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On the bridge at 6am this morning as the anchor was dropping to the seabed in Buckles Bay the sun glistened off a beautiful looking Macquarie Island. The bottom part of a rainbow even made an appearance on the horizon. It was not to last, the clouds and mist arrived and remained like this for the rest of the day.
The refuelling team went ashore on the first LARC run of the day to begin setting up for refuelling of the station. The ship side of the refuelling operations had been set up yesterday so once the shore set up is complete we wait for the earliest weather opportunity to pump 250,000 litres of SAB (Special Antarctic Blend) diesel ashore. We need good weather for a full day to complete this task.
Two LARCS were in rotation to do cargo operations. Our watercraft operators are well trained and experienced in this operation and a LARC carrying cargo departed the ship approximately every 20 minutes.
Weather conditions deteriorated at lunch time so we called a halt to cargo operations. We are now 'stooging' in the lea of Macquarie Island waiting for the next opportunity to commence operations. 'Stooging' is a term we use for sailing up and down the island.
Some more inquisitive wildlife made an appearance. A cormorant checked out the ship deck and LARC crews, an albatross flew above the deck and king penguins swam around the ship.
REGARDS: Leanne and Anthea
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.