Part III: Antarctica and Academe - Scott Polar Research Institute

Consider improving the traction by studding the tracks or in other ways.
Remove ‘Skandics’ (light single-track sporting skidoos) from Fossil Bluff to Adelaide
and use the Adelaide twin-tracks for field parties. The former were adequate as
runabouts at a base. If Halley have any twin-tracks move them to Marguerite Bay.
I thought it essential to standardise on one model at a base. Otherwise the spares
situation would be chaotic and uneconomical.
Safety was the main area of doubt:
a) With dogs, if the leaders fell in but were held by the weight of the sledges, they
were easily extracted. However, on occasion dog team crosses a bridge and a loaded
Nansen sledge falls in behind them. Also dogs are slow and must be fed all the time;
skidoos are faster, can make detours if country is dangerous, can be switched off
when not in use.
b) Although skidoo track-loading psi (pounds per square inch) is less than
a man on ski, it is the total weight in the middle of a crevasse bridge that is important.
But this applied even more to loaded Nansen sledges - and on the Trans-Antarctic
Expedition heavy vehicles were forced to cross bad crevasses when detouring was
not possible, and did survive.
c) When faced with bad, not easily circumvented crevasses, a party in
summer operations could call on an airlift over that area.
d) In any case, if for any reason they found themselves in a badly
crevassed area, they should take the usual precautions - a roped man ahead probing.
e) Was it possible to design a remote driving system, by cords or wires to
the handlebars and throttle? Then, if the skidoo breaks through the driver is safe.
f) Dog operations require a wintering party.
In general I felt that the risks were acceptable, given summer-only operations and
close air-support.
In mid-February we were confined to base by bad weather and no flying was
possible. I spent much time writing, reading reports and talking about problems. In
particular I had a long discussion one afternoon with Jim Roberts (BC). The wind
reached gale force and the anemometer recorded gusts to 95 knots. It snowed and
even rained. There was a heavy swell and all the small coves and inlets around the
base were full of brash and bergy buts, with waves breaking over them. Barry spoke
to me from Ablation Lake. They had caught a fish in their fish trap in the saline layer,
a Notothenoid, 15 cm long, with large protuberant, mobile eyes. This was exciting;
was it a new species? They would try for more specimens using line and hooks.
On Saturday there was the usual scrubout in the morning and that evening a
special dinner - cloths on the table, wines and liqueurs, ties and jackets. It was a very
pleasant evening, followed by a slide show and some of Chris Andrew's (Medical
Officer) film of the voyage out - and of his wedding! Good entertainment.
Sunday was fine and we decided to fly as a result of the reports at 8.45 am. I flew
with Bert in ‘Alpha Poppa’ (VPFAP). It was about an hour's flight helped by
northerly winds as we crossed Marguerite Bay, with good views of the Peninsula,
including Neny Fjord and Stonington. There were some remarkable rainbow effects,
opposite the sun, with a shadow of the aircraft thrown on the cloud in the centre of
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