If anyone can find a pattern on the web for crocheting a penguin (Adelie or gentoo best), please forward.

The passengers were called to a briefing at 19:00 this evening, where we were shown an image received today from Mawson Station. It's a satellite photo of the ice cover in the area. The Khlebnikov has backed out of the 9/10 and >9/10 area it couldn't proceed through earlier and is now skirting it in 6/10 to 8/10 ice or near-open water just on the edge of the 6/10 to 8/10 area. Prevailing winds from the east meant that the ice pack will only get denser — it would have taken us 2 days to go about 60 nautical miles to Proclamation Island, and likely 2 days to get out. So the plan now is to continue skirting this ice, to proceed through the heavy ice for about a day to a large open polynya near Mawson on the edge of the fast ice. Fast ice is ice frozen onto land; it's impassable. This polynya is still a long distance from the station and Auster Rookery, the emperor penguin rookery on which all hopes are now fastened. I'm not sure how they plan to handle landings as it looked far for helicopters.

So, two more days ice travel. Arrival at or near Mawson around 23 December.

Mawson Station is VERY EAGER INDEED to have us in ANY TIME THANK YOU because they haven't had visitors in 18 months. The installation of windmills to generate power there means that they no longer get an annual supply ship, as diesel fuel is delivered only every two years. Staff changeovers and minimal incremental supplies can be helicoptered in from the ship that goes to Davis, and have been done for this year. But the longer supply schedule means they have no fresh food. Stringent Australian Antarctic regulations probably forbid us from giving them any, too. The only reason they're not out of beer is that they brew their own.

Conditions around Davis Station are not known now; on the satellite image Mawson sent, there is cloud cover so the surface is not visible.

The staff are hoping to break up the day with helicopter sight-seeing rides tomorrow, weather permitting.