Information
Comments
Clearer skies and sun have accompanied the Aurora Australis much of today as we continue the voyage, with the horizon clearly visible from the upper decks.
The vessel is expecting to encounter heavier swell, wind and wave conditions over the next 24 hours as we approach the edge of the low pressure system situated to our South West, with the regular rolling motion of the ship having increased in the past few hours. Expeditioners have been securing their cabins and personal effects to prevent damage – or the risk of disturbance to fellow expeditioners sleeping in the adjoining cabins overnight – should objects attempt to start a 'voyage' of their own around cabin floors, across desks or within lockers (by way of example, the author of this Sitrep was just struck as the ship rolled over one of the larger swells by a rogue apple, which had freed itself from an adjoining bench to become a healthy-choice projectile).
Despite the changing conditions however, the galley crew of the Aurora Australis continue to look after the needs of hungry expeditioners and crew, serving up a diverse range of tasty meals, with amazing salads, cheeses and fresh fruit platters accompanying an assortment of vegetarian, seafood, pasta and beef or chicken main meal choices. The evening meal also sees the dreaded dessert window open, where an assortment of cake, ice cream, pies and other sweets await.
The first presentation of the voyage was delivered in the ship's cinema at 1900 last night, covering the earlier Southern Ocean and Antarctic exploits of one of our watercraft operators, Ben Tucker. Ben journeyed South across a similar stretch of open ocean to Commonwealth bay in the mid-2000s aboard a comparatively smaller sailing yacht with two friends, and showed an entertaining video of his unique expedition to an envious audience. In between her cargo planning responsibilities, the Deputy Voyage Leader, Dr Frederique Olivier, has also announced the 'Iceberg Sweep' – with expeditioners and crew invited to contribute $1.00 to secure the 10 minute timeslot they believe will see the first large iceberg (of a similar size to the Aurora Australis), come into sight alongside the vessel. The winning timeslot will be judged by the Officer of the watch on duty on the bridge at the time, with half of the proceeds going to the winner and the other half being donated to the ship's charity.
Aurora's Bosun has also invited expeditioners to track him down if they'd like to place a message on the vessel's signboard, which can be seen from the ship webcams accessed through the Australian Antarctic Division's website. For a $5.00 donation to Camp Quality, expeditioners can have their message displayed on the signboard for friends and family.
This evening the vessel will again observe a 1 hour time change, moving to 2 hours behind Hobart local time / AEST. While this affords an extra hour of sleep to those not maintaining watches and keeping the ship safe, those 'round-tripping' back to Hobart will face losing those hours again once we complete our operations at Mawson Station and begin heading back East.
Cheers
Mark & Fred
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.