Changing of the Guard

 What a busy place Casey station has been over the past ten days.  The AAD’s resupply vessel  Aurora Australis left Hobart on the 17^th of December steaming towards Casey with their estimated date of arrival to be Christmas eve.  This sent the current residents into a slight panic with the declaration that Christmas was to be celebrated after resupply and new years.  As always plans were formulated to prepare the station for the handover from the outgoing crew to the 2013 winterers  and so the emotional roller coaster began.  There was a mixed bag of feelings across the board with a few of the old winterers clambering up Reeves Hill desperate to get the first sight of the AA while others stayed close to station reminiscing over the past twelve months.

 Aurora Australis steaming into town.

Predictably the AA was held up in sea ice approximately 100 nautical miles off station so everybody went into hurry up and wait mode.  Christmas eve was a quiet celebration because the 25^th was to be a normal work day, so a few carols were sung  and enjoyed by the majority.  It was a good time for everyone to stop for a moment and think of families and friends at home.  The theme park opened and the emotion roller coaster continued for another loop.

The barge "Bill Budd" ferries another load to shore.

 

Boxing day arrived and brought with it the Aurora Australis, steaming into Newcomb Bay early on a perfect windless Antarctic morning.  The arrival of the ship signifies the beginning of the busiest time on station when it is resupplied of fuel , food and infrastructure requirements for the upcoming twelve months.  Approximately 800,000 litres of fuel is to be pumped to shore via a two kilometre floating hose which is monitored 24hrs a day by IRB crews.  The job of the boat crew is to constantly patrol the hose in case of a spill or to shepherd away any ice drift which can be abrasive against the fuel hose.  While the refuelling was happening, general cargo is shuttled to and from the ship from 7am through to approximately 9pm  for six days straight.  When a food container arrives it is all hands on deck to assist in the store unloading box after box of various goodies. 

 

13.8 tonnes of frozen goods.

A new haggland gets lifted ashore.

IRB crew retrieving ropes which hold back the sea ice.

Gav as usual was the last of the winterers to depart for the ship.

The AA leaving Newcomb Bay crushing any ice in sight.

 



After  six days of hard work resupply was completed successfully with everyone on station lending a hand when needed.   The AA steamed out of the bay at 8pm on new year day and was farewelled by an impromptu gathering at Reeves Hill.  The following day a group of lucky punters were chosen to go on a joy flight on a Bassler DC3 up to the ice runway at Wilkins, then fly around the station surrounds including the spectacular Vanderford Glacier.  What a fantastic way to mark the beginning of the new year.

 

The Vanderford Glacier.  Unfortunately the photo doesn't do justice to the sheer enormity of it.