Part III: Antarctica and Academe - Scott Polar Research Institute

splashing as they porpoised showing their sleekly gleaming backs. Vapour from their
breaths was like miniature whale blows, lit up against a dark background. Next day
Garry and the German Chief Pilot flew to Fossil Bluff in a BAS Twin Otter and a
Chilean Twin Otter arrived from Adelaide. They reported that the Piloto Pardo was
to arrive at 10 o’clock with 500 drums of aircraft fuel, which they expected us to take
up to the skiway; a bit of an imposition! After much tactful negotiation John Hall got
them to agree to land 100 drums at Rothera (39 owed to us!) and 400 at Adelaide.
There appeared to be lack of coordination between the Chilean Navy and Air Force
and within each organization. John made clear that we were annoyed, but did so
diplomatically!
They mounted an efficient, but not cost-effective operation, using two helicopters
for 3-4 hrs, carrying only one drum of fuel on each trip from Piloto Pardo to Rothera.
Our base area was invaded by Chileans - there were 100 on this small ship, packed in
like sardines in a tin. To make some extra money they also carried tourists who pay
for the trip, and who also came ashore, including a number of women.
Meanwhile I walked over to North Bay to watch the seals. One crabeater in
particular was interesting. It was lying on the edge of the beach with its head on a
chunk of snow-covered ice that it was eating - munching with crunchy sounds - and
moving its head from side to side. From time to time it submerged its face and
nostrils, blowing bubbles of air. Its head was only partly submerged. I took some
photos. It was not at all concerned about my closeness and more or less ignored me,
going on with the ice-crunching, also drinking seawater with much smacking of lips
and lying for long periods with its face submerged. Then it slid into the sea, but
didn't move away, coming up amongst the brash to breathe from time to time. I had
a long discussion with John Hall before and after supper on a number of topics.
On another lovely day the Germans were still with us; they should have departed
the day before. One of them, Herbert, flew with Garry to the Bluff and, the weather
at Druzhnaya being all right they planned to go there in the early afternoon. But they
couldn't start their aircraft and exhausted their batteries. Apparently it had been
predicted that this would be a serious problem. Their engines needed much more
power to turn them over than the Twin Otters, which had an auxiliary starting
engine. But if they had this problem at Rothera, what was it going to be like further
south? The BAS Air Unit lent them a battery to get started, but they wouldn't have
this help if the weather forced them down on the Ronne Ice Shelf. I had talks over
the radio with Jim Zumberge (US visitor) and Mark Lewis (BC?) at Faraday. I gave a
talk to the Rothera base that evening and with questions it went on until 10 o’clock. I
also had further talks with John Hall and another walk along the shore. On 12
January the Germans left for Druzhnaya, Halley, Neumayer. FAZ flew to Fossil
Bluff, FBB and FBC were flying on the Ronne and back from the Ellsworth
Mountains, respectively.
I walked across to North bay, where there were 37 crabeaters on the floes,
including one group of 21. I watched them for a while, including new arrivals. They
swam around under the brash, from time to time appearing beside the floe and
raising a head out of the water to inspect the floe; it was a very tentative approach.
One in particular hauled out several times on a small floe, returning to the water.
Then it inspected a thicker, flat-topped floe, about 4 ft high and eventually after
several vertical movements it flowed out of the water onto the floe in a
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