18/5-15

Position: 84° 01.5' N, 16° 40' W, temperature - 8° C, 1014 hPa, wind 3 knots from the SW. Ice drift 0.2 towards SE. Put up a 12 hour time-lapse of the echo sounder screen. Checked the radiation flux instrument. Removed the cover and insulation mats from the hovercraft superstructure, and mobilized the craft for departure. Just after getting off the parking ramp a loud rattling noise was heard. The starboard brace which hold the propeller duct had come loose and the threads of the adjusting eye-bolt had been pulled out. Propeller blades were hitting the duct at the top inside. We had no spares, but could do satisfactory repair using parts from our unofficial "nice -to-have" collection. We made two trips over to the old camp and moved all equipment and all remaining fuel over to the present camp. The visibility went down so we stayed overnight at the old camp site. We saw an Ivory gull over the camp for the first time this year.