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We have finally arrived at Mawson! It only took 18 days! But it was a fantastic 18 days. As expeditioners get ready to disembark the ship, we hope they do so with fond memories of their time in the Southern Ocean.
Before I talk about the joys of seeing land and signs of human life, however, I will briefly recount the events of yesterday. The last SITREP left the outcome of our KOMBI retrievals in suspense. I am glad to report that all went well and we successfully retrieved both KOMBIs. The first one surprised us when it surfaced upside down. It took three fires and multiple throws of the grapple hook, but we finally caught hold of the retrieval line and craned it on board. The second KOMBI was a dream. The wind and swell had completely died. It surfaced the right way up and only took two fires of the grapple gun to bring inside. The weather was so calm that we were even able to see a whale underwater as it swum within metres of the ship. Once both KOMBIs were on board, we set sail for Mawson. The retrieval of the KOMBIs took eight hours in total. It was a long but successful day.
Many of us were up early this morning watching our approach to Mawson. We are now sitting on Dynamic Positioning right off station and can see Happy Diamond making their way towards us. Jeff, Anthony, and Refuelling Assistant Mick are preparing to head out on to the back deck to set up the ship for refuelling. The ingoing winterers are packing their bags and will be heading to their new home after lunch. The next week or so will be a collaborative effort between Station, AIVIQ, and the Happy Diamond. Happy Diamond is kindly lending us barges and Watercraft Operators to assist with PAX transfer and cargo operations. We will similarly lend our people and assets wherever and whenever we can.
REGARDS: Sam and Anthony
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.