What a day! All plans for lectures were cancelled early when we discovered that our rendezvous with the San Aotea II was expected at 11am. What a strange feeling, so far from anywhere, to meet a fellow ship with fellow friends on board. Jack Fenaughty from Sanford was transferred across from the fishing boat he's been on for the last 3 months to our boat. For the last few weeks, alongside NIWA, they've been carrying out research during the last few weeks into juvenile toothfish - the theory is that by monitoring the population of young toothfish (called pre-recruits) it will make it easier to spot any changes to adult toothfish populations down the line. I'm sure we'll have much more on this topic to come.

Here's an interesting blog from Jack Fenaughty about the toothfish survey that they have been doing in the ross sea.

A real treat was in store for us after lunch when Rodney announced that we could land on Franklin Island ... after a slightly adrenalin-raising landing, it felt great to have feet on terra firma again after six days at sea. Adelie penguins, Weddell seals, skuas, land, sea, space, penguins, seals..... everyone returned to the ship in a much happier and less pent-up mood than they had left with!

But that wasn't all - as evening approached (a weird term since now it doesn't get dark at all), the magnificence of Antarctica greeted us in all her glory. Mount Erebus, famous huts, the Society Range of mountains, clear skies, a calm sea, and the glow of a slow slow sunset setting cliffs and mountains pink. The midnight sun was definitely a highlight. I think it finally set around 00:35. I write to you now at 2am and it's bright white light outside. The sun still sets here, but only just, and not for long.

Tomorrow we hope to visit Scott Base -  a place that several of us have dreamed of visiting for a long time. Prepare yourself for a deluge of stories tomorrow!