Part III: Antarctica and Academe - Scott Polar Research Institute

level flight of only 17 minutes along the coast and over the ice cap, approaching the
base up Ezcurra Inlet and around Point Thomas.
We landed on a helicopter pad and were met by the BC, Ryszard Stepkin, and
some others, including a German scientist from the new group at Keil. The base had
been designed for a larger group than was presently there - due to financial
problems. It was well laid out and constructed. There were two very large stores
warehouses, generator sheds and living accommodation. The laboratories were
rather on the small side: the work was mainly biological and there was one
meteorologist. They had a large greenhouse in which they grew flowers and
vegetables - the flowers were for birthdays! There was one married couple, food
technologists, Edward Kolakowski and his wife also a scientist, (with a 9-month-old
daughter left behind in Poland). We had lunch with them and a glass of vodka and
talked for an hour or two. Then back to the helicopter. The Colonel flew it straight
back to Marsh over the sea, to our disquiet, and we landed about 3.15 pm.
The three of us went for a walk down to Presidente Frei station, then along the
coast to the north over various rocky headlands. Here again the landscapes seemed
rather gloomy and oppressive: dark soils, little vegetation and dark contorted rocks.
There was some very marked soil striping. In a secluded cove were three large and
three small Russian fuel oil tanks and a number of metal and fabric pipelines.
Although it was rumoured that Soviet submarines refueled here, it seemed just as
likely, or more than likely, that the Soviet fishing fleet was the main user. We walked
across country through Bellingshausen Station, past their meteorological station and
back to Marsh. The dinner was again pleasant, preceded by Pisco sours, then a film, a
rather corny but unusual western.
Next day we learnt that an LC130 was to fly in with supplies and we could leave
in it about 2.30 pm. I talked a bit with Daniel Torres and Dong Jinghai, then Charles,
Eric and I took a walk down the runway to the coast and back across country until
lunch time; it was a beautiful warm and sunny day again. We were joined for lunch
by Eric Escobar (Station Commander, Frei Station) and Major Toro, the pilot of the
LC130, who had just arrived. After lunch we saw over Frei Station with Escobar, also
the new houses that were being built to accommodate six families of base personnel.
They were to be opened by the President on 24 February when he was to visit Frei
and Marsh. In this development the Chileans were copying the Argentines at
Esperanza to back-up their territorial claims - a great pity and rather pointless. We
took some last photos of the stations and, having made our farewells took-off at
about 5.45 pm for Punta Arenas. We were privileged to sit comfortably in the
cockpit, behind the pilots - where the generals usually sat! I was in the Navigator's
seat with a good view. The flight across Drake Passage and Tierra del Fuego was
comfortable and uneventful - they had the same weather radar as our twin otters -
and we touched down in Punta on the military strip at about 8.20 pm, after roughly a
21/2 hr flight. They whisked us in to town by bus to the Hotel Cabo de Hornos;
Major Toro had radioed ahead to book us rooms. By the time we were settled in it
was quite late and we dined in the hotel. We met Dr Brito (Deputy Director INACH,
their equivalent of BAS), an administrator, not a scientist, with a degree from
Harvard Business School. He was a pleasant chap, but not very impressive.
Next day Major Toro telephoned me at 8.30 am to say that it had been arranged
for us to fly to Santiago on an Air Force 707, leaving about 2.30 pm. An Air
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