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.
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