Information
Comments
Today may well have been the ship's last day in open water during its Southward passage. Thanks to the Master and his crew's efforts we have made excellent progress and expect to reach the edge of the ice later this evening.
For those onboard who have never experienced it, there is no small amount of anticipation. For the rest, perhaps we are recalling the first time we saw that thin strip of white on the horizon and the stillness it engendered, both in the dark bluey-grey sea below, and in us.
Today, more briefings and reviews of planning documents, re-energised by the engagement of the water-craft team (aka. the brains trust) in the planning of time-critical aspects of the operation. How will we move 31 French expeditioners in groups from E deck to C deck for a helicopter fly-off ? How long will a roundtrip take in a Kassbohrer polar vehicle? How long does it take to inflate a giant air cushion across a lead in the fast ice.? All these questions and their answers are slowly fermenting away in the E deck conference room.
This evening the expeditioners gathered in the ship's library where a progress update was given on our estimated time of arrival to DDU, somewhere between tomorrow afternoon and sometime late Saturday or beyond.. such is the unpredictability of that old friend of the Aurora, the ice.
In an act of wholesale optimism, voyage management acknowledged the remote scenario of a passenger fly-off tomorrow afternoon by thanking those soon to be departing French expeditioners for their company on the voyage and presenting their 'King Neptune' certificates for crossing 60 (sometime early this morning) along with an AAD cap and badge (#Sachieisqueen).
On we sail, that thin line of white almost visible on the horizon, our French colleagues soon to be united with their colleagues at DDU, and our ship with her old friend the ice.
Regards,
James & Leanne
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.