The crane soon brought the cage to them. They hopped to safety. That night at dinner, colleagues ribbed Golden. The same night, the Aurora Australis left Mertz polynya. A reconnaissance flight by the ship's helicopter revealed 30 miles of heavy ice to the north.
Visibility is also really bad.
Things are definitely winding down and people are now in the frame of mind of getting home as quickly as possible. At times, the ship simply drifted with the ice pack at less than 2 mph. On the way back to Tasmania, the ship stopped at Antarctica's Macquarie Island to drop off supplies and personnel at a research station there. As the weather warmed somewhat, the entire crew barbecued steaks and sausages during a picnic on the ship's deck. The Aurora Australis pulled into Hobart on Sept. 8.