Part III: Antarctica and Academe - Scott Polar Research Institute

winter with everyone pulling their weight”. Eric and I stayed overnight. The base
put on an exceptional dinner: candle light, very good food provided by Niel Meyrick
(cook), wine and port. Peter made a speech and presentations - a wooden map of the
island for me, a framed photo for Eric. We responded with short speeches. Dewi
presented us each with one of his paintings and gave a penguin study to the base.
He was given a sack of 'presents' - sou'wester, big sun glasses, ear muffs etc. I retired
at 12.30 am to a rather hard ‘hospital’ bed in the surgery, but slept very well. It was a
clear night and there was a crescent moon.
Sunday 25 January: More discussions on base during the morning and in the
afternoon I went boating with Eric, John Buckingham and Dave Mitchell - in a small
fibreglass dinghy with a seagull outboard. We went first down Stella Creek to
Wordie House and through some quite thick new ice - 1/4 to 1/2 ins - due to
freshwater melt on the surface of the seawater. The water was shallow and the rocks
greenish. The old base was very grubby and tatty. We tried to get to Skua Island, but
thicker ice prevented us, so we turned and came back past the base and along the
shore of Galindez Island, to the VLF Hut (Physics research) , which we visited. It
was very adequate and snug - well fitted-out with equipment for the various
projects. Then, still in very calm conditions, we threaded our way between the floes
to Uruguay Island and along the west coast to the north end, where a shag colony
was situated. A large floe/berg obstructed the landing rocks and we went behind it
with some trepidation. A swell there prevented a landing, so we went on round the
east coast and landed on a small beach among some isolated islets. Walking to the
top we had a breathtaking view of the Penola Strait - blocked by pack ice - and the
Peninsula mountains, particularly prominent were Peary, Shackleton and Scott [give
heights?]. There were a few seals on the floes. Loud tinkling of ice as the brash
chunks brushed together. We returned to base having radioed that we would be 1/2
hr late. There was talk, dinner and more talk. Then out to Bransfield on the last boat
at 10 o’clock. We would leave early next morning. It was a superb evening with rose
tints on the Plateau snows and complementary reflections of subtle shades in the still
water.
At 5 o’clock next morning I felt the ship moving so got up and looked out on the
pack ice gleaming in the oblique rays of the morning sun and the mountains clear
behind. I woke Nelson and we climbed up to the monkey island above the bridge.
The ship quickly passed Peterman Island and moved into Lemaire Channel. The
colouring was lovely, with reflections among patches of new ice. We photographed
the well-remembered scene and a humpbacked whale surfaced and blew nearby. On
then through Lemaire to the views beyond Anvers and Weincke Islands, past
Doumer, Port Lockroy and Damoy and then we turned into the Neumayer Channel.
A small Chilean vessel passed us heading south, the Capitan Luiz Alcazar, from
Puertto Monte, Chile.
Soon we were in Gerlache Strait in the brilliant sunshine of a superb day. Killer
whales and minke whales were seen from time to time - in all perhaps 20 killers and
25-30 minkes; after noon three humpbacks were ‘lobtailing’ and breaching. I also
saw during the day several elephant seals in the water, which was quite unusual; it is
rare to see them away from the beaches. They were visible first as a black blob which
on closer approach turned out to be the seal floating vertically. They submerged by
raising their head vertically and sinking straight down, even when the head is
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