Voyage to Macquarie island on the Aurora Australis

..... We have been through months of training and pre-departure preparation. We are as ready as we can be. Now its time to depart on the Aurora Australis on the voyage (V4) to Macquarie Island.

The day started early. We had to arrive at the gate at Macquarie 4 wharf at 11:25 with our personal baggage - a strict 30kg weight limit. Also many of us had our (red) survival bag and our (green) bag of of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). After saying goodbye to family and friends at the gate, at 11:30 a bus arrived to transport Us and our gear 300m from the gate to the AAD Mac4 warehouse. At the wharf was our transport south.

The Aurora Australis just before departing on V4

All our bags were put in rows so the MIPEP (Macquarie Island Pest Eradication Program) dogs could check them for mice or rats.

The two dogs searching our bags for rats or mice

These dogs are going to Macquarie Island to search for any mice or rats. With their handlers they will scour the entire island over the the next 12 months.

We then went through a Biosecurity check. This new process has been put in place to ensure that the island is protected from the introduction of non-native species. While the eradication program has been highly successful (no live rabbits, rats, or mice have been detected since Nov 2011), every effort is being made to prevent their re-introduction as well as minimise the risk of other non-native species, including insects, spiders, plants and wildlife. Everyone participated in this process and it took 3hours to complete.

Biosecurity check - Each bag of every person boarding the ship was thoroughly checked.

We finally boarded the Aurora Australis at 3:00 pm. After attending the captains briefing in the E-deck mess we found our cabins and awaited the signal for an emergency muster - proceeding to the helideck in our survival gear and a life jacket. This was followed by an induction tour of he ship, including the wearing a immersion suit (for the unlikely event of abandoning ship).

Boarding the AA

Emergency muster on the helideck

Snug and warm in a immersion suit

We finally departed at 6:30pm, making our way slowly down the Derwent River into Storm Bay.

Just before departure

Sailing south down the Derwent on a cool summer evening

Most on board were exhausted after the weeks and months of training, so they retired to their cabins for some well earned rest. After we left the protective coasts of southern Tasmania it was fairly smooth sailing. Most of the next day at sea was spent on the bridge, taking in the vast expanse of the Southern Ocean and enchanted by the few birds that were following the ship, including a pair of albatross. These amazing birds seem to glide effortlessly for ages just above the wave tops.

Day 1 on the Southern Ocean - smooth sailing

One of the albatross following the AA (not a good picture)

Sunset on the Southern Ocean

The conditions slowly deteriorated over the rest of the voyage. The swell slowly increased causing the ship to roll from side to side with a ever increasing angle.

Day2 in the Southern Ocean

Day 2 - Definitely started to get some roll

From the back of D-deck

The Bridge of the AA - master control panel - note the angle of the horizon

Late on Day 2

On Day 3 the swell built to around 4 to 5 metres with some occasional higher sets. With the exaggerated pitching and rolling of the deck, it became an effort to do almost anything - sleeping, standing, sitting, eating, getting dressed, taking a shower, going to the toilet. There were quite a few people who suffered with sea sickness and stayed in their cabins. Most of those that were still upright were on the bridge enjoying the 'roller coaster ride'. One wave pushed us to 42° from the vertical.

Day 3 - view from the bridge

The swell hitting us from side on - resulted in the AA tilting at some big angles 

After changing course we headed directly into the swell sometimes resulting in water coming over the bow

Rough seas and heavy swell

'Parting of the seas'

On this satellite picture the AA is marked with a red cross. Macquarie Island (in green) just south of the ship. In the top left the southern coast of Tasmania and to the right South Island of NZ.

At the time of this picture the ship was in a developing low pressure system which resulted in the rough seas and heavy swell.

That evening, in the mist and darkening sky, we could make out on the horizon the distant outline of the hills on Macquarie Island. The seas and swell abated as we sailed into waters in the lee of the island but it was to dark to see any detail. We had to wait until the next morning to get our first glimpse.

Early morning 4th of March - First view of Macquarie Island

Next - Arrival and First days on Macca.....