Log Entry No 22 - 30th Jan 08. (Discoverer)

FROM THE CAPTAINS CABIN

We’re now half way across the Drake Passage with some 320 miles to go before we reach the Falklands. As we’ve still got a Westerly Force 6, it’s a pretty easy ride with boat speeds touching 10 knots at times and enough motion below to make the simplest of tasks infuriating. It’s a funny thing, but here I am, providing one and all with the finest maritime experience of their lives, and I get the distinct impression that they can’t wait to get ashore. We should arrive early on Thursday morning. They’ve even got a sweep stake running on when we get there; little do they know that I’m slowing things down so we get there in daylight!

A passive Leopard Seal.

Here’s the last of the land party reports from Antarctica:

Almost there! Best Wishes, Andy Mills

GEO PARTY REPORT: 23-26 JAN 08

A five man party consisting Richard Clements, Marion Bridges, Geordie Thompson, Conor Ryan (geologist) and Martin Carey disembarked Discoverer at Skontorp Cove (64 54 s 62 51 w) on the evening of 23 Jan 08. In Burdock, one of our trusty inflatables, we travelled the mile or so to the Argentine refuge hut at the unoccupied Brown Base where we were to house ourselves for 3 days to carryout several key geological sampling forays in the Paradise Harbour area. The intent is that this will lead to the development of two projects; one to look at the detrital mineral population age of the enigmatic sedimentary rocks of the Trinity Peninsula Group, with a view to determining where on the margin of Gondwana they came from (ie where and when did this part of The Antarctic Peninsula come from) and the other to use the plutonic rocks of the region to determine the uplift history of the Antarctic Peninsula (How long did it take) and examine how that uplift may have influenced glaciation of the region. (How did this influence climate change in the past and what can it tell us about the future?)

The trip to the refuge saw us being shadowed by an ever inquisitive Leopard Seal who demonstrated raw power of nature and in doing so delivered a timely reminder of our fragility by leaping clear of the water across our bows leaving little doubt as to who held the whip hand to the amusement of some and the alarm of others. The refuge itself is well founded and comfortable with the unadulterated luxury of a bunk bed each.

The first sampling, about 40 minutes travel with Geordie at the helm navigating through ice strewn waters was directly above the Chilean base of Presidente Gabrial Gonzalez Videla . (Also known as Waterboat Point was were early whalers stationed a skiff that was filled with snow to melt and provide fresh water and where and Messrs Lester lived under an abandoned skiff 1921/22. The photographs shows the samples being taken by the climbing party of Richard C, Marion and Conor on Mount Hoegh. The second set of samples were taken from the boat to the S of Brown Base over the next couple of days which completed a key expedition objective.

As instructed, Discoverer picked us up at 1814 hours (it’s all in the timing – no control freakery here, Skipper!) which to our surprise, was conducted amongst a mêlée of cruise ships and canoeists – so much for the unexplored.

Richard Clements & Conor Ryan

Geordie holding onto the inflatable boat.

SKI TOURING PARTY REPORT: 24-26 JAN 08

So after having our plans of a re-attempt of Mount William scuppered (I won’t bore the readers with the reasons), I concocted the mad idea of traversing Anvers Island along the southern edge. It needed to be done in the same time schedule as the attempt at William, which meant covering roughly 35 miles in a day and a half. The idea was for it to be a good old Antarctic beasting (army slang for physical training up to and past the pain threshold)!

The team was to be the same as the William team consisting of Chris, Jamie and I, plus I thought The Duke would be up for such a crazy venture (you need at least one grownup/officer), and so he was. He was duly made team leader as well, for the sake of the system of course.

So upon arrival at Access Point Dick P and Chris took Dandelion (inflatable boat) out on a recce of possible landing sites. Due to the swell from the open ocean to the west it turned out to be rather risky and adventurous (read life jackets went off and inflatable just about capsizing). After some great work by Dick P and his bowman Steve, they managed to get us ashore safely with all our gear (a pulk each). So we divided up the kit and set off on to the piedmont at the base of the mountain. The pace started rather slower than we planned due to large crevasse fields, but after safely bypassing them, we were able to un-rope upon reaching the piedmont and thus the “pulking beast” that is Chris was unleashed! I soon had to make an excuse for stopping (putting mittens on my cold hands) as I was unable to keep up. So The Duke, Jamie and I brought up the rear while Chris steamed off.

Chris the pulking beast.

Unfortunately bad weather came in and upon arrival at the next crevasse field we decided to set up camp instead of re-roping and carrying on. It was not seconds from us starting the process of erecting the tents when a torrential downpour of rain (not snow – at 600m altitude in Antarctica!) came upon us, this now unified with a gale force wind that had been blowing for quite a while already made our task rather difficult.

Avoiding crevasses under Mount William (Anvers Island).

Once in our shelters we managed to warm up and boost our energy levels with some much needed fuel (issued Arctic rations). It had been a long day (0430h start at Paradise Harbour until 2100h in our tents), but needed to be longer if we were to succeed. So having done only 10 miles in our first 6 hours and pretty much hunkered down for the day, we decided to re-access the weather in the morning (0600h).

Needless to say, the weather was still raging in the morning and The Duke and Jamie’s deformed tent was proof of the extent of the wind (later we heard it was up to 60 knots). So as a result no one moved at 0600h and it was only at about 1000h that The Duke suggested that we head for Port Arthur, our pre-determined pick up point. So we roped up and headed down to the coast and a very warm welcome from said friends.

The next morning we were picked up by the mothership, after only doing 20 of our 35 planned miles, but still having had a great time (not necessarily on the piedmont).

Rob H

A view across Paradise Harbour.

AND A CLOSING THOUGHT.....

These last two expedition activities in Antarctica are in many ways representative of the aspirations of the entire expedition. On the one hand the collection of the most significant target geological samples and on the other, far from just a “beast” – though undoubtedly that(!), four inexperienced expedition members challenging themselves and nature; and emerging with credit from an experience that lies at the very heart of Army Adventure Training and more generally underlines the value of personal development that is so central to our ethos.

Dick Pattison

Expedition leader