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Apologies for not having submitted a sitrep for a few days but, as you may know, we have been rather preoccupied. Actually, I had written the sitrep on Wednesday and was just about to hit the send button when it all happened… There’s not room to write the whole story here but let me summarise the main elements
80 knot winds, blizzard conditions, a broken mooring line and a rocky shore.
Well, I told the expeditioners that I would get them ashore at Mawson and I’m evidently a man of my word. We have spent the last two days hunkered down on the vessel fortified by some of the best food to be found in this corner of the world.
This morning, after two days of bad weather, we evacuated all of the remaining expeditioners to Mawson Station due to the uncertainty of what might happen when the ship moved off the rocks. Each person was allowed to take their emergency gear plus a 15kg bag to keep them going until alternative transport can be organised. The process went smoothly starting at 9:00am and ending by 10:30am. Those stuck at Mawson had about 30 minutes to come onto the vessel and grab their essentials before going back to the station.
The decreased wind allowed the ship to be eased off the rocks and, flanked by the ever faithful jet barge and the AA2 workboat, we exited from the harbour at 1:42pm. As the ship swung around, I was surprised to see 5 penguins sitting on the hill looking across at us on the bridge. Penguins are a common sight from the Aurora Australis but rarely are they seen at bridge level.
Our concern was a fuel leak and this looks to have been groundless as we spent a good period of time looking for any sign of pollution and found none. A marine pollution management plan was in place in the event that there was a leak. We will now continue to stay to the north of Kista Strait, well away from the local penguin colonies, taking a good, hard look at ourselves.
Thanks to Jenny and the team at Mawson for taking in our strays. But I’m afraid that I shall henceforth consider Mawson as a station best viewed from a distance.
Lloyd
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.