Dam good fun!

Ok, apologies first off for the cheesy title.  This is just a quick snippet of my day walking up bore valley to the fresh water dam and weir with the tech services squad, Tommy and Matt H.  Due to the brodificum spreading done by the helicopters, it is important to ensure minimal amounts end up in our drinking water.  The water we use on base for all our requirements comes from a fresh mountain spring and melt water stream a miles or so from base.  The stream has been dammed and there are is a sluiced system which ultimately feeds a pipe which runs down to Grytviken disused whaling station and then around the cove to KEP.  The run off from the dam runs down the valley following the original water course and eventually empties into the sea.
So we set off.  The first job was to go to a man hole in the whaling station to connect a large fire hose to a hydrant.  With this open, it will gush water straight from the dam holding tank (the pressure is quite high.... see silly photo below)  Then we hiked up the valley to the dam, and on arrival, Matt closed the sluice gate which feeds the tank and pipe.  As the hose was open in Grytviken the tank was now emptying. We then opened the sluice to drain the dam basin.  This was so we could remove any rat pellets which had collected in the pre-tapped part of the water system.  It was great fun draining tens of thousands of gallons of water in just a few minutes!  The job didnt take long, and one the area was devoid of stray pellets the dam was closed and we enjoyed the sunshine while the basin filled once more.  True british workers, except we forgot the flask of tea!

Oh dear.

The pressure takes some holding on to!

Emptying the basin.

Gurgle.

South Georgia Habitat Restoration photo update

Last weekend I spend most of Saturday filming and photographing the helicopter operations for the Rat eradication project.  The team spent some time with me explaining how things work.  Basically the bait spreading device is an aluminium hopper which the ground crew fill with Brodifacum rat poison pellets. The helicopter then hovers low over head and one of the ground crew attaches the hopper to a special hook under the aircraft.  The hopper is fitted with a small Honda engine which the ground crew will then pull-start.  This engine drives a paddle wheel which, when the pilot operates a switch will start spreading the bait.  Once the engine is started, the ground crew moves away and the pilot begins to lift the hopper.  This is a very skilled bit of flying as the pilot cannot see the hopper, so has to use his skill to judge when he is picking it up straight.  If he does not lift it vertically he will spill the hopper of damage it.  Once the hopper is airborn the pilot flies to the appropriate area and using a specialist piece of GPS tracking equipment he will open the hopper valve and begin flying a course similar to that of a farmer ploughing his field.  The tracker will record the choppers progress so the team can be sure the bait has been spread thoroughly to the required amount.

"Alpha Mike" on the ground for re-fuelling

"Tango Charlie" departing Grytviken with a hopper

Showing the hook system

Approaching to be fitted with a hopper.

See the album at http://picasaweb.google.com/mailmemek

Life of an Antarctic Boatman the movie

Hi Guys.

The second in a series of films about my life here in South Georgia.  I have reset the title format as the last video was more about the journey here and the first few weeks.  This is about life as it becomes more settled.  Again is a mix of film footage and still and includes some more humorous bits.  Its a shade over 11 minutes, so I hope you enjoy it!

MK.

Goodbye Wanderer III

Tuesday this week saw the departure of a special little yacht.  Wanderer III, owned and skippered by Thies Matzen and his wife Kicki Ericson, was commissioned by famous British sailor Eric Hiscock.  Her designer, Laurent Giles made her deep drafted, and heavily ballasted with a modest beam and she was always intended to cross oceans.  She is one of only a relatively small number of wooden yachts still circumnavigating, and her strong Iroko on Oak construction has survived a grounding in the pacific, and many thousands of sea miles with her 3 owners. The Hiscocks circumnavigated her and the story of which is documented in Eric Hiscocks book 'Round the World with Wanderer 3'.  Eric sold her to another gentleman who circumnavigated her again until she was bought by Thies in 1981, and he has wandered around the world aboard ever since.  He began as a solo sailor, until Kicki joined him in '89 as a beautiful adventure-seeking young woman.  A somewhat unlikely crossing of the Pacific Ocean together started something and in 1999 Kicki became his wife in the church of the abandoned whaling station at Grytviken here in South Georgia.

Thies and Kicki have been in South Georgia for 2 years studying the Wandering Albatross (Wanderers namesake) and exploring this wonderful island aboard Wanderer and have been the subject of a few excellent articles written by Thies for magazines such as Yachting Monthly and GEO magazine.  They are both knowledgeable and sympathetic nature lovers and Thies is a particularly good photographer.  His collection of photographs from South Georgia is a rare and valuable archive.

During my time here, we have become very close, and many happy nights have been spent on Wanderer.  Thies is a talented wooden boat builder and joiner, and I have taken some tips from him for a few personal projects I have, and Kicki is a constant source of entertainment, especially when there is dancing to be done!  I also have to thank her for my Kafir culture which she kindly gave to me and is now providing me with fresh yoghurt every morning.  These guys and as warm as humans can be, and within minutes they feel like old friends.

We had a great party on my birthday, which doubled as their leaving do, and Kicki and I managed to get everyone including the film crews up and dancing til the small hours.  The entire base turned out on the beach to give them the trademark KEP mexican wave and we lit time expired flares.  It was an emotional day for us all.

They have left South Georgia now bound for St Helena via Tristan Da Cunha.  The passage is expected to take wanderer a month, and I am hoping at the time of writing that they will be 200 miles off by now.

To my good friends, I wish you a safe and pleasant passage!  As promised Thies (when you read this) I will join you somewhere in the near future on my new (wooden) boat!!