By Skip Oct 17 Position: 54-15 S / 41-48W
24 hours to landfall on the island. This last day is critical in keeping a sharp eye out as the risk encountering ice is a given. This means tonight will be a very different story to the last three nights doing our four hour watches in the pilothouse, shuffling about in our slippers, drinking endless cups of tea while monitoring the radar. Quite likely we will have to slow down as the light fades and I will bet the visibility will 'crap out' with the northwesterly airstream setting in. Tricky business – needle in a hay stack situation with growlers and bergy bits just awash – waves look like ice, ice looks like waves . . . . . so its full gear; mittens and goggles for half hour turns in the cockpit staring into a grey soup, ready to hit the 'standby' button on the autopilot . . .
Tomorrow we have to decide on whether to go straight into King Haakon Bay to prep for the traverse or shelter in Elsehul Bay on the north coast for the two days (at least) we are likely to spend waiting for a settled period to begin the traverse. Not ideal conditions for sure, but lots to do 'scrapping and bagging' of equipment (how many pairs of sock?), fuel (I like plenty of brews!) and provisions (you take the salami, I'll take the cheese . . .).
Skip Novak, (expedition leader and owner of Pelagic Australis.
This will be Skip's 5th time on the traverse.
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