Circumnavigation

Yesterday we were lucky enough to have suitable weather for an island circumnavigation. Ordinarily the winds and seas are way too high for our little IRBs. Being able to see the west coast was a little bit special as most of it is closed for most of the year - unless someone has the necessary permits to enter these areas for work purposes. I was in the fun boat with Admiral Tim, Lieutenant Claudia and Cabin Boy Trev.

Here's a few photos of the trip, all photos courtesy of Claudia.

Launching out of Green Gorge

Rock stacks at the southern end

Cliffs near Windsor Bay

Fancy a walk?

We're too sexy for these suits

Caroline Cove is obscured by three funny looking people in a boat

Me, Tim and Trev

Tim and Claudia with Bauer Bay in the background

Wheeee!

The crew rounding Handspike, heading north towards station

The little boat floated across the sea, exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't

Somehow, I Survived to 30

The past couple of weeks has been full of fun, silliness and sadness. I spent another day chasing after fur seals and putting tags on them, taking DNA samples and micro-chipping, although this time we were more interested in the juveniles and adults . I was doing a great job at trying to get bitten... Last Monday we said a very sad farewell to Dean. If you check out the last item in the most recent Icy News you can even see me playing the drums (I'm buying a kit when I get back) - and yes, I'm wearing a Fez.

I ran away from station last Wednesday with Belinda in tow. We walked the length of the island over two days, but spent the entire time on the south bound leg in fog with about 40 metres visibility. On the Friday the low cloud cleared for some lovely photographing weather, which I left Belinda to do on her own and a great walk up to Green Gorge with the occasional snow shower. Windy Ridge lived up to its name in rather formidable fashion. At Green Gorge we were joined by Dana, Claudia, Julia and Stumpy and treated to a fantastic scallop soup with plenty of laughter afterwards. Who could ask for more than wine, women and song for a birthday?

On the Saturday (my birthday) I stayed in and around the hut the whole day and at times had the whole place to myself. Dr Eve dropped by while on her way towards Waterfall Bay and Pete K dropped in on his way back to station. Dana had left for another hut that evening and Belinda returned to station. Over the day, Claudia, Stumpy and Julia returned to the hut and Tom and Dan joined us for the evening - more wine, more song and wierd and wonderful discussions on life the universe and everything.

Sunday had the most appalling winds for my walk back to station. After a slow start to the morning with pancake breakfast at around 10am, I waited for a little gap in the weather and started the trek back at around midday. Around 4hrs later after battling 40kt winds with gust around 55kts (and being blown off the track a couple of times) I arrived back to a welcomed shower and relaxing evening. A thoroughly enjoyable birthday.

Stumpy cooking up a storm

Belinda taking in the amazing stories from a magazine recently donated from a tourist ship

Dana waiting patiently for dinner

Mmmm, scallop soup

Julia serenading Thylacine

Everyone made me laugh while doing the nightly radio sked. Note the cordial wine on the table

Thylacine was having a great time out

Belinda got the pampering for my birthday... why doesn't this surprise me?

Keeping Busy

There's many things to do to pass time in a place like this: practical jokes on fellow expeditioners; going into the field and enjoying the scenery; conversing with the wildlife (especially on the beaches); play badminton or pool or some other sort of sporting type of activity.

I've done all these things and more while down here, but a couple of weeks ago I started having a little play in the chippie's workshop and made a chess board. Now, what to do about the pieces....

At 480x480 it's kinda big

Scrambled Brains

A couple of weeks ago I was given the option of staying on after the resupply in April. I took a week to make the decision and in the mean time spoke mostly gibberish, couldn't think coherently and ran away from station for a night to converse with the penguins and ele seals.

In the end I've decided to head home in April and will put in an application for next year to do the job again - hopefully at a different station, I'd like to see the ice.

Sitting at Green Gorge with Claudia and Dean (Jack and Dana are hiding behind the lens), having some beers and general good times.

Summer Science Programs

As previously mentioned (don't ask me where or when, I don't have much a sense of time any more) there are extra expeditioners sent in to work on various science programs over the summer. Two of the longest running and most extensive programs are the fur seal project and the albatross research program. Everyone is given the opportunity to help the scientists out if they need the help and I was lucky enough to do so recently.

A day or so before New Year's I helped Jaimie and Julia on the east coast near Brothers Point Hut where we were counting how many Light-Mantled Sooty Albatross were in the area. As we climbed the slopes Jaimie said she saw a couple of chicks that had hatched within a few days, sadly I missed seeing these little guys. A lovely night was had in the hut with gnocchi, prosciutto and wine and we had a nice walk back to station conversing with the penguins along the coast. A young King penguin may have been running up to us and chewing on our fingers, but if that did happen, we didn't take any photos.

Jaimie making her way along the slope while a Sooty checks her out

Julia giving directions around the more precarious parts of the slope

A Sooty in a nest - gotta love telephoto lenses

Last week some time, or was it the week before?? Anyway, last week sometime I helped Mark with the fur seals on North Head. This program monitors the Antarctic, Sub-Antarctic and New Zealand fur seals and their offspring as they slowly repopulate various parts of the Island after the fur seals were wiped out by the Sealers all those years ago. It isn't known what species was here before and the anecdotal descriptions by the Sealers hasn't been good enough to identify weather or not the fur seals were one of the listed above, or their own "Macquarie Island" fur seal.

A male, female and pup. I don't remember what kind of fur-seals these are, but there's different chest colouring or snout size or head shape which make it easier for those in the know to know which is which.

We were noting the tags of males, females and pups in the area in order to find out which ones were still around and which had already left for the season. Tim was having a day off and taking a day trip to the south of the station. We were also tagging the pups that had started to moult and let me tell you, these guys are vicious little bastards. Don't let their cuteness fool you, they have sharp little teeth and aren't afraid to use them - it's hilarious! The pups have to be caught and then held down, usually by using your knees against their head so that they have a kind of cave and are subdued by the lack of light. Unfortunately for me one of the pups wasn't as quiet as he should have been and he tried to bite in a rather delicate area... luckily I was quick enough to push him away while feeling only the lightest of touches. I would've been speaking in falsetto for a long time.

Pups playing in the tussock

NYE

I'm a bit late, but here's a quick note about New Year's Eve... Great fun, great food, lots of badminton, table tennis and dancing. The next day was very, very quiet.

Delicious salad all grown in our Hydroponics

Fire to keep us warm

Sparklers!

"How's this game played again?"

2011 MI Brewing Comp

Harking back to the times of yore,

Where the beer was great and did not bore.

The brewmaster invited the local townsfolk

To try their hand, and thus he spoke:

"Rally, my friends, use your head

For brewing this beer in my stead."

And lo, the people answered the call

To brew a special beer for all.

When the MIPEP crew returned at the end of November and all were on station, teams of 2 or 3 (or some individuals) colluded together to make some wonderful and not so wonderful experimental beers. The beers were bottled and ready for taste testing as a start to the New Year’s Eve celebrations.

There were eight beers in total:

P22, a ginger beer with cinnamon, cloves and cardamom added. Made by Tim the seal researcher and named after an unruly male fur seal.

Back Door Tony Spearmint, a black and tan by Back Door the hunter made from stout and draught with spearmint added to it.

Back Door Tony Liquorice, a black and tan by Back Door from stout and draught with liquorice added.

Macca Merry Beer, a lager with a special mix of berries and spice – for the Christmas spirit – made by Claudia, Nancye and Dana.

Tama’s Piss, a lager with citrus flavours added and made by Doggo, named after his dog Tama.

BCB, a stout with blackcurrant juice added made by Stumpy and Captain.

T&E, a stout by Tony and Eve with black jellybeans that give an extra kick.

SSM1, the entry made by our illustrious Comms Techs Dan and Trevor. A larger that also had citrus flavours added… in the form of concentrated cordials and essences that closely resembled one of the cleaning fluids: Sanitizer Super Mix 1.

The judges: Julia the Alby researcher, Col the Electrician, Danny the Chef and Me the Met Tech (brewmaster); were given a blind tasting of each beer and simply gave a score out 10, along with tasting notes for each of the brews. The lucky winners would be given the prize of a cooked breakfast by the judges.

Judges preparing to taste the fine wares (photo by someone else, not me because I'm in it)

In third place, with a score of 28, was BDTS. This beer was said to have a good taste, be very complex, but lacking in aroma.

Second place, on a score of 30, went to P22. The ginger ninja has slipped and skidded his way past the field with his special blend of spices and a great head. One judge went on to say that it was “the best ginger beer I’ve had.”

And in first place, on 32 points, winners of the 2011 Macca Brewing Competition, were the head hunters Stumpy and Captain and their stout BCB. This stout was said to be interesting yet different, bitter and with coffee flavours too.

The two Petes arrived in the mess on Monday for a delicious breakfast, although both had to be reminded by the judges that they'd won and they ate almost an hour apart from each other.

Captain enjoying his winnings (photo by someone else)

Stumpy about have his delicious food served by me (photo by someone else - again)

This story was supposed to appear in today's Icy news, but didn't, so it's here. I'll post something about NYE in a few days. Maybe.