Heading North… (Written on Jan 17, 2014)
Icebergs are spectacular due to their unique shapes – another one fills the frame!
Photo credit M. Jenner
In the whiteness of the Antarctic ‘night’ Curt, Dale and Simon with support from Rob and Sam, hid Whale Song behind a huge iceberg dodging ice floes and a mobile ice fence in the horizontal snow. The trackline on the computer is an interesting mix of squiggles parallel to the monster berg. By 3 am the wind had eased to 20-25 knots with the passing of a ‘garden variety’ low to the north, one of many and at 0445 we were able to make way to the west, away from the ‘protection’ of the iceberg.
Resty prepared delicious French toast for everyone for breakfast, which as always, was well-received! After breakfast, Curt consulted his daily emails from the BOM and Antforecasters. At 0940, Captain Curt made the decision to head north from the Antarctic to find available weather windows for the transit. We were now making for home… Our position was 630 56.6 S 1150 42.5 E when we turned. Literally, we did a hand-brake turn to starboard or we ‘hung a Ralph’, you could say! We almost reached Cape Poinsett from which, just to the west is the Australian Base, Casey Station.
The transit south was 9 days, we have had 9 days at the ice edge and will now have another 9-10 to transit home, all in the plan… In the fog and light rain heading north, there is a mixed atmosphere. Relief emanates from Resty, he needs to get home to his newborn baby boy (2 days old!) and sheer relief from the engineers that we can make water more easily and the fuel is not so sludgy but… deep-down I am a little sad, this is a terrifying beautiful place. It will chew you up and spit you out, but it is addictive and a lovable rogue, all at once. I was hooked all those years ago, twenty in fact, and now remember the deep down fascination it engendered. It is such a physically demanding, yet commandingly incredible region.
Noon Observations Jan 17, 2014
Lat/Long: 630 42.3 S 1150 47.6 E
Dry Bulb Temp: 0.50C
Wet Bulb Temp: 0.50C
SST (Sea Surface Temp): -0.60C
COG (Course Over the Ground): 0090
SOG (Speed Over the Ground): 6.8 knots
Barometer: 964 Hp
Beaufort SS (Sea State): 4-5
WS (Wind Speed): 20-25 knots
WD (Wind Direction): NE
Swell: N 3-4 m
Wildlife: 1 humpback whale heading south.
WT: DMVSG – 6
Antarctic Fact: The First Casey Station was built in 1957 but was rebuilt 1 km away and completed in 1988. Casey Station accommodates 88 people in summer and 19 in winter.
Antarctic Slang: Hollywood shower – (American) term of derision for a shower lasting longer than the allotted two minutes at many Antarctic stations; originally a US Navy term.
We are heading northward and home, trying to dodge fronts. I am happy that icebergs still dot our horizon.
Photo credit M. Jenner
Lunch was served as we made our way northwards towards home. Our ETA is about 10 days. I did the noon weather observations and then Resty brought me a huge bowl of yummy hot chicken soup with baguette, just delicious! The sea surface temperature is already above freezing, 0.10C we are in the tropics!
At 2pm there are still 7 icebergs around us. We are holding on to the vista of icebergs, as soon we will be out of iceberg country. While talking about the whales we had seen, and the relevance of the data already collected, I saw a humpback whale blow, with the body clearly seen. I think the guys thought I was kidding! The whale was heading south, in the opposite direction to us. The body seen from 0.5 nm away had a Number 2 Lateral Body Pigmentation Pattern, having white coloration almost all the way up the side of the body. Easily recognised we logged it, but continued on our way.
The coastline, offshore of which we passed in the last few days while busy working with whales was the Sabrina Coast and the Budd Coast, both of which are known as Wilkes Land – being all of the region we have travelled thus far. In the last few days we were heading west offshore of Cape Mikaylov, Cape Simonov, Totted Glacier, Cape Waldron, Williamson Glacier and Fox Glacier until reaching just east of Cape Poinsett, where we made our turn for home.
Resty made another delicious dinner, sweet and sour pork and chicken adobo served with steamed rice and couscous – simply divine! The last icebergs are lurking and to remember them I took some wave/berg shots – being short on whales today my camera finger is twitchy!
An arched tunnel gives this berg an interesting feature.
Photo credit M. Jenner
This trip has been a most amazing journey. I have enjoyed every single moment. It is not over yet – we have many miles to cover. But the success thus far, has been the determination of Captain Curt to get here, get the whale work done and all hands safe and sound home. To find feeding humpback whales and feeding blue whales was the quest – we did find feeding humpbacks and possibly from both the east and west coast populations, the biopsy genetic samples and photo-id will shed light on this, but we are still looking for blues. This will remain our quest, in a desire to determine if different feeding strategies are influencing the survivorship of the great whales, particularly the blue whale. Are humpback whales able to feed in smaller krill patches and thus be more successful survivors? Beyond the “Why?” question and the “Because it is there” answer by George Mallory, we have a great purpose for these endeavours, increasing scientific knowledge and sharing education regarding the specialness of our planet.
I knew we would have to turn for home at some stage, but I did not count on being so phased by it. I love it down here. No, LOVE it. I want to see family and friends but I simply do not want to leave… This is another place, another world. I will NEVER forget the sights we have seen, a white sky at 3 am, fog 50 m from the bow, snowflakes falling gently on the deck, whales blowing everywhere on our horizon, 45 icebergs surrounding Whale Song, getting to know icebergs like the ‘chair’ and the ‘swimming polar bear’, blue bergs with a pink sky and humpbacks swimming past at 2am, the day-time mooching of the humpbacks, the crazy night-time feeding of the humpbacks, surface lunges with water pouring out of their mouths, looking down on the whales as we tagged them, being flown over by very interested Light-Mantled Sooty Albatross, seeing the gorgeous flitting Snow Petrel and the working with whales in their “kitchen”!
Our team has been exceptional and Whale Song too – THANK YOU for keeping us safe. We toasted to absent friends and family, as we close the distance. We are coming home.
I will treasure each and every sight and experience forever. Addicted to the Antarctic,
Mich
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