Part III: Antarctica and Academe - Scott Polar Research Institute

Next day the outgoing party left at 4 o’clock: Eric Salmon, Roy Piggott, John Cole
and seven others, including David Walton, who had had a very good summer. I
learned of the fire at Grytviken. We moved out to the anchorage at 6 o’clock and
sailed about 11.30 am., in a light breeze. On the way we saw a few dolphins,
otherwise little animal life. It was a dull passage and we dropped the Pilot at the
outer end of the first narrows. On 12 February the coast to the west was rugged and
Staten Island appeared, at first cloud-covered. We passed through Le Maire Straits. I
spent the morning principally talking with Al Smith and Barry Peters (Logistics) and
during the afternoon with the Fids, first Bill Freeland (MO) and later in a group. The
US Icebreaker Polar Star overhauled us en route from Ushuaia to Valparaiso, off Cape
Horn. There was a big swell, 30 ft waves, coming round from the Pacific, and strong
winds, with spray flying as these large waves broke at their crests; she looked
magnificent ploughing into the weather. We were feeling the motion too and had to
hang on to whatever was handy. I took some photographs. It was a film night in the
messroom and we watched "November Plan", which was quite good.
The heavy rolling continued through the night and the next day. We got little
sleep. I wrote messages, read base reports and drafted messages, also spoke with
Faraday and Signy. It was a fine day and we moved west to 70°W into the weather
and then turned south, rolling very badly, to cross Drake Passage. I spent next
morning, 14 February, in the ‘Superfiddery’ (clubroom for the more senior staff),
talking to ‘Big Al’, Barry Peters and Terry Whitaker Freshwater Biologist). I talked
with Terry most of the afternoon about his phytoplankton work. I sent off some
signals and started a cold! We were now headed on a geophysics transect - course
c.130°. We were in bright sunshine and the rolling diminished, so it wasn't so bad.
On 15 February we passed through Dallman Bay and Scholleart Channel into
Gerlache Strait by about 12.30 pm. It was still cloudy - low stratus with some pale
blue sky and I was delighted to see a skua with a distinctive white wing stripe that I
had seen previously in the area on the Hero voyage in l977. The weather remained
variable with bursts of sunshine. Many crabeaters were hauled out on the ice in the
approaches to the Neumayer Channel, in the channel and in the approaches to
Lemaire Strait. We saw probably 1000 in all, in groups of up to 24, and
concentrations within a few hectares of 300-400. There was also a number of leopard
seals and some scattered Minke whales - about 5 to 6. Lemaire Channel was blocked
by a huge tabular berg, but when we approached closer we saw that there was a way
round it.
South of Le Maire, off Peterman Island we saw the yacht Isatis and three people
on shore. The views were clear. Pack ice blocked the approaches to Argentine
Islands, but we took a tortuous route in through the channels between the islands to
anchor in the sound, with seals and birds on the floes surrounding us. The base
members came out for a film show and Mike Smith (BC) for a talk with me before
dinner in the wardroom. The French crew of Isatis also came on board: Jean and
Claudine (married) and. They had taken three years to get here via Greenland,
Panama, Alaska, Peru, New Zealand - climbing mountains was their way of life and
they had taken 32 days to get from New Zealand to the Peninsula. It was a clear
night, but the ice was creeping into out anchorage.
Next day I went ashore on the first launch and spent most of the day inspecting
the base and talking with Mike Smith. It was in good order, considering its age, and
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