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Yesterday, we finished preparations for catching live krill and then settled back to watch the echo-sounders for a blob that would indicate the presence of a swarm. At 1:40pm (UTC+7) a blob appeared at 40 metres depth and the location was duly marked. By the time we swung the ship around and deployed the trawl net, the location of the blob was under ice and so we prepared to trawl in an adjacent open area. Unfortunately, shortly after the net hit the water, the electronic systems failed and we were unable to open the net. Adding insult to injury; blobs of krill started appearing regularly on the sounders shortly afterwards. We had a definite sense of receiving a good taunting from (almost) the bottom of the food chain.
Somewhat chastened, we are now making our way home. Visibility is poor this morning as we make our way cautiously through the outer bands of sea ice. We are currently transiting north-east over the Gribb bank in about 2100m of water.
The ship is starting to rock slightly now that we are free of the main pack ice; we'd better get used to it.
Lloyd and David
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.