2020 SA Agulhas II Voyage
Reports from Fiona Kilpatrick, James Glass, Cynthia Green, and Rachel Green
Return to Cape Town
The SA Agulhas II docked back in Cape Town on Thursday 15th October 2020 and dropped off her passengers. She was then required to do a quick turnround in order to depart directly for Gough Island to pick up the survivors of the shipwrecked MFV Geo Searcher (reported separately).
Departure from Tristan
The SA Agulhas II returned to Tristan from Gough Island on the afternoon of Sunday 11th October 2020. The ship's helicopter picked up medevacs for Cape Town before continuing the voyage home. Many islanders lined the walls of the American Fence field to watch the flights and bid farewell to their relatives and friends.
Rachel Greens's photos show, above: the helicopter flying from SA Agulhas II's helideck,
and below: landing on American Fence.
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| Above and below: Islanders watching the Agulhas II's helicopter collect passengers from the American Fence. Photos: Sally Wonner | |
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Arrival at Tristan
The SA Agulhas II arrived early in the morning of Friday 25th September 2020. Offloading commenced soon after, and finished discharging her cargo on Saturday. She then proceeded onward to Gough Island to replace the Meteorological team that has been there for a year.
For the first time since the early 1970's when the South African research vessels RSA, and the first SA Agulhas, started servicing Gough Island and Tristan, she has arrived with no passengers, due to Covid-19 restrictions. The ship's helicopter therefore stayed in its hangar, and islanders missed the excitement of passengers being flown to American Fence.
James Glass's photo shows the SA Agulhas II anchored off Tristan da Cunha on the 25th September 2020.
The Agulhas II has brought vital cargo supplies for the island, including four self-contained units for the IT Department. One of these holds important IT equipment for the upgrade of the internet.
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| One of the new IT units being hoisted ashore... | ...and being transported on the island's articulated lorry. |
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| A vehicle being rafted ashore | A raft of shipping crates is brought into the harbour |
Departure from Cape Town
The SA Agulhas II departed Cape Town on its annual Gough Island relief voyage late in the evening of Saturday 19th September 2020.
Normally, the annual Agulhas II voyage is popular with visitors, because it can carry about 40 passengers who, after they have been landed at Tristan, have about three weeks on the island while the ship goes off to relieve the meteorological station on Gough. Unusually, because of coronavirus precautions there no passengers on board for Tristan this year.
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SA Agulhas II in Cape Town during loading operations. Photos: Zedcore
Although there are no passengers for Tristan, the Agulhas II is carrying the new RSPB Field Assistants Kim, Von and Roelf to Gough to take over from the seabird scientists Chris, Michelle & Alexis, who have been on the island for the past two years. The new team spent two weeks in quarantine prior to departure
The new Gough RSPB team on the helicopter deck of the SA Agulhas II in Cape Town