Part III: Antarctica and Academe - Scott Polar Research Institute

Probably the wind was crossing Signy Island in the same way, from the south, with
its force unabated.
On 26 February we went ashore at 9 o’clock in the morning of a cold, grey day - in
the launch - and then were ferried the last bit to the slipway in an inflatable. David
Rootes (BC) showed us around the base. The main change since my last visit was the
new hut, which was impressive, two storeys high and very long, it provided a lot of
badly needed storage space, plus two walk-in deep-freezes, two CT Rooms, a dive
facility etc. It had been named Sörlie House after Signy Sörlie. Tonsberg House was
standing up well to use and would be modified once the transfer to Sörlie House was
completed. We had a large lunch in the lounge. Then I finished my round of the
base and walked over to visit the Fellfield sites with Alan Hemmings (next winter
BC) and Paul Harrison (Plant physiologist - lichens). We followed the familiar route
along the shore and up the Stone Chute into Moraine Valley. My earlier impressions
of a large melt-back were confirmed; very little ice was left on the eastern slopes of
Signy, especially Mount Robin. From Moraine Valley we went over the Bluffs and
down again to base. I was back aboard about 6 o’clock. The Fids had organized a
whist drive from 8 o’clock, and I talked and drank with them until midnight.
Next day we were ashore about 9 o’clock in the inflatable, transferred to the
launch Serolis and went around to Stygian Cove. The divers had gone ahead and we
were met by Cynan Ellis-Evans (Limnology) and Richard Hanson (HQ). There were
large numbers of fur seals and some elephants in the cove. We walked over to Lake 1
for me to see the diving procedure and I inspected the limnological hut, a Rollalong.
They had a 3.5 Kw generator for heating it and for the instruments and equipment.
We returned by sea to base and from there to Gourlay Peninsula with Phil Shaw,
Gavin Lishman and Bob Foster. We landed below the hut, seeing a good solar halo
on the way, and thence to the study sites (penguins), where we saw an example of
sheathbill opportunistic feeding behaviour; a pair flew to interrupt the transfer of
food from adult to chick penguin. There was time for discussion of their work with
the three base members. While we were talking a leopard seal in the bay below us
took a penguin and rapidly skinned it by shaking it out of its skin and eating it. The
skin was left floating, created a small oil slick and quickly attracted some Wilson's
petrels and giant petrels. The Adélies had left and only chinstraps were there now,
their young nearly fledged. We returned to base for a late lunch and I spent the
afternoon talking with Dave Rootes, Dennis Macrohan, Paul Harrison and some of
the others.
We sailed at 6 o’clock for James Ross Island across the Weddell Sea near the tip of
the Antarctic Peninsula and after some fine spells during the day when Coronation
was clear it 'manked-in' and there was little to see. We had a very rough night, doing
a sounding run for Birmingham University and it continued rough during the next
day. Donald wasn't very happy. Silver-grey petrels and cape pigeons, some giant
petrels, prions and one light-mantled sooty albatross surrounded us. On Monday 1
March I woke as we were passing Joinville and Dundee Islands; it was much calmer.
We went along the coast. past Vega Island in Herbert Channel, towards sledge
'Oscar': John Ineson (geologist) and Mike Sharp (GA). They were waiting with their
equipment on the shore in the bay east of Brandy Bay and the launch and inflatable
went in to pick them up. Then we moved on, past some very spectacular scenery in
Prince Gustav Channel to uplift sledge 'Pappa': Alistair Crame (Palaeontologist) and
190