Bird Island to Signy

Position Wednesday 20th Feb off Signy

Boat work off bird Island

We arrived off Bird Island in the early hours hoping to get our work done and be off on our merry way as quickly as possible. However the weather conditions had the final say and after an abortive attempt to launch the workboat we were soon in search of shelter on the far side of the Island.

Sliver of Signy

Sunrise

A few trips were undertaken by our “rubber ducks” back to the Base landing to ferry bits and bobs and personnel to and fro. The trip was described as “lively” by one of the crews. By the looks of them they had been swamped several times on the run back to the ship. The weather conditions the next morning were not much better and only a few trips of “real” essentials were ferried ashore before we departed.

We had received news from Signy Base on the South Orkney Island group that there was a lot of sea ice about and that the landing and approaches might be “difficult” Satellite imagery received from various sources confirmed this and sure enough One hundred miles out we encountered our first pack-ice. We made our way steadily through the thickening pack, stopping overnight in the darkness and continuing in the early hours to arrive off the base by mid morning (Monday 18^th Feb).  Only a sliver of the Island was visible between the water and the very low cloud.

Our workboat was soon deployed and trips to and fro were soon underway. This base is only occupied in the summer, so quite a lot needed to be done to shut the systems down and drain all the pipe work for the coming big freeze. By Tuesday evening all personnel were back on board. The Captain electing to keep the vessel in situ as there was not much daylight left.

Blue Iceberg

 

On Wednesday morning, after test launching both lifeboats we slipped away from Signy for the last time this season. The weather God’s lifted the veil of mist to grant a us view of the beautiful Island as we departed. 
Some more ice crunching awaits us as we head for the tip of The Peninsula and down on towards our next objective -  Rothera .