After a weekend trip to Bache Island, with some sea ice drilling on the way, the team of Mark, Hamish and Guyro set out in earnest for a sea ice proving trip heading 30km out from station towards Taylor Rookery...good work in these temps!
After negotiating their way around several cracks (the cracks radiate from the plateau and form when the flowing ice cap coming from the continent pushes into the sea ice causing fractures) the team was able to plot a course for the Häggs to follow on the weekend.
With ice depths ranging consistently between 70-80cm, and only light patches of sastrugi and a small area of fine rafted ice, we were given the go ahead for a work party to head out to Colbeck Hut for maintenance, then proceed out to Taylor rookery to check on the mounted cameras, and for Brilly and Hamish to get group photos of the emperor colony for counting back at Kingston.
The team is doing a great job out there but looks as though they may get have to spend an extra couple of nights in the hut to avoid a windy day forecast.
All going well, we should see other teams getting off station to visit and maintain other field huts and report on the various stages of breeding in the penguin colonies; which does wonders for morale and reminds you how special the environment and wildlife is down here...and how privileged we few are that get to experience working in this wonderland.
Col Ford, deiso minder and security
(with special thanks to Hamish, the stirling one, for his feedback and pics)
