The newly painted S.A. Agulhas II has 22 team members of the 74th Marion Overwintering team, a number of takeover scientists, as well as a photographic team from National Geographic on board. For all on-board this is indeed an exciting time ahead as they leave Cape Town today.
It will take the ship 3-4 days to reach Marion Island. Upon arrival, all scientists will be flown off the ship to the island, flights being weather permitted. After all the passengers have been flown off, cargo will be flown from the ship to the island. This being weather permitted as well. All this action is usually a mixture of excitement, nervousness and sometimes very awkward for the team that has been on the island for the past 12 months, as they are bombarded by 80+ new faces.
This take-over will once again be filled with hard work. Researchers will be in the field and in the laboratories day in and day out. The technical teams will be undertaking maintenance on the research station from early morning till late at night to get as much done as possible in the short time available on the island.
Leaving the island at the end of the take-over is usually also a difficult time for many islanders. This is the best description that I can think of for that feeling you get when you wait for the helicopter to take you to the ship: “Excited to go, but nervous to leave”. You tend to be very excited to get back to family and friends, but this is also a very sad day for many that overwintered on the island, as you’re saying goodbye to your ‘home’ – Marion, with its simplicity, beautiful (however tough) environment and the animals (to which most biological field assistants get very attached).
We wish all the take-over and overwintering personnel the best for their time on the island.
Great initiative: As Marion is a special nature reserve it is very important to make sure that the footprint that we as humans leave behind on the island is as small as possible. Liezl Pretorius (Sealer, biological field assistant of M71, and still involved within SANAP) managed to obtain a cosmetic product sponsor for the overwintering team. Africa Organics (certified organic by Ecocert) sponsored enough organic shampoo, conditioner, body wash and body lotion for the overwintering team that would last for their 13 months that they will be on the island. This is a great initiative. Thank you Liezl and Africa Organics.
Anché Louw, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, 07 April 2017.