Part III: Antarctica and Academe - Scott Polar Research Institute

displayed a thick icefoot. It was a bright afternoon and both planes were flying. The
northern parties were moved and some field units were brought in from Fossil Bluff.
On Tuesday 20 February I went ashore at 9 o’clock so as to be able to take
advantage of any good flying weather. The relief operation was going well, with
plenty of mechanical aids in the form of two cranes, four tractors and trailers, one of
them able to take 30 fuel drums. The cargo coming ashore was mainly drummed
avtur and cement. Dave Fletcher showed me round the base; it was really most
impressive and much the best designed of all the bases. Already it was well fittedout
and decorated. I saw the entire station and spent some time observing the relief
operation. The builders were finishing the foundations of phase 3 at the same time.
No flying was possible and I went out to the ship briefly to send some signals, then
back for dinner ashore and talk until midnight. My cold was trying. I slept on the
base. Next day it was the same. I walked around the point and had a long talk with
Garry Studd (Chief Pilot) about air operations and Ken Back (Winter BC) about
problems during the winter. Again I went out to the ship to get messages off, but
slept in comfort on the base. The next day it was raining heavily and flying wasn’t
feasible. There was not much to do except talk with people. The relief was still going
well, but the building operations were held up by the weather. Stuart came ashore
and we had a discussion with Dave, Al Smith and Alan Etchells, three old hands. We
decided to go up to Faraday in the middle of the period because Al was concerned
about progress with the building. So we drew up a provisional itinerary for the
period to 13 March; if I joined Endurance I could get to Stanley by then, 10 days
earlier, at least than would be possible staying on Bransfield. Clapperton and Sugden
(Aberdeen U. Geomorphologists) were anxious to get out early. I returned to the
ship at lunchtime; they would call me from the shore if flying appeared to be likely.
It was a calm night, auguring well for the morrow.
Next day, 23 February the ice had moved in during the night and a large floe had
pushed the ship so that two lines broke. We therefore left the moorings at 7 o’clock,
when the wind was getting up and it was still overcast. There was to be no flying
and no cargo working. So I decided to visit Stonington, a historical base, which I
hadn’t yet seen. We soon met the ice at first light, but then came up against field ice -
thick and hard. There were peculiar star-shaped patterns on the field ice, which I
photographed - possibly due to drainage? It rapidly became clear that there was no
point in continuing, so we reversed out, turned round and went back to Rothera to
check on the conditions there. We saw a minke whale. I read some of the Faraday
Reports. On reaching Rothera cargo working was resumed, the ship drifting in the
South Bay. (A major snag about Rothera as a base is that there is no suitable
anchorage; deep water surrounds the accessible shore lines.)
Flights were planned to the Bluff and so I went ashore in the first boat and
straight up to the skiway. I flew with Garry (Chief Pilot). It was uneventful, flying
low because of the cloud – for the Peninsula was obscured above 3000ft. We found
that all the southern 2/3rds of Marguerite Bay was solid fast ice - presumably 2-year
ice, since it didn't go out last season. The weather improved as we flew south, past
Mount Edgell, Terminus Nunatak, and the numerous other mountains along the
route. I saw Ablation Lake and Moutonné Lake again - with an outwash fan
providing our most southerly hard airstrip, on which Rhys Perraton had landed that
season. Then in to Fossil Bluff. While the gear was being loaded I went down to look
165