... Or actually yesterday evening.

We arrived at the station as planned. Found a great parking spot. Actually, this is how Mats, a first mate at the bridge (the person at the steering wheel) called it. Let´s just find a nice spot to park in, so that the ship stands still and does not drift. This is very important when we are in the ice. At a station we want to deploy things off the reeling into the water, and if we drift, guess what happens... there is a risk that we get large ice floes moving into the equipment, or rather into the wire of the winches, with the risk of the wire being cut off and the equipment lost to the sea floor. We have had pretty much no incidents at all. Today was a bit rough though. We deployed the CTD (the large rosette with bottles to be closed under water at certain depths) and the wire somehow got caught in the ice, so the CTD-team and the captain took the rapid decision to reposition the ship despite other equipment hanging over the reeling. Quick action of thrusters, actually even starting propellers again and drag the CTD-wire out. As it got loose it swang back up but was fine.

We simultaneously had the submersible pump in the water from starboard however, and as we started moving there were large ice floes really close to compromising the hose of the pump. We threw ourselves there and hauled the pump. It took us only a few minutes, but at one point I thought I couldn´t get the hose up any further, it was caught in ice, and the Oden was moving rather quickly so it could go either way. Luckily the ice floe rolled over and we got a small opening and got the rest of the hose up on deck. My colleague Henry looked at me afterwards and said: ”Wow – great job. That was quick, and close...” Örjan also came down to check on things on deck, and was he glad we had been so quick in reaction. Sure thing I will have sore muscles from that exercise tomorrow though.

No equipment got damaged and I just want to point out that all safety regulations and precautions were of course followed. After the 4-hour drama shift everyone was a bit wound up, and I wanted a nap in my off-shift hours but felt too wired up. Went to the bridge, did some crocheting on a polar bear hat I´m working on and chatted to a colleague. Great place the bridge. View is perfect and we have had gorgeous weather for a day or even on the second one now. So clear and great sunshine.

Ice is heavy now though. Mårten was telling me. It is tough to break this ice here. Lots of really old ice, and he explained that you also get ice clogging the propellers at times, causing a loss of speed, and you need a certain speed to break a heavy floe. If it then clogs the propellers you have to stop, back up to get the clog out and then continue to get the speed up again. If you look closely at the Oden ship track you can see that this happens quite often. I am very impressed by the captain and first mates that steer us through the ice. I have been asking them how they think and take decisions for which way to go, and it requires great skill. Thanks a million to you all on the bridge! Without you, not a chance.

Now – time to draw the curtains over the bright and painfully beautiful view outside my window, and go to sleep. See you in the late afternoon – for breakfast. :)