…and thanks for the 11-20 metre waves ahead.
**This is a placeholder post in case I lose service. If I do then it’s 2 weeks of no internet and social media blackout. This may be brief but I’ll try to update throughout the day – it is a little hectic. So far so good.
The Comms ladies just messaged me and said “omg the weather ahead looks crap – don’t forget to sit down in the shower” – this does not bode well.
Apparently there are massive seas and rough weather in the Southern Ocean at the moment so we will be spinning our maritime wheels a bit before actually heading due South.
Swells this bad can actually damage the ship and pretty much render everyone on board seasick as heck almost instantly.
So here’s the blow by blow for today. So to speak.
8:00am – I’m volun-told that I check in last and instead help people with their super important IT issues that they couldn’t be assed taking care of prior to lining up at a wharf. Ah the joy of IT Support work.
11:45am – Heading out of harbour at 3pm today, we’ve just been given another “do this and you will die” briefing, a last guided tour and then kicked off the ship for our last 2 hours ashore.
The Aurora Australis captain has decided to weather out the rotten Southern Ocean Weather by hiding in the lee of Bruny Island til this wave pattern passes, then plans to duck out quickly in the relatively benign swells before the next series of 11-20 metre waves comes along and knocks the shit out of us.
*This isn’t our ship but a rather large cruise liner that quietly put in overnight.
Although it would be nice, our accommodation is a little more spartan. We are taking the orange one below.
Our ship is an icebreaker, and so has a rounded hull (much like a bathtub) and apparently rides waves in much the same way.
Slices through ice like a hot knife through … ice.
Anyhoo, the Doctors recommendation is for everyone to take anti seasickness medication regardless of experience so I think I might heed the advice.
12:41pm – Just back from lunch and Wharf 2 is packed with wellwishers and seeofferers, kids and mums and dads and grandparents. Theres a general hubbub of nervous excitement and more than few teary farewells as loved ones and Expeditioners, a mix of summerers and winterers, part ways for up to a year.
Isabel is pissed at me. One word responses to my messages and won’t/can’t answer her phone. I couldn’t make it up to see her in Hervey Bay – the flight schedules from Hobart just make it impossible to do it without taking 4 days off and I just couldnt get the time off with the training schedule and timeframe in Hobart.
It’s my fault as I didn’t leave enough time from getting back from the US to get everything sorted out before heading down here and once I got here, not enough time off. Nothing I can do now. Sorry Bella.
Shit. I just realised my passport is on the ship – might be able to sneak on and grab it before Customs come aboard. I’ll continue this a bit later – more to come while I have internet…
2pm – made it aboard, cleared Customs with my water damaged passport ( the Border Force guy went “ Shit this has been through the Wars” but luckily the electronics are still ok) . We just had our first drill – all hands muster with kit and rollcall in the heli deck.
Then back to the cabin to de-kit.
The 4 berth cabin I’m sharing is comfy but close – the next hour or so is stowing gear and settling in before the sendoff. One of the guys has an electric sleep apnia machine that he needs to be able to sleep and live – freakin yay.
Anyway, lucky I brought ear plugs so all is well. It’s only for a few weeks.
We have a view!!! So posh ! This single porthole that should provide an excellent view of the icy green rolling seas that await us outside the protection of Macquarie Point (providing no one spews on it in the meantime).
2.30pm – engines are started and the whole ship is vibrating nicely. It’s a comforting sensation and wholly familiar. Time to explore the ship and get my bearings across the 5 or more decks – like any large vessel it’s a veritable maze of corridors and heavy watertight doors that all look the same.
Best to figure out escape routes early. The shortest route to the lifeboats is always a personal favourite.
**We were all herded aboard a lifeboat during the tour for familiarisation and continually hearing the words sink, drown, hypothermia, die sorta makes you put some contingencies in place in relation to survival at sea.
The lifeboat was good for 6 days for 70 people – it was squeeze with 35.
I’d much prefer it over the immersion suits that we also had to put on – these are thick fully body heavy wetsuit like beasties that will apparently extend our life expectancy in the icy oceans from about 20 minutes to up to 20 hours or so. Yay.
3pm – Just got trained on the nice coffee machine in the galley – now I can make a good espresso on the way down thank God!! Riding a heady caffeine buzz and watching the world go by outside . The Captain just called over the PA “All ashore who aren’t going to Antarctica”, which sent a small cheer through the galley. Outside the porthole, hi-viz oompaloompas are swarming – taking down the gangway.
Almost time!!!!
3.30pm sharp . We are off!! Catch you later folks.
Catch us all on the Aurora Australis webcam at http://www.antarctica.gov.au/webcams/aurora –
Mainly we hang out on the Helo (aft) deck so check it our – pics updated regularly and my plan is to update the blog as often as I can (dependent on access to internet services once I get down South)
Dinner was amazing and the food hearty and healthy rosy pork and vegetable followed by icecream and a chocolate pudding thing…then off to the helicopter deck again to watch the albatrosses swooping and skimming alongside the ship – as the evening fell we had 3 dark skinned mottle-brown dolphins racing us to Bruny Island.
It’s been a long few weeks here and I think it was watching them being simply joyous and alive that finally made me smile.
I’m finally on the way.
** And actually still have 4G phone service so another 3 Gig of TV shows to download thank YOU very much!!! 🙂
Man Down! 