Part III: Antarctica and Academe - Scott Polar Research Institute

fast ice.
I spent all the next day with Eric interviewing the Fids about their winter -
starting with Douggie Allen. They had managed quite well under very difficult
circumstances - due to inadequacies of the mechanical and engineering services. The
base was generally supportive of Doug, but for some reason Jack Scotcher (Builder?)
was very anti. All in all they had probably had an average winter, but this team was
in very great contrast to that at Old Halley. The differences between a group of
'tradesmen' and a group of scientists were very apparent. New Year's dinner began at
7 o’clock. I had a shower before and we had a pleasant quiet dinner - prawn
cocktails, steak, eclairs, wine and cheese - by candle light. Then we talked and drank
- but not much - until midnight, when we saw in the New Year with Auld Lang Syne.
More talk and then to bed at 1 o’clock.
New Year's Day was fine and sunny. I was up at 6.20 am; there few of us at
breakfast but the others were rolling in by 7 o’clock. I went out to watch the AIS
team 'raising' the first of their aerial masts. Mike Pinnock and Mick Roscoe
(Physicists) were the spidermen and it would be 45 metres (c.150 ft) high when
completed - one of a pair. They had evolved a relatively rapid and safe technique. I
took some photos around the buildings outside and then went in to talk with Steve
Clark, (Radio operator).
After lunch we went to Penguin Creek by air with Garry and Doug. We landed
about 1/2 mile from the creek and walked to the lip and down a snow ramp which
led us to the sea ice. There we had the remarkable experience of seeing thousands of
emperor chicks and fewer adults; it was the first time I had seen an emperor colony.
A continuous overall noise of a light, thin, piping came from the chicks and a deeper,
harsh, cawing from the adults. The chicks were grouped in large crêches, with
occasional adults among them. We watched adults feeding their young, stretching
and walking, hunchbacked. The snow was very grubby with the birds faeces etc -
grey with bright green patches - like flaked paint or lichens. Behind were massive
overhanging ice cliffs. We took ice chisels to check for thin ice and walked down
among the birds and around the corner. There were many more, as far as the eye
could see and the fast-ice was breaking up, carrying groups of chicks away,
inevitably to become independent. Most had not yet started to fledge. This was a
very memorable experience and I took many photos. It was very cold and overcast
as we walked back to the plane. We climbed up the ramp and over a crack -, an
incipient crevasse - near the top. Back to Halley by 5 o’clock. Charles had a bottle of
champagne for me sent by the Russians whom he had been visiting - so we had it at
dinnertime. Lamb chops, followed by baked Alaska, very good. I talked to the base
after dinner and then had another look around.
Next day I was up at 6 o’clock to a fine morning, when we climbed the stairs and
looked outside. We were due to fly across the Weddell Sea to the Peninsula. Garry
confirmed that we would be flying after he had seen the weather and he tried to
contact Druzhnaya a Russian base, which lay on our way. In the event we didn't take
off until 10.30 am, Garry, Charles, Eric, Dermot Hopkins (Mechanic?) and myself.
There was no restriction on luggage because we planned to refuel at Druzhnaya. The
shore lead, which is usually very wide at Halley, had contracted and disappeared
about half way to the head of the Weddell Sea. We had good visibility and contrast.
We passed over the two Russian ships, Capitan Gotski and Estonia, lying
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