Scielasko Ice Cap and Black Peak Mountain.

Here follows a tale of mountaineering. Real mountaineering. With ice axes and crampons. And rope. I don't have many of these....

BAS policy dictates that we are not allowed to do glacial travel due to the technical nature of the traverse, and the associated risks if you dont know your ice axe from your snow bridge. The same rule also dictates, however, that we are allowed to do such things if accompanied by a BAS field assistant / mountaineer.

By a sheer streak of luck, this years base commander, Mr James Wake, is an ex BAS field assistant with a number of Antarctic field seasons to his name, as well as a history of miriad mountain climbs since he was a child. Therefore, glacier travel has become a possibility this year.

There are a number of large, heavily crevassed and active glaciers in the area. The Nordenskjold is arguably to most impressive in the immediate vicinity of base (though, they are all simply stunning) but the Neaumayer glacier in Cumberland west bay is the most active. It calves enormous chunks of ice in to the sea almost on a daily basis, and measurements taken (some by me) have confirmed the ice face is retreating back in to the Allardyce mountain range at a rate of 1 meter per day - or around 360 meters per year.

We opted to go and explore a less often seen feature on the Barff Peninsula however - the Scielasko Ice Cap. 

Being an Ice Cap, its nature is similar to that of a glacier. In fact, it once was a glacier proper, flowing down in to reindeer valley and no doubt contributing to a larger glacier as it went. Today, it has retreated in to a rift up in the mountain range on the Barff peninsula, and has become a stable, and smooth feature, devoid of crevasses. At the head of the ice cap lies the highest mountain summit in our travel area - Black Peak mountain.

Black Peak summit is recorded at 812m (2,664 feet) high, and on a good day allows for simply spectacular views of the surrounding area, including the Nordenskjold Glacier and Mount Paget - the highest mountain in South Georgia (which stands at a lofty 9,629 feet high) as well as the beautiful scarred coastline, and of course the endless expanse of the Southern Ocean, stretching literally infinitely about the southern hemisphere of Earth.

Day one, we were deployed at Sandebugten bay and we loaded our packs, and a miriad of gear in to the pulk which James would be carrying behind him on skis.

A tough trudge through deep snow (even the snow shoes were sinking 3 or more feet in places) finally allowed us some altitude, which with it, reduced the temperature and made the footing more solid. Eventually we made it over a col and in to Reindeer Valley. The valley runs East West and offers one of the few easier passages to the far side of the peninsula overland.  At this time of year, in the depths of winter, the valley floor is totally snow covered and the lake and streams which striate the landscape in the summer, are all frozen and seem to have disappeared all together.

A few hours later, we eventually worked our way out of the valley floor and up in the hills in the vicinity of the Ice Cap. We found a suitable spot at the foot of the cap, which was not even visible in its entirety, partly due to the scud and poor visibility in the area when we arrived.

We camped the night on what we believed to be a frozen lochen. I think we were all thankful of the goose down sleeping bags as the temperature dropped to double minus figures over night.

Early AM on day 2, and we had breakfasted on hot porridge and tea. The camp was to stay in situ, so all unnecessary gear and supplies was depoted in the tent or pulk. Unfortunately most of the weight saved was then put back on in the form of our climbing racks (ice screws, carrabinas, prussicks, strops, cam clamps, pullys etc) which are worn on harnesses, plus ice axe and crampons (spiked metal shoes which fit to your boots and allow you to walk / climb on ice.)

The trek up the ice cap was simply stunning. The low scud and overcast dreariness of the previous day had cleared entirely, and to coin a well known (though less often used) FID phrase - we had a dingle day. We quickly got used to being roped up as a group and we made quick progress up to the base of the ridge line leading to black peak.

The view opened up to the east coast once we got to the top of the ridge. The view from around 2,200 feet up was just spectacular, but in places the ridge drops vertically in some places for what looked like a good 1500 feet sheer drop. We remained roped up.

The summit came a hour later, and the view, as well as an enormous sense of achievement, was incredible. 

Day 3 we struck camp and trekked back in to reindeer valley, making our way further east to a col at the top of a picturesque bay and natural harbour called Godthul.

Dropping steeply in to Godthul, down some steep gullys, we made camp on some rolling foot hills very near the disused whaling industry depot, surrounded by reindeer. We spent a wonderful evening on the beach, watching the gentoo penguins, which form a large colony at Godthul, return full-bellied from their day at sea, and scramble frantically back ashore, as the sun quietly set behind.

An unforgettable journey, and without doubt a superb way of spending the only sunny days we have had for a long while!

Catch Up - March 2012 web diary.

Most significantly this month, we have been joined by two new team members.  Paula O’Sullivan and Jo Cox are both familiar faces to BAS; Paula having worked as a boating officer for two previous consecutive winters at KEP, and Jo joining us from the bridge of the RRS James Clarke Ross where she is normally chief navigating officer.  Paula will be joining me in the boating department, signifying the end of a period of working alone, and Jo will be joining the South Georgia Government office where she will be working as a government representative on the island.  A huge KEP welcome to both ladies!

Paula arrived to begin her third winter in South Georgia

When talking of the traditions and orthodoxy of devoted couples who decide to get married, rusty landrovers, Nido tins, boiler suits and a ship’s fog horn are likely to get a rare mention, if ever mentioned at all.

However, KEP had the privilege of playing host and notary to the wedding of OTEP Ecologist Kalinka Rexer-Huber and her husband Graham Parker; a wedding which cast aside many traditions in favour of a most unusual, but very memorable ceremony.  Conducted in the shadow of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s memorial cross on the idyllic rock promontory of Hope Point, the wedding was informal in the extreme, with most of the congregation in boiler suits and rigger boots, and not a cravat or veil to be seen.  The result however was extraordinary, and the fine weather and spectacular South Georgia views made for a most romantic ceremony.

The Newlyweds at Hope Point

Everybody on base and aboard the fisheries patrol vessel PHAROS SG, who was alongside at KEP Jetty at the time, were invited to witness this special occasion, and join in on an afternoon of celebrations.  Kalinka has become a very popular and valued member of the King Edward Point team over the many months she has now spent on the island, studying the rats and surveying and treating the small number of manageable invasive plant species on the island.  The ceremony was conducted by the registrar of South Georgia, Sarah Lurcock, and the building team from Morrison’s construction decked out their Series II landrover with electrical-cable-marking tape for ribbon, and trailed a bunch of empty potato tins and milk powder tins.  With the rust and dents suitably disguised, the chauffeur-driven vehicle whisked the newlyweds from Hope Point to the front of Everson House, where they were greeted with a champagne reception and a round of applause.   Everyone here would like to wish the happy couple many years of adventuring together.

A wedding party, South Georgia style

Of course, the festivities could not last, and the work program for March started in earnest.  Katie Brigden, our resident fisheries biologist, accompanied members of the OTEP team as well as South Georgia Government representatives on a field trip to Ocean Harbour to study the reindeer movements in the area, and treat some sporadic invasive plants.  The work undertaken in these studies will help build an accurate and thorough appraisal of the reindeer population on the island, and how their removal might best be managed.

Once again, we had the pleasure of hosting the Royal Navy at KEP during a visit by patrol vessel HMS Clyde.  The ship docked alongside, where she remained for a few days to carry out some work on the island.  Amongst the crew where a small team from the Royal Air Force explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team, who were to carry out controlled detonations to dispose of any relics of the 1982 conflict, which still get reported in the hills surrounding the base.  It is a great time to be here, as often the teams are very friendly and willing to get base members (safely) involved, and what results is a louder and more explosive fireworks display than you may have seen before! 

Another controlled detonation echoes around the mountains 

Often the Navy will volunteer crew during a visit to South Georgia to any tasks which require extra pairs of hands.  This time, we had a rather large request.  The wreck of the fishing vessel LYN, which grounded and breached on rocks in the entrance to the Morraine Fjord during a severe storm in 2003, has unfortunately sustained more damage during a recent period of heavy seas.  The vessel has now broken up in to three sections which has breached the forward freezer hold and exposed a quantity of expanding foam to the sea, which had, by the beginning of March, been deposited on nearby beaches.  A large cleanup operation was launched with the generous help of the crew of HMS Clyde and some 20 RN volunteers (including the Captain!) equipped with their own landing craft, joined a team from BAS and GSGSSI in the cleanup.  We were overwhelmed by our success, and after a hard day filling sacks and ferry people to and from the remote beaches, we had recovered practically all of the beach debris.  It really made everyone proud to be able to ensure the island is kept as pristine as possible, and the team here laid on drinks in the base bar to thank the RN helpers.

Debris on the local beaches before the highly successful cleanup operation 

The cooperation with the Navy turned to competition however, and the next day, a football match was held on the old recreation ground at Grytiviken disused whaling station.  The Navy gave our team a fair walloping, but foolishly agreed to a ‘sudden death’ decider, and the golden toe of BAS Engineer Tom Whitfield secured a (somewhat un-deserved) victory!  The day was finished off by a fabulous talent show, organised by the rates mess on the warship, and KEP took part with a last minute rendition of the Dad’s Army theme tune, accompanied by some sub-sandhurst-standard marching and drills!

The science department has been busy this month, and education has continued to be a large part of our resident scientist’s roles.  As well as delivering seminars on board visiting cruise ships (including the National Geographic explorer among others) to raise the scientific significance of the island to the tourists; our team have also been delivering their expertise directly back to the UK.  This year’s Cambridge Science festival organised a live video chat between children at the festival and our scientists in their laboratory here in South Georgia.  The children asked may questions, some scientific and some more domestic, and the feedback was very positive.  It is hoped the base can participate in more educational and awareness opportunities in the future.

An eventful month ended on a high, as we enjoyed another visit by the tall ship Bark Europa.  The 56m LOA Barquentine rigged sailing ship is always a welcome visitor.  Not only is the ship beautiful to look at, and reminiscent of some of the ships which would have plied their trade in South Georgia a century ago, but she always has a welcome invite for base members to come aboard for a barbeque when she is in King Edward Cove.  It is of course a great opportunity to share our knowledge and experiences of the island with the passengers, and to help educate them about some of the issues the island faces and the successes the island enjoys, but the good food, good beer and (perhaps not so good) dancing is always great fun!

Lastly, our living link to Antarctic heritage, BAS Zoologist Alastair Wilson, paid homage to his families’ impressive and significant past on the 29^th of this month.  Alastair hosted a church service in the Grytviken church to mark the Centenary of Captain Scott’s last diary entry, made shortly before his tragic death whilst attempting the return leg of his successful expedition to the South Pole.  The story, now famous among Antarctic enthusiasts, still rings stark and true to those who work south, as Captain Oates sacrificed his life in order for the others to survive on the remaining food rations, and to cease holding up the party due to poor health stating “I am going outside, I may be some time”.  These words he is said to have spoken to the three surviving men in his tent; Captain Scott, Bowers and Alastair’s Great Great uncle, Edward Wilson.

MATT KENNEY

Senior Boating Officer, KEP – South Georgia.

This blog is a copy of the January web diary for KEP, which I wrote for the BAS website:

JANUARY 2012

With 2011 on South Georgia being cast into the history books, 2012 started in earnest and once again the King Edward Point gang enjoyed a busy, varied and challenging start to the New Year.

As always, BAS science and South Georgia government projects featured heavily on the agenda, and our fisheries biologist, Katie Brigden MSc, Bsc (Hons) continued her hard work collecting samples and compiling key data for the on-going fisheries monitoring program on South Georgia. A large part of Katie’s work involves undertaking plankton trawls aboard the Fisheries Patrol vessel Pharos SG, and the beginning of January saw Katie back at sea trawling along pre determined transects in Cumberland East Bay and Rosita Harbour some 40 nautical miles along the coast from KEP. The samples collected are carefully sorted, weighed and analysed in the James Cook laboratory and the data will contribute to an overall appraisal of the health of the local fishery, and its impact on the wider ecosystems. In addition to this, Katie has also been involved this month in a bird study on Prion Island in connection with the on going rat eradication project.

Further monitoring of the higher predator populations on the island, namely the Antarctic Fur Seal and Gentoo penguin colonies continued too and our other full time scientist Alastair Wilson Msc, BSc (Hons) lead a gang of willing volunteers to the study beach at Maiviken to undertake the first of this year’s seal pup weight surveys. This survey will provide important data about the health of the higher predatory populations on the island to the long term marine monitoring program, and again ensures that krill and fish stocks remain abundant for the animals that rely on them. Data so far this year is very encouraging, and a healthy number of pups have been counted and their food sources appear very good with lots of fat pups recorded. Alastair has also continued his work analysing scat samples which again will help closely monitor the state of the seal’s diet.

Visiting scientist Sue Gregory from the Cambridge based marine science department arrived in January, and en-route conducted this year’s ground fish survey aboard the fishing vessel New Polar. Around 30 trawls where carried out, and a large amount of data and samples where recovered from the Shag Rocks area on the different species caught, in particular Mackerel Icefish. Data was gathered on length, frequency, sex and maturity; and stomach samples were taken for analysis back at KEP to provide information on diet and feeding habits. Groundfish Surveys like this one have been carried out since the late 1980s, with the purpose to provide an estimate of the standing stock and age structure of the mackerel icefish and inform fisheries management in SG waters.

The GPS equipment set up on the Busen peninsula.

The science theme continued in other disciplines too, and Dr Kieron Fraser, one of our resident government officers carried out some further data collection on the Barff Peninsula to assist with the improvement of the BAS map of the area. The project, headed by Adrian Fox of the BAS Mapping and geographic information systems department (or MAGIC for short) is an SG government lead initiative to further improve the accuracy and detailing of some of the maps used in South Georgia, using detailed aerial photographs supplied by the Royal Navy, with the geo-referencing being done using a very sophisticated GPS system. Conspicuous and unambiguous sites are identified on the photographs and Kieron was then deployed via the base boats to set up the GPS to take positional data for the site. The readings take over an hour, such is the accuracy of the equipment, and a position to within centimeters is achievable. The maps will be an invaluable asset during phase two of the habitat restoration project which will be underway next year.

Phase two of the habitat restoration project, a project designed to eradicate all none-native species of plant and animal from the island, will concentrate on the population of reindeer on the Barff and Busen peninsulas. The reindeer have been monitored carefully over the past few years, and a detailed study in to their impact has been completed. The best option for the protection of native plants, animals and birdlife has been determined, and the complete eradication of the animals will be managed by a group of professional reindeer herders from Norway. Representatives of the Statins Nature Oppsin in Norway have been on the island throughout January, and the boating department have been busy deploying them using the boats in to various sites around the locality so they can study the herds and plan for their capture.

January was a busy month for shipping too, and 23 vessels came and went throughout. Most of these vessels are visiting cruise ships, and in total nearly 2000 visitors passed through. The weather made its mark for one of these tourist visits, and after landing some 56 passengers ashore, the zodiac drivers where unable to retrieve them as the wind increased to storm force 10, and 70 knot gusted ripped through the cove. Visibility dropped drastically in flying spume, and the ship was forced to weigh anchor and seek more sea room away from the rocky coastline. The team here pulled together and invited all 56 in to the base for tea and biscuits. Emergency blankets and beds where prepared incase the wind forced them to shelter overnight, but thankfully after a couple of hours the gale blew out and the passengers where once again re-united with their ship. The base staff where left to polish off the soup and pasta which had been made for them!

Another welcome visitor this month was the South African research ship SA Aghulas, who stopped by during her science cruise. The vessel stayed at anchor for the day and invited some of us on board for tours. It was a great opportunity for science workers from different national Antarctic programs to come together to share ideas and methods.

January saw the history books re-opened with the arrival of Lieutenant Colonel Chris Nunn OBE Royal Marines and his wife Siobhan. Mr Nunn was the commander of ‘M’ Company, Royal Marines and was heavily involved in military operations in South Georgia during 1982. Mr Nunn gave a fascinating and very even-handed presentation on the islands tumultuous past, and the role of his company during the Falkland Islands conflict; and it was a privilege for base staff to host Mr and Mrs Nunn for a week and facilitate an important visit for a retired war veteran to see the eminent progress made by BAS and the Government of South Georgia since the end of the war. Mr Nunn commented on his satisfaction at seeing the island return once again to a place of peace and science, and was heartened to see the islands rich and diverse ecosystem return to the forefront of the agenda. He also bought with him a valuable archive of documents and artifacts which where kindly donated to the South Georgia heritage trust which has made a substantial contribution the recording of human history in the region.

The boating department where kept very busy running numerous support trips to the surrounding peninsulas for the various projects underway. It was also a busy month training this year’s incumbents in the safe use of the boats. When there is such a busy science agenda, much of the training comes ‘on-the-job’, but there was still time to carry out some dedicated training sessions, for example a towing exercise to simulate a broken down RIB. Despite some 50 hours of time amassed on the water, and the departure in December of Ashley Perrin (Mrs Boat) leaving me solo until the next boating officer, Paula O’Sullivan, arrives in March. I was still able to take a short weekend break to Harpon on the north coast of the Thatcher Peninsula — a fabulous place to spend a couple of days right next to the Lyell Glacier and tremendous views over Cumberland West Bay, with a small breeding colony of King Penguins situated on the old Moraine.

Lastly, this month KEP played host once again to the annual South Georgia half marathon. This grueling test of physical prowess takes the participant 13 miles through tussock, across rivers, up scree slopes and over the summit of Brown Mountain. This year’s winner overall was chief executive of the South Georgia Government — Dr Martin Collins — with an impressive time of 1 hour 47 minutes. In second place, with a very respectable 1 hour 52 minutes was the South Georgia post master Hugh Marsden, with SG Government bird biologist Andy Black coming in 3^rd with a time of 1 hour 54 minutes. The ‘runkling’ class (those who intend on walking but running parts of the course) was won by base doctor John Weissmann with a time of 2 hours 27 minutes, and the winner of the walking category (by default as the only competitor in class!) was taken by Alastair Wilson with a respectable 3 hour 43 minute result. The wooden spoon went to Base mechanic Erny Duston with a time of 4 hours 58 minutes, but this was enough to see him take first place in the ‘nordic walking’ class, again as he was the only entrant, and there was some controversy over the validity of this renegade class. Erny, originally hailing from North Yorkshire, was pleased with the result however, and said afterwards “Well I had little chance in’t other classes, so I thought I would mek’ me own up… you know…”

December 11

So on in to December 11, in the second of my latest series of catch up blogs.  Looking back, December was a great month to be in South Georgia, and some exciting things were happening.

Firstly, the team here welcomed the arrival of Dr Jostein Bekke and his team of researchers from the Bjerkes Centre for Climate Research in Bergen.  The team had arrived with a considerable amount of equipment to take lake coring samples from some of the small lakes in the mountains of the Busen and Barff peninsulas.  The team had a vast amount of kit to transport to each location including an inflatable raft, lake coring equipment, drills, sample tubes, an outboard engine, a generator, aluminium cases full of sundry scientific instruments, and of course personal kit and supplies for up to a week in the field.  All of this equipment had to be stowed on the aft deck of the jetboat during passage to and from field locations, and this included strapping 20 foot long sections of drain pipe to the side decks!

Once again the Royal Navy dropped by to say hello.  The type 45 destroyer HMS Montrose rolled in to cumberland bay during her tour of the South Atlantic.

Another major highlight was the arrival of the Norwegian reindeer herders Karl Eric and Henrick.  Herick is a Sammi reindeer herder from the north of Norway, and is part of a traditional community of reindeer people in the region.  An unassuming, friendly and placid character, Henrick often belies his impressive strength, and agility as he hunts reindeer in the tradition method of lassoing the beast and wrestling the animal to the ground (including the large bucks!).  The process is very humane, and causes little pain to the animal as death is achieved quickly using a razor sharp blade and an intimate knowledge of which blood vessels are cut.  Henrick gave lassoing lessons, and showed us how to prepare the meat for cooking.  The meat itself is very tasty, though both Henrick and Karl Eric could discern a subtle difference in the flavour of the meat compared with the resident norwegian herds.  The team are here to begin planning for the eradication of reindeer from South Georgia, and there will be further updates on this.

Lastly, the outgoing winterers finally left the island after their year (or two) of adventure on South Georgia.  To mark the evolution of time, and in a way put closure on what was a fabulous year together, we took a fabulous overnight camping trek to Curlew Cave on the North coast of the Thatcher Peninsula.  Curlew Cave is a natural cave cut in to the rock, and features a lovely warm (ish) and dry sandy floor - perfect for bivvying out over night.  The weather was less than perfect on the walk over, which in the conditions took us around 4 hours and saw us navigating through thick cloud in the mountain passes.  however, once in the cave, with socks hung up to dry, and a blazing campfire permeating the frigid cold, we soon settled in to a few warming rums and some freeze dried beef curry!  As a consolatory gesture, the return journey the following morning was made in glorious sunshine and excellent views from the mountain pass.  Good bye (for now) and good luck to Rob, Matt, Ashley and Sam!

L-R: Ali, Me, Katie, Tommy,Matt H, Rob.

Update - November 11

Me and the SWMS - the entrance to Little Jason Lagoon is visible in the top right.

One of my infamous catch up blogs after not updating the site for an embarrassing number of months... The time which has elapsed since the RAF air drop can accumulate a lot of waffle in my world... I must remember to blog little and often.... little and often.... 

November saw the arrival of an exciting project being undertaken by BAS Scientists Gabbi Stowasser and Chester ‘Cheps’ Sands and a Biological masters student Jana Doemel from Germany.

The team wanted to undertake sampling of the seabed at various locations around the Cumberland Bay area to investigate the local benthic (meaning sea-floor) flora and fauna, and the project required a boat to carry out trawl work with a ‘Benthic sled’ and some accompanying work with a domersal trawl net . It was therefore up to me to convert one of our RIBs in to a suitable trawler work platform.  I decided the most suitable boat for the job would be ALERT with her dive rib layout and open aft deck.  So with some cunning modifications, she was transformed into perhaps the world’s first RIB trawler (!) making use of some now rarely used fishing tackle in the net store, including floating line, heavy trawl line, cheek blocks and swivel shackles. The makeshift system worked perfectly and boat proved very capable whilst accumulating around 13 hours of trawling.  The team were overwhelmed by the samples that were recovered and they will provide a significant contribution to the marine science being undertaken by many nations around the Scotia Arc.  The trawling was great fun, and we were very lucky with the weather.  The RIB actually coped incredibly well with bottom trawling, and with both engines in slow ahead, made a perfect 1.5 knots with the trawl sled fully deployed on the seabed.  It was fascinating to see the diversity of life that was bought up and put into sample buckets.  Jana’s particular area of interest is sea spiders, and we actually recovered many different species much to Jana’s delight.  In addition we found many varieties of copepod, isopod, amphipod, echinoderms (starfish!) and other bits and bobs. 

Of particular interest to me was the requirement for the boats to go and explore some lesser frequented spots around the coast.  We spend a fair whack of time cruising in to beautiful spots like Sandebugten cove, Moraine Fjord and even little Jason lagoon.  Little Jason is a tidal lake in Jason harbour on the Busen peninsula, and is only accessible by RIB on spring high water.  As there is usually no reason to make the journey in to LJ lagoon it is almost certainly the case that no boat has been inside since HMS endurance made some soundings of the lake in the early 1990s.  Crossing the bar was exciting, as fur seals leaped from the water across our bows and the last of the late flood poured in through the entrance making rapids on the shallower eastern channel.

The trawls inside the lagoon were somewhat disappointing, as it was hoped that because the lagoon is protected from ice scouring, the benthic marine life could be abundant.  In reality, what was recovered was a large amount of pungent smelling sludge.  It is my (non-scientific) opinion that the shallow ledge at the entrance, the small change of water each tide, and the abundance of fur seals around the lake have eradicated much of any marine life in the cove.  Due to tidal constraints we only had time for one trawl however.  Before leaving, I drove the boat around the perimeter of the lagoon and photographed the beach for the seal biologist.  On returning to base I counted around 750 fur seals on the beach.

RAF Airdrop

The Royal Air Force has finally succeeded in delivering some supplied for the OTEP project currently underway on the Barff and Busen peninsulas (blog update to follow)

The much thwarted drop arrived on time from MPA which in a Hurcules transport aircraft takes a round trip of 6 hours, and requires an in-flight refuel from a VC-10.

Ashley marked the drop zone with an orange smoke float and once the package had parachuted safely in to the sea, was picked up by Tom, Pat and I on the RIB.  The chute and other sundry bits of gear will be returned to the RAF via an HM Warship which we are expecting sometime in the next month or two.

Catch up 2 - October

In this, the second of my "catch up" reports, I will be looking back on a very busy month. In many ways it was October that really put the blogging behind schedule as it was this month that saw the RRS JAMES CLARKE ROSS arrive on "first call" and with it the arrival of our new wintering team. It was still quite cold at the beginning of the month despite spring being upon us.

The cold weather still apparent.  This is LUNA's re-righting cylinder after an hour at sea.

The incumbents are: Ernie Duston - Replacing Matt Holmes as the Facilities Engineer, James Wake, replacing Rob Webster as the Base Commander and John Weissman replacing Sam Crimmin as the base Doctor.

The short period after the activities the month previous, and the arrival of the JCR allowed enough time for me to take a short break away from base. The government officer, Robert Patterson, Heritage Trust curatorial assistant, Katie Murray and myself took a short break to the Greene Peninsular. The Greene sits adjacent to the base, between the thatcher and barff peninsulas and is segrogated from the mainland by two Glaciers - The Nordenskjold and the Harker. The peninsula itself is fairly steep with lowlands skirting its perimeter. There are a couple of peaks to climb including a very easy walk up Eosin Hill, where a moderate traverse can be made to the South to climb the un named peak further along the ridge. This peak gives spectacular views over the Glaciers.

Katie on the ridge 

After being dropped off by RIB on the beach, we set up camp by the old survival hut situated on the North West side of the Greene. It is a good place to camp as there is a fresh water stream next door which provides tasty drinking water, the hut is well equipped with stove, lantern, food and supplies and view is spectacular across Cumberland East bay. We spent the afternoon of day 1 setting up camp and collecting fire wood from the beach. There are no trees on South Georgia, and natural driftwood is very rare. However some years ago there was a severe storm which wrecked two fishing vessels on the Moraine Fjord bar situated at the north west end of Greene which over the years have deposited some timber on the beaches around the Fjord. This makes great fire wood to keep warm on fridged evenings.

Day two took us up on the mountainous spine of the peninsula as we climbed Eosin hill and then made north along the ridge. We stopped for a lunch of chocolate, biscuit browns and dried fruit, then doubled back and came down the steep north face of Eosin on the the beach near Mcmahon rock. From there it was a steady coastal walk back to the vicinity of the hut which was perhaps 2 or 3 miles. That evening we made a fire and had ration packs and wine for dinner.

The Harker glacier to the left - Hamburg Glacier to the right.

The third day we started early and hiked the length of the West coast up to the Glacier. En route we came across a number of Elle Harems and also witnessed a violent fight between two Bulls. This was Katies first real encounter with South Georgia's elephant seal population, and she commented on our own fragile mortality stood on a beach watching the equivalent of 2 transit vans scrapping only perhaps 50 feet away! After doing our fair share of sneaking and fast walking however, we eventually arrived at the foot of the Harker Glacier. The Harker is an impressive glacier, which with its shear spikes and icy minarettes resembles something conjured from Tolkien's Middle Earth. We set up a mini camp and cooked a lunch of Chilli Con Carne over the optimus stove washed down with fresh coffee. While we sat and watched we witnessed quite a large calving from the ice face, and literally thousands of tons of Ice plummeted into the sea. I also happened to have my camera ready at the time, so check out the video below.

Catch up 1 - September

Greetings folks. The one or two of you who still check this blog occasionally will have noticed that posts have been few and far between once again. This is for a hundred or so poor reasons, but principal of which is the fact that time here just passes so quickly. I feel its time to blog some updates especially if its been afew weeks since last I put fingers to keyboard, but its becoming clear that weeks in my head equivocate months in the real world. I notice for example that the last post I did was September, although I would bet a pound to a pinch of salt that a mere 3 or 4 weeks had passed.

5.5m Humber RIB LUNA blown off her trailer

September is an interesting time at KEP. It is fast becoming the end of winter, the wildlife is returning and the prospect of the first real thaw for months is rapidly becoming a reality. This september, the weather remained harsh at times with some very severe gales. As you can see from the photos below, winds of over 80mph can cause chaos. The RIBs had been out of the boatshed to make room for one of the Jetboats which we had slipped the day before to carry out some planned maintenance. Based on the forecast we were expecting wind but perhaps not quite as much, therefore the boats where not tied down. It took 4 of us and a JCB about an hour to re-right / recover the boats, replace LUNA back on her trailer and tie the boats down. On this occasion we tied one to the 3 ton jetboat trailer and the other to the containers. The wind continued to blow throughout and we all got snow in every conceivable place!

Katie... just before I couldnt see her anymore!

To continue the theme of bad weather and driving snow, for the first time this year, Katie and I had to abandon a walk to Maiviken. We had set off in reasonable conditions bound for the sealers cave at Maiviken so we could watch the nesting Gentoo Penguins coming in to roost. However once making our way up bore valley the visibility dropped to almost zero with 45 knot winds driving snow in to white out conditions. We are very familiar with the area, and made the decision to turn back to base before the underfoot got a little trickier the other side of Deadmans Pass. The drifts were also very deep, so walking was near impossible. On the way back we took refuge in the Church House at Grytviken as enjoyed a lunch of Army Issue Biscuit Browns and Chocolate.

The NATHANIAL B PALMER at anchor in King Edward Cove

September was not all storms and hardship however. We were pleased to welcome the United States Antarctic Program's research vessel the NATHANIAL B PALMER to King Edward Cove. The vessel stopped by during a 3 week science cruise searching for marine flora along the Scotia Arc. She was on a tight schedule therefore did not stay longer than a day, but we were invited on board and given a tour by the First Officer and Chief Scientist. The multi million pound vessel boasts an impressive array of facilities for visiting scientists, and undertakes a busy program of science in much the same way as the JAMES CLARK ROSS does for the Brits. The vessel was trawling for samples and deploying CTDs... otherwise known as Conductivity (salinity) Temperature and Depth recorders to map the spread of certain species of flora along the Scotia Ridge. The data collected will be used by a group of American Scientists as part of a wider scoped study of the deposition of marine life in the region. Despite the science the living standards on board were excellent with a fully loaded Gym, Restaurant and Cinema (complete with lazy boys!)

Pancake

Finally, September saw the birth of the first Elephant Seal pup on base. The first pup last year, called Charlie by the winterers, was killed by a large Bull who crushed him to death. This year, in honour of Charlie, I suggested "Pancake" might be a nice name for our new arrival. It was agreed and so came to pass.

King Penguins with Chicks

The elephant seals (as well as the Furries) spend winter at sea where they spend much of the time feeding on Krill and the like. Pregnant females spend this time gestating, and eventually the "Harems" of females along with the Bulls haul out on the shores about South Georgia to give birth and be re-mated; starting the whole process again. This is an exciting time as the beaches become packed with Elle seals bringing with them a cacophony of noise. The Bulls, weighing up to 4 tons, will fight violently for their place amongst the Harems. the successful bulls (the one with the deepest, loudest roar, the biggest nose, and the hardest headbutt) wins his place as a Beach Master, giving him exclusive rights over mating up to perhaps 40 females. However, he must wait until the pups have been born and subsequently weaned. Weaning takes 3 weeks or so in which time the pup will triple in size up to around 80 kgs, and begin to fend for itself, eventually learning how to swim and feed for itself, and mainly for the little boys, learning how to fight. This all takes place around the slipway outside the boatshed, and is a wonderful time to sit and watch the little guys playing around and getting to grips with there new surroundings. During this time the beachmaster will continue to fight his corner, but will have to give way to other males coming ashore in close proximity. He may even loose his place on the beach all together. The ones who are not mature enough, or strong enough to claim beach master status are destined to be a "sneaker". He will sit in the shallows offshore and wait until the beach master is not looking, at which time he will sneak ashore and try to mate one of the females. This usually ends in protestation by the female who attracts the attention of the Bull... 8 tons of muscle and blubber then come to a head.

Pancake did very well, has successfully weaned, and is now learning to swim in amongst his new friends at the creche. In a few years time he will be competing for his place amongst the girls. Good luck to him.

See the September Photo album here:

SEPTEMBER 2011

South Georgia Photo update

Long overdue for many (mostly lame) reasons here is an update of goings on throughout August and September.  I have decided to make this a photo update to keep it succinct!



This slideshow is a little fast so to see the whole album click below.

SG Winter update

Picture frame

As you may be aware from some of my other posts, KEP station benefits from a well equipped carpentry workshop, and a supply of wood which we can use for personal projects.  The time here can be well spent learning a new skill or brushing up on old ones.  I have an interest in woodworking, and did a fair bit building wooden boats at Woolston maritime college.  That was a few years ago now though, and I felt it was time I started practising some of the old skills.

Sue Gregory, BAS marine biologist extraordinaire and long distance girlfriend of mine left our shores 7 weeks ago now to work a 7 week stint at sea aboard the longliner San Aspiring as a scientific observer (see blog) and to mark her departure, I wanted to put my skills in to practice and make her a nice leaving gift.  A couple of weeks prior to her leaving we had enjoyed a glorious day in the snow covered foothills to the North of Mount Hodges and she had become particularly fond of a photograph I took of us in the lee of Hodges cap.  I decided I would print the photo and hand make a frame for it (see photos)

The frame is white oak with dark hardwood inlays, mitred and butted together with a perspex glass and a scanned chart backing on which I plotted the exact location the photo was taken.  I also scribed some words of wisdom which I first read carved in to the companion way of Wander III.  It reads "Grab a chanceand you wont be sorry for a might-have-been".  Never a truer word spoken in my view.  Except perhaps "Never eat yellow snow"....

Boat School

One of the many highly skilled (sic) duties of a BAS boatman is to train other base staff in the safe use of the boats.  As in the UK, this requires a mix of practical instruction afloat and shore based classroom lessons.  Ashley and I have devised this years theory curriculum and have divided responsibility for delivering each subject equally between us.
Last week the subject was 'Buoyage' and it was my class.  I spent the morning drawing all the different kinds of buoys on the computer, printing and laminating them.  After a short introduction and refresher on the IALA systems of buoyage and how they are used, I got the guys to design their own harbour.  I laid out a channel using rope on the dinning room table and I placed a few hazards and area of interest along it.  The idea was for them to use their knowledge as a group and place the buoys where they think they should go.  It worked very well and I think everyone enjoyed it.  They may of course have learned something along the way, but its always difficult to tell when your all having a laugh!

Midwinter celebrations

Midwinter greetings folks!

It is tradition for all Antarctic bases from all nations to celebrate the winter solstice, or the passing of midwinters day.  For bases like Halley at 76 degrees south, midwinters day will bring a welcome boost in morale, as for quite some time they will have been living in perpetual darkness.  Passing the half way mark means that the days will start getting longer, and for the bases farther south the return of the sun.  KEP at 54 south does not experience perpetual darkness.  The days in winter are similar to those of the british winter in that we always have at least 8 hours of daylight a day.  It is the case however that South Georgia, being situated East of the Drake Passage in the middle of the Southern Ocean, and devoid of the climatic tempering provided to the UK by the Gulf Stream, winters are on average considerably tougher than those of Britain.

Either way, it is a sterling excuse for a celebration.  The lobby in Everson house (our accomodation block) is festooned with midwinter greetings from all the other Antarctic bases, and we all have a week of party games and celebrations.  BAS arrange (without our knowledge) to have packages sent from our families back home (thanks mum for my lovely box!) and we also have the BBC Midwinter broadcast.  The broadcast is a collection of greetings from our friends and family and is aired of the BBC world service and on the HF frequency band so we can tune in here.  It was great to hear all the messages from back home.

We also have a midwinter feast, and present each other with the midwinter gifts we have been busily constructing over the last few months.  The standard this year was incredibly high and all the gifts made showed a great deal of skill (existing or learned!) and a huge amount of effort.  I would like to thank Sam the doc for my wonderful coffee table book.  Sam is a talented photographer and has a very creative eye for graphic design.  She has created a year book showcasing some of her wonderful photographs and documenting everything we have done since our arrival last year.  Its not finished of course as some of this year's history is yet to occur.  I drew Ruth, and I have made her a jewellery box out of white oak with purple heart and mwenge inlays and hardwood panelling.  I lined the inside with old "fathom" charts of the Cumberland Bay area.

The other activities we had planned for the week have been postponed due to science duties getting in the way.  Alistair and Matt have gone to sea on the Pharos to undertake some plankton trawls and other surveys, and therefore Midwinter Olympics (including human curling, sledge bowling etc), crazy golf, base pub crawl, wine and cheese tasting evening etc etc have been postponed until further notice.

I do feel the comforts of a modern antarctic base, belie the original reason for midwinters day celebrations.  It is not our reality being sat huddled in a pyramid tent with the huskies keeping warm outside, sipping whisky and opening the celebratory can of bully beef.  But the traditions are important to uphold, and well, its a whole lot of fun!

Our greeting to the other Antarctic Stations - Photo S Crimmin

A midwinter cigar

A selection of MWPs showing my jewellery box

All handmade presents we made for each other.  Note the Ukelele!

Me and the boys set the table for dinner - didnt do a bad job I thought.