The day has been spent travelling quite fast towards Mawson and we are now encountering lots of soft ice which will most likely gradually get more impenetrable. It has been good to see some penguins again – the odd group of emperors and adelies, and two small whales in the distance – probably pilot whales.The sea is still calm and it has been a day of practice, checking over the recordings from Davis, and making some new recordings on board. Matty the 1st Engineer gave me a tour of the incredible engine room with my mic. There are three levels and you can get lost walking around amongst the amazing array of beautifully kept and oiled machines, all with their different sounds and array of mysterious shapes. Even with earmuffs on the sound is huge. One of the boilers was making a high tinkling noise and I looked through the peephole at a burning furnace. It is late now, and I am deciding whether to be sensible and go to bed, or stay up and watch the snow through the big spotlights as we move through the ice – it’s beautiful and mesmerising. The bridge officers need to keep a constant lookout for bergs so we don’t bump into anything in the night. ______________________________________________________
February 23, 2011
alice in antarctica 
February 24th, 2011 at 2:20 am
That’s a cute picture. But where are the other 999,999,996 penguins?
February 24th, 2011 at 3:49 am
Hello Alice, Selena has been telling the class about your wonderful adventure. We have been looking at your pictures and the class is very excited and would love to see more.
Here are some questions 2/3 H would like to ask.
Jordana, What types of food do you eat?
Hunter, Are you having a nice time?
Bevan, How cold is it down there?
Darcie, What animals have you seen and which one is your favourite?
February 24th, 2011 at 2:48 pm
Hello YPS Class 2/3!
Jordana, we are having most luxurious meals – there are 2 cooks and several assistants, and they cook up a lot of food – 3 meals a day plus snacks left out for in between. They have managed to keep plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, milk and other things you might not expect on a very long voyage. Most people are going to the gym to make sure they don’t put on weight. When we visited the Station on land at Davis, I was shown the Hydroponics building, where they grow green things inside because nothing besides moss grows in the cold of Antarctica, and the people staying the whole summer or winter wouldn’t otherwise have fresh food.
Hunter, thanks – I am having a wonderful time with many beautiful sights I never imagined seeing in my life. Sunrise amongst icebergs is a special experience.
Bevan, at the moment outside it is -8 degrees Celsius, a tiny bit colder than Yass on a really cold night. When the wind blows it feels much much colder than that – it’s called the wind shield factor. One minute in the sun you can feel quite warm, and then a wind comes up and you need to make sure every bit if you is well covered because it can make it feel about 10 degrees colder!
Darcie, I’ve seen Adelie and Emperor Penguins, Fur Seals and Elephant Seals, some whales which I think were humpbacks. The whales would be my favourites – I was very very excited – but I didn’t see them close up, so next favoutie would be the Elephant Seals who make such an incredibly loud deep noise. There have also been lots of birds – many kinds of Albatross and Petrels including the beautiful all while Snow Petrel.