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Today, our first full day of sailing finds the ship shrouded in mist on a calm sea with a light swell, some 300nms from Hobart.
Our embarkation and departure yesterday was a very smooth affair thanks to the efforts of the ship's crew, stevedores, members of the shipping and supply service branches of the AAD, and the expeditioners themselves who arrived to the wharf, bags packed at 0700hs. Once aboard, the morning passed amidst a procession of briefings, inductions, customs checks, and stowing of belongings / lunch, before we emerged back out in the elusive warmth of the Tasmanian summer afternoon to farewell Hobart.
Above the rumble of the ship's engines a lone piper's refrain could be heard farewelling us across the water long after the ship had cast its moorings. His presence on the wharf in full dress uniform, incongruous amongst the hi-vis shirts, shipping containers and summer heat was the result of a chance meeting between his father and several of our expeditioners in Villers-Bretonneux some months ago. For the piper it was the realisation of a long held ambition to serenade the Aurora southwards and for us it gave a sense of occasion for the commencement of our voyage.
Today, with most having found their sea legs, the expeditioners have been busy with further briefings, inductions and operational planning along with the commencement of a number of voyage based science projects, more on those in the days to come.
Regards,
Voyage Management.
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.