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Yesterday we resumed cargo operations and quickly cleared the remaining containers from the top decks of the vessel. Then it was time to open the hatches and see what horrors awaited us in the 'tween decks. There are two levels of holds in the Aurora Australis. The tweens is the upper hold and is typically where we place cargo that won't fit into a container and therefore requires additional protection from the elements. There are usually lots of nasty items of odd lengths that can take quite a bit of time to rig and manoeuvre. There is a local name for this type of package but our Deputy Voyage Leader insists on the more formal term "Break Bulk Cargo". The tweens are also where we typically store vehicles and on this voyage, we had a JCB loader, a Hagglunds and a tracked quad bike.
Once the tweens are cleared, it's time to pull up the floorboards (each floorboard weighs 7 tonnes) and reveal the "Lowers". These are the bottom most holds in the ship and they are rarely seen by passengers as they are usually only open for a day or so as cargo is taken out and return cargo put back in. In the forward lower hold, the curved outlines of the ship's bow can be clearly seen and this hold is a little narrower as a result.
Once lowers are full, the lids are put back on and stacking the tweens begins. Let's see how far we get. We have switched from 12 to 8 hour cargo operations now to give everyone some respite from the relentlessly good weather that we have been experiencing ever since we arrived here. Today both frost bite and sunburn are possibilities if you're not careful .
Lloyd and Andrew
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.