V6 sitrep – Tuesday, 07 March 2023

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This morning we awoke to cries of 'land!'. We could tell it was Tasmania from the weather alone; wild winds and rain lashed the deck one minute, followed by sun and rainbows, followed by wind and rain, then sun and rainbows... The rain finally stopped when we were passing Bruny Island. Expeditioners immediately headed outside to call their friends and family with this new wonderful amazing thing called phone coverage (the walls of the ship are so thick that we cannot get cell service inside). The rest of the day will be spent cleaning rooms, packing bags, returning borrowed items, and using the internet. Tonight, we will have our final 1900 meeting before celebrating Troy's birthday with a Mississippi mudcake. We will also give special thanks to Captain Brandon and his crew. Dr Maddie has drawn a lovely card, signed by us all, which we will present to the crew.

AIVIQ will tie up at the wharf at 0800 tomorrow. This will therefore be the last Sitrep for Voyage 6. It has been a wonderful voyage. Here is a quick summary of the key events:

•   25 January – 8 March. 42 days at sea;

•   5 x ARGO floats deployed; 1 x whale mooring deployed; 2 x KOMBI moorings retrieved; 1 x unsuccessful KOMBI mooring deployment (but KOMBI recovered and will be re-deployed next season);

•   684,990L of SAB (Special Antarctic Blend) diesel fuel delivered to Mawson Station. Mawson now has 1,180,100L of SAB (94.6% full);

•   Wintering personnel changed over at Mawson Station. Summering personnel retrieved from Davis Station;

•   Critical cargo discharged to Mawson and Davis Stations;

•   Seabird nest science supported near Mawson Station;

And…

•   Six birthdays celebrated;

•   15 new Southern Ocean Sea Dogs anointed by King Neptune;

•   One Southern Ocean storm survived (bar a couple of walkabout containers);

•   11kg of coffee and an inconceivable amount of chocolate consumed;

•   Every expeditioner ashore at both Mawson and Davis.



A special thanks to Jeff and Mick for putting up with countless planning meetings, to Maddie for saving our science, to all our Watercraft Operators for transferring people, cargo, and the fuel hose ashore, to Rockstar Mick for outshining us all with his work ethic and kindness, to our dedicated Dr Kev and his daily health reports, to the ingoing and outgoing expeditioners for their enthusiasm, involvement, and photos of penguins, and to the wonderful AIVIQ crew for their warmth and hospitality. Although all excited to be back on land, we will miss our Big Blue American home.

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.