Log Entry No 1 - 5th August 08. (Discoverer)

FROM THE CAPTAINS CABIN

Leg 11 Crew.

The flight times could I suppose have been slightly less convenient but not much. 0130 and the leg 11 crew arrive on the quayside at Reykjavik harbour. The buzz of excitement is masked by the desire for sleep. Still they have asked for supper and supper they shall have. Plates of Icelandic Cod stew and rice are eagerly devoured. The universal verdict of “delicious” is I suspect more recognition on the quality of the fresh ingredients, hauled from the sea only hours before than my chefing ability.

Loading up with food.

A few days earlier our new skipper, Commander Nick Trundle had arrived in Reykjavik to take over the yacht. Nick brings a new dimension to our journey. He has previously commanded a warship in the South Atlantic and has the experience gained in the often icy and stormy seas of South Georgia (see Leg 6 of LTTA). As a boat owner with his own ambitions to return to The Southern Ocean, he relishes the prospect of getting back into iceberg country.

Learning the ropes.

Nick is not our sole Royal Naval representative and this leg enjoys the added benefit of The Senior Services participation, bringing yet another perspective to the experience of our young soldiers. These “matlows” have even been willing to purchase Army red expedition shirts – although the shirt’s future after return to the UK is not necessarily a long life!!!! There are also other more immediate and practical considerations. Daily communications is more difficult, the Army’s traditional “Brew” being challenged by the Navy’s “Wet”. Do we “rouse all hands” or have “reveille”? A call to “give the grease a cold move to my jetty” required translation before someone passed the margarine down the table. We are however, resisting the need for documents to be produced in both languages!

Sunset.

Enough of the woes. Discoverer’s new crew are already moulding into a new unit. The major tasks of preparation required the obligatory alongside and harbour drills to start the process of teaching our young soldiers the ropes. There was also the important process of vitualling to complete. Although some have tried traditional Icelandic food it is not to every crew member’s taste; dishes such as Puffin, shark and sheep’s head are outside most of the crews experience or desires. Others have enthusiastically embraced these delicacies and other aspect of Nordic life – hot tubs being an obvious and popular example.

Sunrise and farewell to Ice.

We have also repaired one of our outboard engines. This illustrates just how much we rely on the goodwill and support of so many people without whose efforts we would not be able to achieve our purpose. Whilst in Southern Greenland in the last leg, one of our outboards was found to be unusable. Investigation suggested an electrical fault but could not be certain which precise part. A shopping list was sent back to the expedition office where Cpl Jim Smith got in touch with the boats stores at RM Poole. Spare parts were obtained and the necessary manuals collected. These were then flown out with the new crew.

Staff sergeant Steve Alecock, a former motor bike enthusiast and the ARTD instructor for the leg together with Leading Marine Engineer Artificer Mat Page, fresh from the Royal Navy’s mechanical engineering school, set to on the repair. Problem! We needed a special tool to remove the fly wheel. Local advice was sought and we were able to borrow this from a nearby workshop. A few hours later and the engine was running. Problem. A key linkage component of the twining kit (used to allow two engines to drive one inflatable) was missing. We approached a local trawler yard and 15 minutes of searching a scrap heap produced the necessary materials to fashion the essentials. Mat armed with a file and ingenuity provided the finishing polish and we have a functioning system.

So by the time you read this Iceland will be well astern and I hope that Scoresby Sund will be in our sights if we are not actually there.