Over the last week, Casey celebrated Midwinter along with all the other Antarctic stations. It is a time to reflect, to enjoy and to relax. The whole team got involved, making it a great few days.
The midwinter swim was on Thursday which was a balmy −7ᵒC day with almost no wind and the water temperature about −1.8ᵒC. The swim hole was cut into the ice earlier in the week. The ice was almost a metre thick and the hole about 1.5m by 1.5m in size. Of the team of 29, 25 made the dip, with two of the team having gone before in previous seasons and the other two just not liking the cold.
The week also saw a huge amount of preparation for our extraordinary feast on Friday night. The food was amazing and the upstairs wallow of the Red Shed was transformed into a beautiful dinner venue.
The amount of replies to the Casey Midwinter celebration from family and friends was greatly appreciated and made for an enjoyable video compilation and the reading of some very inventive excuses on why people could not attend. Also, there was lots of effort and thoughtfulness put in to some marvellous Midwinter gifts that were exchanged on the night.
The weekend also saw an after dinner party, a game or two of inside pitch-n-putt, and a dip in the spa by many. It was a really nice few days to mark the milestone for the team and each of us before looking ahead to the return of longer days and the last few months of our season.
