Macquarie Island welcomes L'Astrolabe and commences resupply.

Voyage four resupply 2016

Resupply voyage four point one (V4.1) finally made it to Macquarie Island Tuesday evening after a couple of delays due to weather, and a bumpy ride on the French ship L’Astrolabe.

It was too late to offload passengers on arrival and too windy on Wednesday morning, so the incoming team made it ashore on Wednesday afternoon and are very happy to finally be here!

Resupply is in full swing with a successful day of refuelling Thursday on a brilliant sunny, almost completely windless day.

Round trippers are busily getting into their project work and everything seems easier when the sun is out.

Friday we continue with cargo transfers over the water via LARC and IRB although, sadly, it looks like the fine weather will leave us.

The local wildlife seem to be completely indifferent to all the additional traffic!

A pink sunrise sky over the boat shed with L'Astrolabe in the background
Watercraft operators, all dry-suited up, being briefed outside the boatshed before commencing operations for the day
Screenshot of current weather conditions showing no wind on the Island
Two gentoo penguins on shore in foreground with l'Astrolabe in background on the water.
IRB team on the water tending the fuel line
Shot of the fuel farm with Macquarie island written across the front and two expeditioners on top monitoring the flow to the tanks,
Shore party ready to help boats land and launch at landing beach.
Shot of station and various activities with fuel line in foreground.
One of the BoM team releasing their hydrogen balloon on a rare windless day — L'Astrolabe on the water in background
Fuel line has reached shore and is being carefully positioned and protected before pumping starts — L'Astrolabe in background.

Want to live and work in Antarctica? Sign up for our expressions of interest mailing list to be the first to know when jobs in Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic open.

The last, last word

A cartoon of a grassy hill with giant words ‘The End’ sitting on it. A seal is flying in the background, being carried by a big weather balloon.

Want to live and work in Antarctica? Sign up for our expressions of interest mailing list to be the first to know when jobs in Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic open.

on