12th-17th December. PAGADROMA CRUISE
Hi Everyone,
It’s been quite a busy week this week.
We have had the CASA’s fly in for a quick trip. They dropped off passengers then left the next morning. I did Radio Comms for both trips. Lots of sitting around waiting for the planes to come, land, refuel, depart, etc etc. The plans change constantly and you never know from one minute to the next what is happening with them. The weather is the factor which everything hinges on down here and it changes so dramatically and quickly that you need to be on guard all the time.
We have also had, then not and then had once more, a touchdown on the new Airstrip up at Wilkins Runway. It is due at 6PM today – we live in hope I guess, though I am pretty well over it all now. Yesterday was a perfect day, weather wise, however the plane was in Sydney instead of Hobart and couldn’t make the weather window! This new airstrip is quite a debacle. Once they get it up and running I am sure it will be fine, but with so much being weather dependant I just don’t know how it can work for constant people transfer. Most other nations down here use Aircraft – sort of – reliably. Australia is actually quite behind in this area so I guess it about time we caught up. All other nations also rely heavily on their ships as well. I am sure it will all work out in the end. It will certainly make it a lot easier to get renowned scientist, who don’t have time for a several week journey each way by ship. If they can fly in, do their job and fly out we will be able to expand the pool of people we can use down here and that has to be a good thing. For tradies, I guess it will be a ship voyage still. Suits me, I love the ship journey. After 14 months here, to be back in civilization in 4 hours is a bit daunting. The ship journey gives you time to get your head space in order for coming back to “reality” and “civilization”. I am on countdown in a big way now, so roll on the big orange taxi!!! Ha ha
As I type this I am supposed to be packing up my room. It is now Sunday and I am almost out of weekend. I worked all yesterday with the aircraft. While I was with the aircraft I received a phone call at work asking if I was up for a Pagadroma Cruise after dinner. The planes were due for handover, to my good buddy Greg who is now over at Davis station, at around five-ish, so yep, Count me in!, I told Pud, the skipper of the Pagadroma.
The Pagadroma is a 28ft all aluminum working boat. It has twin 125HP diesel engines and is a real tough work horse. It is used for the dive program here at Casey and to date I have not been out on it. So this was a great opportunity for me. Two weeks ago I was quading on the sea ice, now boating has started and the ocean has changed from sea ice to open water. The season has gone from winter to summer literally in three weeks. Very quick change.
My last Berg cruise was late January in the IRB’s. It was a very beautiful and serene experience. The IRB’s toodle along with their 50HP motor close to the water and just crawl round the huge Bergs. The motors get cut and you drift in silence and just become awestruck by the bergs. The Pagadroma trip was a completely different experience. The Pagadroma is a big noisy, smelly boat. It flies along at speed and the motor is never cut. So there wasn’t the serenity of a berg cruise last night. What we lacked in serenity we made up for in distance. Where it took us four hours in the IRB’s to reach the bergs and cruise around and back in February, it took us only 20 minutes last night. We were able to cover so much ground. We headed up the coast, hugging the coastline past Jack’s Donga. Then we did a big berg cruise around some massive monsters, covering twice the distance of my last trip out. After that we headed down the coast once more in the direction of Browning and the Vander Ford Glacier. The evening was perfect. No wind, sunshine, fabulous cloud formations and a boat that can travel easily, fast and long. We swept into interesting banks and sat and watched penguins when we found them.
Antarctica is teaming with wildlife now. There are so many birds. I saw a Wandering Albatross and two Giant Petrels – a very special site. There were Skuas, Wilsons Storm petrels, Snow Petrels and of course hundreds eof Adeile’s. We were actually in search of Killer Whales, but were out of luck. A pod was spotted earlier this week, so we know they are here – somewhere. Whale season is apon us now so I may see them when I am out boating. I am on the boating team fro Casey so from this week I guess I will be helping out the scientists as much as I can by driving the IRB’s around. Another fabulous facet to working here. To think I am PIAD to be down here doing all these things. What an amazing life I am living!
So there you go, another week has passed me by in Antarctica and very quickly this chapter of my life is coming to a close. As you can tell by this piece meal Blog entry, my mind is kind of racing. I am still enjoying being here and am fitting so much in. My days are very full with work and play. At the same time my thoughts turn to home and seeing Maxy the Dog and my mate Brent in Hobart and all my friends and family. It will be so lovely to catch up with my sister when I hit Melbourne and my oldest friend Couttsy. I am looking forward to that.
I have had a great adventure, but it is now time to return home and start my life up once more and move on to yet another adventure.
Till next week, which will be my last post until I hit Hobart once more, I shall say “Fare thee well me hearties”. Have a good one.
Trace :o]
It’s been quite a busy week this week.
We have had the CASA’s fly in for a quick trip. They dropped off passengers then left the next morning. I did Radio Comms for both trips. Lots of sitting around waiting for the planes to come, land, refuel, depart, etc etc. The plans change constantly and you never know from one minute to the next what is happening with them. The weather is the factor which everything hinges on down here and it changes so dramatically and quickly that you need to be on guard all the time.
We have also had, then not and then had once more, a touchdown on the new Airstrip up at Wilkins Runway. It is due at 6PM today – we live in hope I guess, though I am pretty well over it all now. Yesterday was a perfect day, weather wise, however the plane was in Sydney instead of Hobart and couldn’t make the weather window! This new airstrip is quite a debacle. Once they get it up and running I am sure it will be fine, but with so much being weather dependant I just don’t know how it can work for constant people transfer. Most other nations down here use Aircraft – sort of – reliably. Australia is actually quite behind in this area so I guess it about time we caught up. All other nations also rely heavily on their ships as well. I am sure it will all work out in the end. It will certainly make it a lot easier to get renowned scientist, who don’t have time for a several week journey each way by ship. If they can fly in, do their job and fly out we will be able to expand the pool of people we can use down here and that has to be a good thing. For tradies, I guess it will be a ship voyage still. Suits me, I love the ship journey. After 14 months here, to be back in civilization in 4 hours is a bit daunting. The ship journey gives you time to get your head space in order for coming back to “reality” and “civilization”. I am on countdown in a big way now, so roll on the big orange taxi!!! Ha ha
As I type this I am supposed to be packing up my room. It is now Sunday and I am almost out of weekend. I worked all yesterday with the aircraft. While I was with the aircraft I received a phone call at work asking if I was up for a Pagadroma Cruise after dinner. The planes were due for handover, to my good buddy Greg who is now over at Davis station, at around five-ish, so yep, Count me in!, I told Pud, the skipper of the Pagadroma.
The Pagadroma is a 28ft all aluminum working boat. It has twin 125HP diesel engines and is a real tough work horse. It is used for the dive program here at Casey and to date I have not been out on it. So this was a great opportunity for me. Two weeks ago I was quading on the sea ice, now boating has started and the ocean has changed from sea ice to open water. The season has gone from winter to summer literally in three weeks. Very quick change.
My last Berg cruise was late January in the IRB’s. It was a very beautiful and serene experience. The IRB’s toodle along with their 50HP motor close to the water and just crawl round the huge Bergs. The motors get cut and you drift in silence and just become awestruck by the bergs. The Pagadroma trip was a completely different experience. The Pagadroma is a big noisy, smelly boat. It flies along at speed and the motor is never cut. So there wasn’t the serenity of a berg cruise last night. What we lacked in serenity we made up for in distance. Where it took us four hours in the IRB’s to reach the bergs and cruise around and back in February, it took us only 20 minutes last night. We were able to cover so much ground. We headed up the coast, hugging the coastline past Jack’s Donga. Then we did a big berg cruise around some massive monsters, covering twice the distance of my last trip out. After that we headed down the coast once more in the direction of Browning and the Vander Ford Glacier. The evening was perfect. No wind, sunshine, fabulous cloud formations and a boat that can travel easily, fast and long. We swept into interesting banks and sat and watched penguins when we found them.
Antarctica is teaming with wildlife now. There are so many birds. I saw a Wandering Albatross and two Giant Petrels – a very special site. There were Skuas, Wilsons Storm petrels, Snow Petrels and of course hundreds eof Adeile’s. We were actually in search of Killer Whales, but were out of luck. A pod was spotted earlier this week, so we know they are here – somewhere. Whale season is apon us now so I may see them when I am out boating. I am on the boating team fro Casey so from this week I guess I will be helping out the scientists as much as I can by driving the IRB’s around. Another fabulous facet to working here. To think I am PIAD to be down here doing all these things. What an amazing life I am living!
So there you go, another week has passed me by in Antarctica and very quickly this chapter of my life is coming to a close. As you can tell by this piece meal Blog entry, my mind is kind of racing. I am still enjoying being here and am fitting so much in. My days are very full with work and play. At the same time my thoughts turn to home and seeing Maxy the Dog and my mate Brent in Hobart and all my friends and family. It will be so lovely to catch up with my sister when I hit Melbourne and my oldest friend Couttsy. I am looking forward to that.
I have had a great adventure, but it is now time to return home and start my life up once more and move on to yet another adventure.
Till next week, which will be my last post until I hit Hobart once more, I shall say “Fare thee well me hearties”. Have a good one.
Trace :o]
posted by Tracey in Casey - Antarctica at 11:34 am
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