Agulhas

What an oversight! How could we forget to blog about our fantastic open day on the famous South African ice-breaker the Agulhas, docked at the V& A waterfront. Close to 900 people came to tour, assisted by copious amounts of hot chocolate. Just a dozen staff worked hugely well assisted by copious amounts of briyani from Maharajah's (and all complaints about garlic must go to the Vampire Association!).



And MTN hothead beanies were in view, as per this shot of Ali Wittenberg-Scott perched temporarily in the cockpit of the SAS Agulhas helicopter on its launching pad, before the pilot got nervous and suggested that she should depart immediately because he didn't really want to crash next time on account of some kid fiddling with a switch!



The helicopter, by the way, doesn't take its normal complement of staff (which doesn't yet include 6-year-old Ben Scott Wittenberg, above) because the researchers are so bulked up in their cold-weather gear that they need extra space (imagine if this was the SAA economy seats).

The Agulhas trip was written up in the Department of Science and Technology's monthly double-page spread on science in the Mail & Guardian newspaper, and Bush Radio broadcast from the venue. We were also able to Skype and webcam with researchers currently working in the cold and dark of the South African base in the Antarctic. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday in July - and let's face it, the weather was better than in 2007. If this keeps up, we may even see sun when we do the Agulhas again in 2009, with any luck.