poletopole

Ship's Position at 12:00:

• 57°03.1' S 87°00.9' E
• Course 38°; Speed 15.8 kts
• Air temperature 5°C; Wind 12 kts; Direction 300°
• Weather: Cloudy; Visibility 8
• Distance covered past 24 hours: 362.2 nautical miles

A very, very quiet day on the ship today.I see hardly anyone around all day long. Either the partying was more decadent than it appeared or the ship's rolling is thinning the ranks. We reach 10 degrees regularly now, lolling in the swell. The icebreaker has a rounded bottom, the better to handle the ice, which is not too suitable for long ocean trips.
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Ship's Position at 12:00:

• 66°25.1' S 73°16.6' E
• Course 0°; Speed 15 kts
• Air temperature 1°C; Wind 12 kts; Direction 40°
• Weather: Cloudy; Visibility 7
• Ice Cover: 6/10
• Distance covered past 24 hours: 227.7 nautical miles

On leaving Davis Station, the ship immediately turned northwards to begin the week-long journey to Perth at the highest speed practicable. There was some compensation in the weather, which held good; the low sun turned the ice pack lavender, rose, and gold and despite thin cloud (the better to show the colors), a similarly tinted half-moon was visible above the ice. The sunset-sunrise lasts for hours with no definite beginning or end; it looks at 2:00 much as it did at 00:30.

We're obviously not going anywhere near the Shackleton Ice Shelf, which makes this voyage much less than a "semi-circumnavigation of Antarctica". D is disappointed. I cannot understand how the itinerary was arranged to be so tight that so little time to actually see Antarctica has been available. No allowance was made for bad weather or unfavorable conditions.

The schedule lists today as an expedition day, but that's not going to happen: for the last time this trip, the Zodiacs are lifted from the bow deck with the cranes, motored to the stern, and lifted onto the helicopter deck to be tied down for the crossing to Australia. The helicopters' rotors have been removed and the helicopters rolled into their hanger and strapped down also. The bartender, Debby, has been working for days on securing the storerooms, and today she's even more busy today getting the last of the stocks safely stowed.
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Ship's Position at 12:00:

• 67°15.6' S 76°07.0' E
• Course 75°; Speed 14 kts
• Air temperature 4°C; Wind 12 kts; Direction 100°
• Weather: Fine; Visibility 10
• Ice Cover: 9/10
• Distance covered past 24 hours: 297.3 nautical miles

Today we haven't done very much except putt along through ice and then through open water, back south-eastward toward the last-chance activities mentioned yesterday. With the small wrinkle that we've arrived within helicoptering distance of Amery Ice Shelf at 20:30 instead of in the afternoon, with the ship making slow progress now in pack ice too far from the ice shelf to allow even a brief landing (very disappointing), which makes for a late night. Here's the schedule for the next few hours:
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Ship's Position at 12:00:

• 67°15.4' S 65°68.9' E
• Course 280°; Speed 15 kts
• Air temperature 4°C; Wind 14 kts; Direction 270°
• Weather: Sunny, fine; Visibility 10
• Ice Cover: 8/10
• Distance covered past 24 hours: 201.6 nautical miles

I have meant to mention that we left the Cosmonaut Sea sometime on 24 December. Now we're in the Cooperation Sea. Among its features are Pingivin Island (ED)(Existence Doubtful), which is noted in fine purple ink on the chart. The handwriting seems to be that of the mapmaker who did the 2005 revision (footnote at bottom). The Antarctic map is sprinkled with (ED) notations, and historically the region has been a haven for land of dubious authenticity.

This morning the ship has reversed direction. Heavy ice pack was encountered at 01:00 last night on the way to Amanda Bay and the expedition staff and captain decided to try again for Auster Rookery. The distance is not great and on this pass no time is wasted on difficult passages, and also the pack ice has shifted a bit. The helicopters begin carrying passengers over at 13:00 (the staff have already gone to set up landing area, walking paths, etc.). The passengers are organized into five helicopter landing groups, which rotate in order of going; as luck would have it my group is last today. This is a good thing because the last flight back will be at 21:30, and we'll have long shadows and evening light for photography.
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Ship's Position at 12:00:

• 67°22.7' S 66°22.5' E
• Course 104°; Speed 15 kts
• Air temperature 1°C; Wind 20 kts; Direction 60°
• Weather: Snow; Visibility 3
• Ice Cover: 0/10
• Distance covered past 24 hours: 125.1 nautical miles

We are out of the ice at the moment, but still at the whim of the weather!

This grey-white morning hardly seems the same planet we were on yesterday: the ship's in the fast ice some miles from the Auster Rookery of emperor (and I think Adelie also) penguins. Thick clouds muffle the sky and deaden color. At 05:30 a wake-up call alerts us to the chance for an "ice walk" in other words a chance to walk on the solid ice. The "Polar Plunge" planned for the morning was canceled, as there was no (reliably) safe access to the water. A scant handful of Adelie penguins were hunkered down; one or two padded around, looking for other penguins and settling next to them when they found them. I was told that there'd been emperor penguins around earlier — later I learned this meant at 4:30 in the morning!

I walked across the snow-covered ice, breaking the wind-sculpted snow crust just a couple of times. Under the crust, the snow is soft and dry. Two very narrow ice-blue, deep-blue cracks crossed the flagged path, not wide enough to be dangerous. The clouds were thick and low and when I turned to look back at the ship the band of sky above the water (and glaciers) and below the clouds was copper colored.
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Ship's Position at 12:00:

• 65°39.2' S 61°03.8' E
• Course 180°; Speed 13 kts
• Air temperature 4°C; Wind 24 kts; Direction 110°
• Weather: Cloudy; Visibility 8
• Ice Cover: 6/10
• Distance covered past 24 hours: 224.3 nautical miles

Today's travel alternated between leads of open water and heavy, resistant ice that had to be rammed and broken. The ice looked often to have a thick layer of snow on top, adding weight. More birds, seals, and penguins are around; the birds soar around the ship, hoping it's a fishing boat; the seals lift their heads but don't move unless they're immediately threatened by its passage (the jostling of the floes can tip them!); and the penguins, which generally seem to be asleep, are often startled as the ship bears down on their resting place.( Read more... )

If anyone can find a pattern on the web for crocheting a penguin (Adelie or gentoo best), please forward.

The passengers were called to a briefing at 19:00 this evening, where we were shown an image received today from Mawson Station. It's a satellite photo of the ice cover in the area. The Khlebnikov has backed out of the 9/10 and >9/10 area it couldn't proceed through earlier and is now skirting it in 6/10 to 8/10 ice or near-open water just on the edge of the 6/10 to 8/10 area. Prevailing winds from the east meant that the ice pack will only get denser — it would have taken us 2 days to go about 60 nautical miles to Proclamation Island, and likely 2 days to get out. So the plan now is to continue skirting this ice, to proceed through the heavy ice for about a day to a large open polynya near Mawson on the edge of the fast ice. Fast ice is ice frozen onto land; it's impassable. This polynya is still a long distance from the station and Auster Rookery, the emperor penguin rookery on which all hopes are now fastened. I'm not sure how they plan to handle landings as it looked far for helicopters.

So, two more days ice travel. Arrival at or near Mawson around 23 December.

Mawson Station is VERY EAGER INDEED to have us in ANY TIME THANK YOU because they haven't had visitors in 18 months. The installation of windmills to generate power there means that they no longer get an annual supply ship, as diesel fuel is delivered only every two years. Staff changeovers and minimal incremental supplies can be helicoptered in from the ship that goes to Davis, and have been done for this year. But the longer supply schedule means they have no fresh food. Stringent Australian Antarctic regulations probably forbid us from giving them any, too. The only reason they're not out of beer is that they brew their own.

Conditions around Davis Station are not known now; on the satellite image Mawson sent, there is cloud cover so the surface is not visible.

The staff are hoping to break up the day with helicopter sight-seeing rides tomorrow, weather permitting.

Ship's Position at 12:00:

• 65°58.8' S 41°09.3' E
• Course 0°; Speed 11 kts
• Air temperature 1°C; Wind 14 kts; Direction 40°
• Weather: Cloudy; Visibility 5
• Ice Cover: 8/10
• Distance covered past 24 hours: 262.6 nautical miles

Today was a sluggish day for just about everyone. We do have a prospect of activity tomorrow afternoon at Proclamation Island, though, and from the remarks I hear many people are counting on that happening. The highlights were a showing of 90° South, Herbert Ponting's film about the Scott expedition and the installation in the lounge area of Christmas trees, lights, and so on. Some of the elements of decoration are excellent and some are not so good — the windows have been adorned with bows, garland, and other things, so it is not possible to unfasten and open them to get a quick photo off the bow. There is not enough ice and snow outside; fake snow has been sprayed on the windows, too. (I hope whoever had this idea misses a really good whale photo due to the decorations.) The large and small artificial trees are all fastened pretty securely, but the gold glass balls in the window wells do not seem appropriate — for one thing, during the evening meal drinks pitchers are put there — and television in the quiet and cozy library area is 100 percent bad idea. At the moment it is showing something about prehistoric monuments. TV kills sociability; no one will talk or read there now.

I wonder whether I still have a TV-B-Gone in my bag...
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Ship's Position at 12:00:

• 66°26.5' S 31°16.5' E
• Course 150°; Speed 9 kts
• Air temperature 2°C; Wind 26 kts; Direction 110°
• Weather: Cloudy; Visibility 5
• Ice Cover: 8/10
• Distance covered past 24 hours: 257.8 nautical miles

The Antarctic map is strewn with historical oddities. Today we are in the Cosmonaut Sea.

Brunch on the bow was a chilly event. The ship halted during the hour and a half or so that it took, and had to be repositioned midway through as the wind shifted and drove diners indoors rapidly. Some returned after the ship's change of placement was announced; still, a great deal of corned-beef hash was left over. Light snow swirled as scrambled eggs, sausages, minute steaks, the hash, and cream of wheat were served hot, and cereals, baskets of breads, and fruit were served increasingly cold. It was plainly too early in the day for beer, as the hot chocolate urn was repeatedly emptied while the mini beer keg's tender advertised its readiness to serve but found no takers.
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Ship's Position at 12:00:

• 65°39.7' S 11°42.6' E
• Course 90°; Speed 10-14 kts
• Air temperature 5°C; Wind 10 kts; Direction 120°
• Weather: Fine; Visibility 10
• Ice Cover: 9/10
• Distance covered past 24 hours: 314.1 nautical miles

Last night the cloud cover rearranged itself enough for a colorful sunset to be visible underneath. Clouds too thick for much color above. The sun sets very slowly as we are so far south it is "moving" along a low diagonal. At this season it dips below horizon and rises again about two hours later. I stayed up until 1:30 or so taking pictures, and came in only because it was so cold; it wasn't especially windy (10 kts). I'm told the higher humidity here makes it seem colder at a higher temperature.

2 weeks on the KK this morning. 08:30 to breakfast; full staff occupying bench/table I usually sit at. Informal coffee mtg, looks like. At 09:00 staff go outside for "wildlife/ice watch" on the bow. A few minutes later A looks out and remarks that there are more staff than passengers on the bow: more blue jackets than yellow. I snap a photo...

After breakfast, helicopter rides!( Read more... )