The Exodus

The contract with the oil company, YPF, ended two days after Sarah arrived in Comodoro. This meant that the helicopters would not be needed to ferry people back and forth from the oil rig. However, YPF asked Helicopteros Marinos (the company that Nathanael is working with down here) to follow the oil rig up the coast until it reached Uraguay. The helicopter would be used for any possible medical evacuations from the oil rig as it moved.

Note: The oil rig moves at a whopping 3 mph.

So, we loaded up 6 pilots, 2 mechanics, and 1 wife into the helicopter and headed north. There would be 3 stops (Puerto Madryn, Bahia Blanca, and Mar del Plata) and a total of 7 days of travel. We will be posting later with details on each of these cities. For now, here are some pictures of the first leg of the trip.

Strapped in and ready to go!

Diego and Nathanael livin' the dream!

Coastline between Comodoro and Puerto Madryn.

Hills outside of Puerto Madryn.

Pilots and mechanics working together to tie down the helicopter...what a beautiful sight!