I have been to Mawson and Davis bases on an ice strengthened supply ship
Last trip of the season in late March
New ice already forming!
Captain not happy -let’s get the supplies unloaded and get the hell out of here.’
I also sail and looking back on that trip I don’t think it would have been possible for a yacht to get through that much pack ice all the way to the coast line.
It took us many days to get to each base and back out to open
water which was riddled with bergs and bergy bits.
One night I was on the 8-12 watch and became stuck after several attempts to back up in a small stretch of open
water and ram my way through.
Captain came up and said that’s it we stay here and in the morning the ice will be just softened enough to make progress again.
It was getting dark anyway
I don’t really think a yacht could survive such heavy ice.
Mixture of sea ice, some new but also multi year sea ice which is hard as hell.
Then sailing through this are bergs the size of city blocks or bigger!
Early in the summer it might have been possible in a small vessel and obviously has been done.
The trip through the pack ice to each base took at least three days in and three out from open water.
There are leads everywhere of course but after first few hours we were in 85-90 % ice and searching for leads to keep us moving.
Don’t let me put you off it is the most awesome place to visit but getting right to the mainland would take some
work.
They still had Huskies at Mawson- last year of them, with the mountainous back drop it is a
classic Antarctic base.
Crew of Icebird could walk off ships
gangway to the shore only about 150 metres away.