The end

I wrote this on the bridge of the Aiviq, the chosen icebreaker ship that made the hectic 18 day journey across the Southern Ocean to Davis station to bring us everything the station needs to survive another year in Antarctica.  That is fuel, cargo, water and most importantly a fresh new crew.  

The last couple of months were nothing short of riding an emotional rollercoaster.  

Those in the know, know and fully understand that small things can be huge things on station.  A simple change of a few days to the shipping schedule might seem inconsequential in the overall scheme of things but for people who haven’t been home for more than 12 months can be seen as putting a climb of Mt Everest at the end of a long hike.  We all know this is what we signed up for but it doesn’t mean we all positively respond and accept the change like its a gift we were hoping for.  

Normally in life we can count down to something we are looking forward to but in Antarctica everything is subject to change.  I recall experienced expeditioners saying to me that you are not home until you step foot on dry land in Hobart and I finally understand what they mean.   Many people on station had a count down but I always wondered to what date as we only got an arrival date confirmed 3 days out.

The last month on station was a case of hurry up and wait while trying to stretch out the new things that bring us joy.  Even the latest tasty delight someone has put into a toastie or a resurgence of the Chicken Crimpy brings untold joy to the group.  It’s one of those Antarctic things that simply cannot be fully understood unless you’ve lived it.  We spent weeks packing our rooms with the sound of boxes being taped late into the night signifying the end was coming.  As is tradition the now flogged out winter team moved into the summer accommodation spread across 3 different buildings – the first time we had be separated in almost 12 months.  

We cleaned the station within an inch of its life and I couldn’t have been more grateful and proud of my beautiful team that worked hard to leave the station in immaculate condition, they knew it was important to me. We rushed out to see the bergs, the seals and the penguins one last time and spent evenings downloading shows to watch on the ship, copying photos from each other, on-line shopping and starting to make plans in the outside world. We celebrated with an end of season dinner, another one of Hermann’s al a carte nights that didn’t disappoint, and managed to enjoy the last of the alcohol on station eventually drinking Davis dry.

On November 21st the Aiviq arrived with many new faces some who were stepping foot on Antarctica for the first time together with other familiar faces who regularly call Davis home over the summer.  Its a very strange feeling for someone to move into your home while you are still living in it but we rolled out the welcome mat and hopefully managed to hide any level of discomfort while we showed the new crew around the place they would call home for the next 12 months.  

We officially handed over the station to the 76th Australian National Research Expeditioners (ANARE) at midday on Sunday 27th November which is the moment in time I went from being the person that had all the answers, at least perceived, and responsible for the safety, health and wellbeing of my team to…..well… nothing, no responsibility and aside from being exhausted I didn’t really know what to do with myself.  I took a final walk around station with Stu to take it all in and a final lap to Marchants with Lee as an attempt to cement all those conversations and moments into the memory bank.    

The day had finally come to leave Station and most of us decided to walk to the ship which was tucked neatly into the ice some 2km away.  It was a cracking day, the bergs in fine form, the boys put some tunes on and we excitedly took photos, filmed, danced and laughed our way to the ship.  It wasn’t a quick departure taking almost an hour to turn the ship around in the ice but it was spectacular.  The ice and the bergs continue to lesson across the first few days and by day 4 it was just us and the Southern Ocean, oh and some fabulous little blue tablets called Phenergyn.  

The journey has been largely uneventful.  We have all enjoyed long showers, many naps, read books, watched movies, exercised and lingered on the bridge keeping a look out for wildlife, all the while patiently waiting to see land and our loved ones again.    

I have been asked many times would I do it again?  and the answer is I have absolutely no idea but I do know you can’t do it for the first time again.   I am not even close to having processed this past year and what it means to me or how it has changed me.  What I can say is that this is an experience like no other that I will cherish forever.  Its the sum of all its parts that has made this year for me, the people, the summer, the winter, the events, the work, the wildlife, the cold, the huts, the dinner chat, the bar chat, the wine club chat, hut chat, the hiking chat, the gym chat and the trash tv tuesday chat.  

I have formed some really wonderful friendships this past year and this one deserves a massive shout out. To the lovely Hana, the original Antarctic hero, a true inspiration to woman and men across the globe and the only other wintering female. I simply could not have got through this past year without you…ok well it definitely would have been less fun and I would have most definitely lost my sanity. xoxox