Island bound

lat: 62 52.13S

New Year’s celebrations had only just ended when we were told that night shift was beginning again that night as we were departing for the buoy run! So here we are, second night in, after finally getting sleep during the day after holding matchsticks in our eyes for our first shift and smiling as the sun dips in a perpetual sunset and rises again in a sunrise. As we crossed out of the Polar Circle, a line in the clouds that have just formed seemed to mark end of Neptune's kingdom and the start of the High seas.

Watching the icebergs is like watching one of the last tree fellows, worn and weathered and incredibly wise, sailing on one last, lost journey.

Something happened tonight that almost made Seb, our team leader, jump over board! Remember we inexplicitly lost two UCTD's on the way down? We had another probe flown down to us, and started using it today. After running 4 dummy runs the actual underway UCTD was dropped into the water, as it descended below the surface, a seal rose up next to it and swam towards it with an open mouth as though it was about to eat it! Before diving below the line! If we had lost the UCTD to a seal, NOBODY would have believed us!

I saw a whale today! I was standing on the deck staring at to sea when there was a swoooah and a whale surfaced 2m from the ship! it was incredible.  I think it was a pygmy right whale.

The birds too are accompanying us, trailing in our wake and soaring off our flank.

Walking with Giants

Wednesday 29th December 2010
Lat: 70 12.44S

Today we walked with giants. Surrounded by swirling snow we have crept for ages through valleys of sulking giants, today the clouds lifted, allowing us to truly see where we were, to raise our heads and stare in wonder at the halls we have been allowed into and to hold council with the leaders of the ice.

SA Bukta is truly beautiful. The Antarctica dome slopes up from the top of the ice shelf, disappearing into the clouds as though it rises up forever.

 We have two snowman standing on the boat now. After days of snow continuously covering the deck, snow covered layers of ice and sludge have turned the deck treacherous. The snow crystals themselves are beautifully crafted with the cold and one cannot get over staring at them in wonder as they snuggle into your jacket.

The weather is promising to clear tomorrow, which should allow the overwinter team to fly to the base. Their bags left on the Cat train before Christmas, leaving them with one change of clothes - they are looking forward to following their possessions.

That was a few hours ago and having just trudged inside that forecast is starting to look extremely optimistic. We are in swell (as we are surrounded by ice that is quite impressive), have white horses dancing around us, feel like we are in a blizzard and have been banned from venturing outdoors. The tubing of our incubators froze today as the temperature plummeted to -20'C (with wind chill, it is summer after all!). A few hours time is predicted to see temperatures of -10'c (without the gale force winds stirring up). I won't lie, it's feeling distinctly cold right now.

Being outside all bundled up makes one feel like some ancient nomadic Viking on a long ship in the North Sea.

Merry Christmas!

Lat: 70 02.50S

The ship brought out all the stops this year. We have a tree on the bridge, in the lounge, in the dining hall, in our lab AND in the engine control room! We had a proper Christmas lunch with crackers, hats and excellent food. We dressed up both for Christmas eve (cocktail dresses and collared shirts) and today, and received a special thanks from the captain for the effort. As we were working yesterday they kept the dining hall open later for us for supper. We also sent Christmas presents to everyone who has gone out of their way to help us in the last few weeks, and the bridge sent us all presents too :-).

We had such good weather for offloading that we have finished already and are now sitting at SA Bukta to offload the fuel and fly the teams out to the SANAP base. But the weather closed in and we are getting hit by another cold front tomorrow, which means everyone but the drivers are still on board. Six of the SANAE 49 guys (last year's team) arrived on the last of the good weather days and are now spending Christmas with us. It is amazing to see them again - they all look slightly mad with long hair and wavy beards.

We were also visited by the Captain and Head Scientist of the Polar Stern. The Captain towers above our tallest driver (all of whom outstrip the rest of us). They invited us to a goodbye party on the ice before they left, but unfortunately the wind changed direction pushing the ice back up the shelf so we couldn't get back to the shelf to join them. They circled us on their way out instead. Our captain says he wants to be an icebreaker when he grows up. They have a scientific team of 55! We have 14! They are doing some unique work on whales, birds and this thermo-thing to track them.

The Polar Stern did break break up the ice for us, but even so, we could not reach the shelf as the broken pieces were flowing and we could not risk it building up against us while we offload. So we sailed to the other side of the bay just so that a polyna would open, laughing at us as we disappeared (so we sailed back to that!). We did see some Weddell seals while packed on the other side of the bay.

Today the penguins swam in full force towards us, and we have been fortunate enough for them to steer some of their towering colonies towards us as we haven't seen many huge icebergs up close. This made today extra special.

It is so cold that all around us ice is forming on the water surface, we glide through it sending ripples through a solid surface.

Ice and Initiation

Monday 20th December 2010
Lat: 70 24.95S

We are at the ice shelf! Can you believe it? This time last year we were still battling through the high seas! And on Christmas day we were stuck in the ice! I cannot believe the difference weather conditions make to such an expedition. Neptune has truly been kind to us, our seas have been calm and only a few lines of ice marched out to meet us before we entered a polinya. Looking at the satellite imagery - if we had had to aim west of Penguin Bukta we would be battling through fields of thick ice.

There is pack ice around the ice shelf, so we are waiting for the Polar Stem to meet us and break through the ice for us so that we can offload into the shelf. He (an icebreaker, therefore male) should arrive tomorrow.

Initiation occurred today. Having been given my dose of initiation last year, and hence carrying immunity, I acted as paparazzi - and for my pains came a cropper on the deck, twice. Thank you to the padding of polar gear! I never thought I'd ever say this, but I think I prefer being initiated than watching it happen to others.  But the general camaraderie was there and the build up with the bears (Neptune's minions) entering the boat the night before was fantastic. The crew retaliated by all locking their doors - unfortunately for them, Neptune has access to the master key. They were softer on everyone this year (both male and females were submerged fewer times than the equivalent of last year's). Both the sea and air temperatures were also warmer and you couldn't see any ice. The mood of the entire ship was lifted as everyone recounts (and exaggerates) their experiences. Now, having crossed the polar circle, we are all truly in the same boat.

Life Aboard

62 37.59S
Temp: -0.1'C

And we rise to new heights. One of my team members (Izzy) has been personally banned by the Captain from one, running on deck and two, walking on deck by herself. She managed to fall twice in front of the Captain.

It snowed all night! The entire ship was covered with inches of snow icing waiting to be rolled and thrown! The rolling assault of ice flows continue to bare down on us and the icicles lengthen.

We celebrated our graduation last night. We made our hats. A different colour for each person (mine was organge) attached to a orange Bennie with a special (apple and cinnamon) teabag dangling as the hat string. "The Nutcracker" was playing as we were lead into the bar and fed drain cleaner (cheap tequila).

We set fire to the ship today. We blew the plugs in our front lab...with smoke and flames. I'd like to point out that I was at the back playing with snow and it wasn't my plug.

We've organised Christmas presents for some of the crew who really go out of their way to help us out (the hoodies I mentioned earlier), so we set about wrapping them last night - with tissue paper and psychedelic spray paint we created a whole range of neon Christmas wrapping.

Thar She Blows

Friday 17th December 2010

59 23.45
Temp: 0.6'C

I walked down the gangplank of The Agulhas in February having left a part of myself drifting on ice. I swore then that I would love to return to Antarctica. And here I am. With the first line of the ice that grated against the ship this morning I felt my heart soar, I laughed as the first snow fell at the same time and as the icicles formed on the railings. Unlike last year, the ice has formed on the deck.

We discovered what happened to that deepening low pressure system. We are in it, you can see it clearly from the barometer, but the ice has absorbed the sea's energy, buffering us from what should be a huge swell. Instead we are in swirling cloud, flurries of snow, rocking our way South.

We have slowed right down, gently navigating through ice and mist. The first whales were sighted yesterday, both killer whales and a humpback whale. Unfortunately I had to see them through evidence of someone else's lenses.

The boot washing ceremony occurred yesterday to clear all our land equipment of seeds and bacteria, and the helicopter pilots are talking of the first flight. I cannot believe how fast we have reached the polar circle and the difference good weather makes to one's travel time.

A False Alarm

Thursday 16th December 2010
59 23.45
Temp: 0.6'C

Neptune is truly looking after us. After battening down the hatches the storm on the satellite imagery turned into 8m swell with a period so large that we gently skated through the seas. The 3am sunrise brought snow petrels and the knowledge that the ice was close.

The ice has rushed to welcome us this year, with scattered individuals followed by lines of curious growlers already flocking to the ship. The fog closed in today and with it a silent blanket of peace descended. One can almost see the ships of distant past sailing on our flank and past souls lost to the seas swirl around us, keeping us safe in our passage to Neptune's domain. Sitting watching the waves through the mist, once could see figures rising and falling, standing to watch us before turning away to be replaced by another.

We lost another UCTD the other evening, a period of mourning followed before we could look towards the sun again. In answer to the question, this affects the entire cruise, however it doesn't affect my project directly. We are having another flown in to us at the ice. What does affect my project is the early presence of growlers. The Fe fish doesn't like these little blocks of ice and had to be pulled onboard before she started fighting with them.

I was pleasantly surprised today. My block of halva turned out to be a block of nougat instead.

The first timers are getting nervous for the initiation which should be in the next day or two.

The Caveat

Wednesday 15th December 2010

The wild lonely sea and sky bit of the voyage is what I enjoy too - if I am above deck. We are now gearing up for tomorrow's storm and I am honestly looking forward to it! Some wild weather is always exciting.

I do not think one ever truly switches to night shift. Last night's low was a true indicator of that. The last place in the world I wanted to be was here, and I could not think of a single reason why I wasn't sitting at home. Summer has gone into mourning because I am not there to celebrate it or its fate - that's why you are having such lousy weather.

The Darker Side

Wednesday 15th December 2010

Yesterday, a mixture of nightshift, exhaustion and things going wrong began to take its toll, and all my demons started to rise. I sat staring into my own darkness and wondered if I was ready for this trip.

I woke up tonight feeling as down after spending the entire night dreaming with bad dreams. So I went to the monkey deck. The clouds have descended on us and we are moving with the swell giving an eerie sensation fo staying still, totally engulfed in a damp grey blanket. The surreal nature of standing there woke me up, battered down my inner grey as life once again flowed through my freezing veins.

Tomorrow we hit that storm. I'm looking forward to it, I know it sounds weird but I'm welcoming getting truly thrown around. I feel we should hit rough weather before the absolute calm of the ice. Such contrasts are part of what makes this area of our earth so truly beautiful.

Teething Problems

Tuesday 14 December 2010

These first few days have been like being lost in a whirlwind. Ceini was taken out by a horrible bug which left us running around picking up the falling pieces - I think I've grown extra invisible arms. My FIRe machine (Flourescence Induction and Relaxation which measures phytoplankton's photophynthestic "health") and I have been swearing at each other and pulling faces behind each other's backs ever since she took a chunk out of my hand (no laughing matter when you are dealing with salt water). I had to reread the instruction manual before we could call a truce - I still need to check today's data to see if the truce has held.

Our incubators are up and running. The helicopter team (some of whom were on last year's cruise) were amazing here. The incubators are placed on the helipad, so after gaining their permission to use the area I arrived with some helping hands from my team to set up the incubators, all of whom went back to their other work (feeling useless) when the helping hands of the heli-team enthusiastically descended to help me.

I have built a tent for myself under one of the benches in the wetlab. This is so I can spike my fertilization experiment without contamination. Set the experiment up last night - and in the process have redesigned the entire system to be more efficient. Raised a few smiles while setting it up - just for those who appreciate me lying on my back in a plastic tent, under a bench covered in dirt, water and duct tape. Years of childhood tent building took over.

We exerted our power as Oceanographers just two hours outside the harbour as we succeeded in bringing The Agulhas to a grinding halt! The Fe fish's winch broke bringing back memories of the nightmares of last year. The ship was stopped to bring it back on board safely.

The most critical accident was the loss of our Underwater CTD (Conductivity Temperature and Density). It's a machine we can cast behind us to measure the physical properties of the water column without stopping the ship. Its rope is meant to withstand extreme Southern Ocean stress. We are sailing in calm seas (2-3m swells). We lost it. With the full brain power of all on board, we have drawn up four possible reasons for the break of the rope of such an expensive piece of equipment:
1.) We hit an oceanography float (which would be funny - losing two pieces of expensive equipment in one cast)
2.) We hit a whale (which would be sad)
3.) We hit a Lochness monster (on its way to visit a distant cousin - we think this is the most likely explanation)
4.) Underwater pirates

On crossing into the Southern Ocean (across the Sub-tropical Front) we did our own ceremony. Seb (team leader) and I organised it as a surprise. After gently coaxing the whole team into the bar and briefly explaining to its inhabitants the significance of the crossing (work starts in earnest here) face paint, water tasting, acceptance of a vial of the front's water and a hoodie occurred. The Southern Ocean's Carbon and Climate Observatory (who we are collecting the data for) organised us hoodies to celebrate the 50th SANAP (South African National Antarctica Program) expedition.

The first few nights revealed a night sky of mythology and a darkness that wrapped around you like a fog, but now night is turning light, with hours of dusk lining inky blackness of crevices encrusted with jewels.

Tonight was beautiful. The first iceberg against the setting sun teased us on the horizon and the wondering albatrosses are now crossing these waters with us. I will always be lost in the wonder of those wings.

I swear I saw our first iceberg of last year again. They are all so unique in shape, to see one looking so familiar suggests an ageing friend.

Half the passengers have been seasick since leaving Cape Town. As we have been having beautiful weather (nothing has fallen off tables yet), I find this hard to understand.

Bon Voyage

Friday 10th December 2010
Leaving this year was definitely much harder than last year. The two hour goodbye ceremony on the quay was long enough. The final song of "It's Time to say Goodbye" was fitting and made me smile in memory of last year's "Titanic" choice.

We are in beautifully calm weather. All energy is being sucked into a very strong low pressure system just south of us. We are hoping it dissipates before we reach it.

Sailing out of Cape Town was distinctly deja vu, though, the receding silhouette of Table Mountain was abruptly cut off as we disappeared below deck to start working. Night shift is currently beautiful, with clear skys and stars that I have never seen before.

The stormy petrels and the sooty albatrosses are slowingly swooping around us with increasing frequency as they come to investigate the Lady-in-Red once again.

These first few days have been hectic as we run from one side to the other of initial problems. But the sun rises, my eyes close and I bid you adieu.