I've arrived!

I'm on Macca. It's surreal - and busy! I go out for 2 days of field training tomorrow. Hopefully more time on Monday. Posting pics then. Main thing is - it's freakin AWESOME!

Aurora Australis

Well, I've made it - almost! 

Macca (and Pete) are so tantalisingly close, but I can't get off the ship before the weather settles down. 

We've been parked up in the Aurora Australis (a fire engine red icebreaker) off the coast of Macca for the past couple of days. The swell is 6 m +, wind force 10 (out of 12) and the temperature dipped below -4 degrees today! 

Which is bad, because if I don't get off this ship soon I'm going to DIE of heart disease. The food on board is good, so addictively, unbelievably good that my crew and I have been eating non-stop for the last 5 days. They feed us eggs, bacon, baked beans, curries, salad, pudding - and that's just for breakfast!

The highlights so far have been, in no particular order:

- the views from the bridge - the money shot today was the island iced in snow in the sunshine

- seeing the station and island for the first time yesterday morning

- giant petrels and various other seabirds soaring above the wind-whipped seas

- watching the bow of the boat smacking into humungous waves

- seeing the beginnings of an aurora

- seeing the penguins and elephant seals and looking across the isthmus through the binoculars

- hanging out with the MIPEP crew - 4 dog handlers, 3 hunters

- getting to meet other people on board, including the navy guys and girls, and AAD staff

- watching the LARCs (amphibious vehicles) collect the round trippers

- watching movies in the rec room

- and need I say it again, EATING!

The worst bit's been feeling sea sick in between popping happy pills. I went without a pill for most of today though, which I'm really proud of.

And psychologically… it's a mixture of excitement, happiness to see Pete again after 3 months of being apart, feeling the pressure of working (i.e. filming) while everyone else is in cruise mode, and getting used to a group of people who I'll be spending the next 4 1/2 months with. Privacy hasn't been an issue so far, but it's nice tonight to be able to sit at my little desk in my little cabin that I share with Nancye one of the dog handlers, and have some time out.

There's  chance they'll heli-lift is off the ship tomorrow - though I'm still hanging out for a ride in one of the LARCs.

Not long now...

The countdown is on. In 15 days I'm being flown to Hobart, where the Aurora Australis will be waiting to take me to Macquarie Island.