader) has been itching to say "The chickens are back in the coop".as this did cause quite a bit of excitement on board today. After our weather window failed to eventuate yesterday we all awoke to much better visibility and once the windspeed dropped a bit we were able to bring the helicopters out to the ship, one by one to prepare them for the journey home. Once on the helideck each machine had its blades and stabliser taken off before being tied down in the hangar. It doesn't seem like that long ago that we had just arrived and were taking them out ready to fly in to the island, but now all four helicopters are again in the hangar ready to go home.
As today was a slower day on deck Mike has finally had time to collate and check the many many pages of cargo manifests and lists of dangerous goods (DG's) that he has been clutching for days. Dangerous goods such as chemicals and fuels cannot be stored in the same space and the ship must be aware of what is where. This week we discharged 162 loads of cargo ashore and have reloaded 160 loads back to the ship as well as constantly moved people and their baggage to and from shore. The weather tomorrow looks like it will offer a well earned rest to the crew of the Aurora Australis, our Helicopter Resources crew and the AAD Operations Team as the forecast promises to bring high wind speeds. The weather on our path home is even worse so we are all content to be hunkered down here in the lee of the island until this weather passes us by.
REGARDS: Nicki and Mike
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.