This day was sunny and clear, which was very rare to see during my trip through the Southern Ocean. The second mate has told be this is the grayest, stormiest research cruise he's ever been on. But this particular morning broke clear and bright and while it got a bit dark midday the afternoon was sunny again which offered a shadow of the ship onto the pancake ice. Later, at what would be considered night but is in fact still light, the people of the ship would all pour out onto the decks to see the last glorious iceberg patch we would end up having passed through. The remainder of the time at sea would be in open ocean.