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By dawn this morning, the outline of Tasmania's Southern coast could be discerned against a lightening sky by those bleary eyed souls who were up in time to see it, rewarded for their efforts by a striking sunset and the passage of a storm to the South. Into the morning, the AA sailed on to its anchoring point where we have so far passed the day, taking in the summer sun on the helideck in amidst final preparations for disembarking this evening. For many there has been ample time also to reacquaint themselves with social media, the silence of the last month punctuated by the first ring tones and message alerts as we entered reception once again.
Last night, after an excellent presentation by Jeff M on his many seasons working in and around the US station of McMurdo, a good number of the expeditioners and crew filed down into the old bar where our resident composer Gordon H presented the sum of his labours on this voyage, a preview of his composition. Striking in its variety, the piece led us through a soundscape rendering the last four weeks of this voyage in five distinct movements woven around his audio recordings, subtle in parts, but quintessentially 'of' the ship and its environment. It is likely to evoke unique memories for anyone who has had the good fortune to sail on the Aurora these past 30 years and able to attend a rendition of Gordon's finished piece in the coming months. Grateful for the privilege to have heard it previewed here on the ship itself, we wish him the very best in his endeavour.
This evening the ship will berth alongside MacQuarie Wharf No.4 and after customs clearance expeditioners, their friends and family and any crew are invited to attend the arrival ceremony at the Red Shed (16 Evans St) which will formally conclude V2.
We wish to thank all those expeditioners who sailed, volunteered and worked on this voyage, our unflappable supervisory team, the superb crew of the Aurora Australis and the workgroups at Casey Station, Kingston and CBC for their efforts in making this a safe and productive voyage.
To those of you at home thank you for reading, and to those embarking on V3 this week with Andy and Misty we wish you all the very best.
Regards,
James, Brendan and Noel.
(V2 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.