Today, October 23 (or, "Basler 23") was supposed to be the day that the 1st Basler-load of replacements was to arrive. However, the Basler and accompanying Twin Otter were held up in Punta Arenas, Chile while the weather cleared at the English Rothera base on the Antarctic peninsula. They made it to Rothera, and then the weather closed in again. They were supposed to leave Rothera this morning at 2:30am, but the winds were 45kts, so they're still on the ground. The forecast is for a decrease in winds around 10am local, but the decrease may not be enough and for long enough. Hopefully, the worst case is that in 24 hours, the weather will be significantly improved in 24 hours. So, we wait.
In the meantime, the FAA will be flying a jet of some sort from McMurdo over us here to inspect the skiway (runway). I'm told they will be orbiting for about an hour before returning to McMurdo without landing here.
I've packed up my terabyte hard drive which contained all my digital entertainment. So, I've begun reading Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged". I'm about 25% through it and recommend it most highly.
Below is a picture I took of the Basler (a DC-3 with turboprop engines) at McMurdo the day it took me out here a year ago.
