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On the bridge, above the MET desk commandeered by voyage managent during resupply hangs a collection of colourful balloons left over from the Chief Mate's birthday celebration. Since that auspicious occasion they have been repurposed, each now featuring - in black marker – a remaining milestone of the voyage. Six were hanging there this morning and this afternoon only four remain. 'Trawl Deck' and 'Heli Deck' (both blue balloons) were gleefully popped by the DVL with the ship's protractor once both locations on the ship were fully discharged and then stowed.
4 more balloons remain, hanging ever more precariously as the tempo of RTA cargo transfers continue through this evening. Less a milestone than the end of an era (although squeezing her into the tweens was a feat of stowage), 'Priscilla', the passenger workhorse of more than a decade between Wilkins and Casey was today retired from service to begin her Northwards journey. For many, 'Priscilla' the bus is part of their first memory of Antarctica, ferrying them to and from Wilkins runway to station, to and from their Antarctic experience.
For us on the ship, it is all too easy to associate Casey with resupply, neglecting to acknowledge all of the many other operations and activities being undertaken by the expeditioners on station simultaneous with resupply. Time spent on station is a very good remedy for this. Moving from the wharf where cargo teams work with calm efficiency to arrange, prepare and load RTA cargo and Hagglund taxis arrive to collect passengers, you drive past big trucks ferrying cargo to station, and the boatshed where shoreside watercraft operators are moving fuel and boats between the shed and the wharf. A walk around station itself reveals project staff hard at work on remediation and supply services projects, infrastructure teams conducting general maintenance and project work, diesel mechanics tending to vehicles and generators alike, not to mention the host of other work groups including catering, IT, communications, medical, Bureau of Meterology, and operations staff engaged in the business of general station function and support to ongoing field and aviation operations. This is just to name a few.
The demands on station other than resupply make this season's Casey team all the more remarkable for their approach to the resupply. Professional and good humoured, we have enjoyed working with them and will continue to do so for as long as there remains RTA containers on the wharf, a big orange ship in the bay and balloons hanging above our desk space.
Regards,
James, Anthea and Gemma.
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.