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Today the expeditioners and crew of the Aurora Australis worked long hours to see over 200,000L of fuel delivered to Mawson Station. Yesterday evening was clear and calm, with the moon still subsiding from its latest 'super-moon' phase, illuminating the frigid waters, white coastline and dark ranges West of the station as the vessel performed a 'racetrack' pattern overnight before arriving off West Arm around 0900 Mawson time this morning.
While the weather was relatively clear upon our arrival, dark snow-bearing clouds were approaching from the East, and within an hour quickly covered the harbour and surrounds – blanketing the Aurora's upper decks and those of the attendant watercraft. In the heavy snowfall, the shores of Kista strait opposite the station rapidly disappeared from our view despite being less than 1km away, and with periodic wind gusts of up to 28 knots the smaller inflatable watercraft hovered in the lee of the vessel or sheltered behind the rocky cliff face of nearby West Arm. While the watercraft were able to find a little shelter in-between running passenger transfers or ferrying lines ashore, several of the vessel's refuelling and mooring team were less fortunate, continuing their work on West Arm despite the trying and chilly conditions.
Setting up mooring lines across the abrasive rocky surface of West arm, as well as securing the accompanying fuel hose, takes considerable concentration - and is worth the effort to get it right the first time - as both ship to shore refuelling and mooring arrangements for a large vessel such as the Aurora are complex and sensitive activities, which could easily go wrong if not conducted carefully. The shore teams, including personnel from Station, did a great job however, and by lunch time the lines were all laid out and secured, ready for an afternoon of pumping fuel. The watercraft teams, who'd been on standby throughout the deployment of the line and hoses, remained on the water to ensure all of the expeditioners were brought back aboard for a break and a meal – and to warm up. A science lab aboard which is currently unoccupied was turned into a makeshift drying room for the clothing and equipment of the watercraft operators, many of whom had been covered in snow for over an hour themselves.
By the time lunch was finished, and final refuelling preparations were underway, the cold front had largely passed – leaving behind it a changed station, with all of the buildings and shoreline painted white by the snow. The peaks of the nearby nunataks remained hidden behind veils of low residual cloud, but the sky had brightened and the wind was steadily dropping. Fuel pumping continued throughout the afternoon, with various personnel situated at key points along the fuel hose monitoring for any potential leaks or problems – including a small team led by one of the station's Field Training Officers (FTO) who regularly inspected a hose link which was situated on the sea ice. To do this safely, the personnel proceeding onto the ice use a special 'rescue platform' which disburses their weight across a much larger area via two large parallel pontoons, and resting on rails above these pontoons – the operator can walk and slide their way across ice – over even water. The platform is also secured to shore by safety ropes and the whole operation is closely observed by the FTO to ensure no-one gets into difficulty.
By 1900 local time (0100 Hobart time / AEST) the voyage Refuelling Supervisor had confirmed that we were approaching the 200,000L mark. In order to ensure the vessel would not be significantly delayed in departing Kista strait overnight, pumping stopped soon afterwards and the reverse of the process to setup the hose and moor the ship was quickly underway. Refuelling activities also demand much from the ship's own crew, particularly the vessel's engineers who are responsible for starting and maintaining the large fuel pumps and associated power supplies to keep the fuel moving. Working in the large engine rooms and engineering spaces in the central and lower sections of the vessel, the engineers' activities are seldom seen and therefore not as immediately visible as those personnel working above decks or on watercraft etc. For such critical activities as refuelling however, the engineers have a central role – so we'd like to recognise their efforts in delivering a great result for Mawson station's fuel stocks today.
Throughout the pack-up, the skies continued to clear over Mawson station and the waters again became still, presenting another spectacular sunset for all lucky enough to be working on the upper decks or outside. Small, localised wind patterns on the lower reaches of the ice plateau brushed snow into the air, or appeared to flow like rivers off the end of glacial tongues. When these snow-rivers were caught between the vessel and the setting sun, they too turned golden and added yet another unbelievably beautiful touch to what was already a mesmerising scene.
The vessel is now at sea again in between the coastline and the edge of the sea ice pack, with everyone aboard no-doubt looking forward to a restful night before we resume the resupply operations in the morning.
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.