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Winds remained strong overnight and this morning. They did drop for about an hour but have strengthened again. At least they are no longer blowing over 50 knots (93kph). We are still holding out hope that conditions will recede sufficiently to allow the Davis resupply team to come to the ship this afternoon for a meeting. This is a significant meeting that ensures that all are in alignment with how resupply will run and to iron out any finer details or potential kinks in the plan. The forecast for the next 3 days looks good to conduct cargo operations and we are all keen to start.
Each day the Voyage Leader liaises with the DVL, station and the ship to determine operations for the next day. The Daily Ops Plan is then developed and distributed to all and finalised before the start of operations. Basically this is the rundown for the day, it includes coordination meeting times, when operations start, specific cargo movements, when operations cease for the day, personnel moving between ship and shore and lunch break. The lunch break is included as it is an integral part of our fatigue management strategy.
I went to the bridge for coffee at just the right time this morning as 3 orcas were slowly meandering past the ship. 2 of them were males but unsure about the third as it only breached the surface twice in the distance. The dorsal fin of a male orca is tall and triangular in comparison to the female dorsal fin that is smaller and slightly curved. The leading whale had a huge dorsal fin, they can be up to 1.8m tall in males and 0.9-1.2m in females. We were lucky to be in the right spot at the right time. It is a privilege to see these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat.
Cheers
Leanne and Jacob
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.