Day 6 in pack ice December 10^th 2023

Like standing next to a friendly cow who occasionally bumps against you, it’s a nudge not a shove that makes you clearly aware that something more substantial is in your presence.

These 6 days in ice have brought us to a similar experience. Whilst we endeavoured to push and move through the ice pack in the first 3 days, the use of fuel and time on deck soon convinced our leader to rest, wait and enjoy the safety of the pack ice.

In the last 24 hours our ice boundary and protection around NanuQ has changed quite dramatically, the thickness of ice flows has diminished by at least 50% and the ice flow dimensions much smaller.

Yesterday it would have been possible to test the kites on the ice flows, today you would need a wet suite.

Sea temperatures still remain at -1.5 to -1.6 degrees C whilst air flows coming from the north have varied from -3.5c to +0.5 and this is a marked difference from 3 days ago when reaching – 6 C.

Like cows who see greener grass over the fence our ice flows are becoming impatient to move. In my sleep I enjoy my cows nudging and bumping softly, white as milk and gentle.

Forecast winds in the next 3 days will bring much needed NE to SE stiff winds which should open more of our route in the Bellingshausen sea to Smyley Island 290 nautical miles away.

68 02 South, 74 10 West

Stephen