Well....the ice breaker has arrived. Its job is to cut a channel through the 6-8 (2-3 meters) foot thick ice that blocks McMurdo from the open water about 80 miles (128 km) away. Since both of the US Coast Guard ships that were built for this purpose years ago are no longer fit enough to do the task, we hire a Russian ship, the Krasin, to prepare the way for the fuel supply ship, followed by the re-supply ship, The American Tern. The Tern has just left California and is expected to reach New Zealand on the 13th or 14th of January to pick up more cargo before making the last leg of the journey to McMurdo.
We've enjoyed watching the ice breaker apporaching from afar - its big smokestack belching out black smoke as it slowly works forwards and backwards to gain enough momentum to break through the ice sheet. The weather has been wonderful - around 37 degrees F (2 degrees C) - and almost no wind. We've spent several afternoons standing at Hut Point and taking bets on when the ship would reach town. On the way to Hut Point, we first pass what is called "Vietnam Village", a colorful collection of dive huts pulled off the ice for the season.
We were also treated to close-up views of swimming Weddell seals and even an Adelie penguin!
