Northstar: occupation
1.15 on Tuesday morning and we�ve been here more than twenty-four hours. There has been no change in the situation since we anchored here, off Barrow, at about 9.30am on Monday.
We were circled by a large Search and Rescue helicopter yesterday lunchtime for about 15 minutes. It must be a legacy of all those American war movies but the sound of those rotor blades throbbing as they slice the air is chilling, especially if you believe it�s you they�re coming for.
On the domestic front we are holding up well. We have brought our own cooking facilities but have to use them outside on deck and it�s far from barbecue weather at the moment. Apart from the inevitable freezing temperatures, the wind is currently strong and biting and it�s lashing down with rain. Oh for the warm sunshine and gentle breeze we were experiencing a few days ago on the ship.
I�m alone in the campaign centre again as everyone else is either on watch or asleep. After 10 days on board a ship, you get used to living life to a constant soundtrack of ship�s engines and people coming and going. The incredibly still silence out here on the barge is both oppressive and eerie.
I�ll be happier when the others begin to stir and there is someone around to moan to about the weather and lack of chocolate.
Stephanie
