Two days of huge seas. Waves not just washing on the deck, but drenching the windows of the bridge two levels above! My first sight of the Ross Ice Shelf; 6 am on 20 February. The sheer expanse of the Ross Sea. Sea ice – its various forms – and the sound the ship makes passing through it. First steps onto Antarctica at Cape Byrd to see the Adelie penguin rookery. Emperor Penguins just in front of the ship, on some hard sea…
Number of days of sea sickness = 0! Number of penguins seen = millions Number of times I’ve had to get into and out of a zodiac in a surging sea = 16 Number of delicious three course dinners = 7 Number of interesting people I’ve met > 50 Skill level attained in negotiating through a ship in a rolling sea = Advanced.
I have arrived in Invercargill. The weather is glorious. Even before arriving at the rendezvous hotel, I had already met others going on the expedition; inevitable, I guess, that there would be fellow travellers who would be on my flight from Christchurch. As it turned out, there were three of us sitting in the same row – what a coincidence! So, last night we all met for dinner. And today we board the ship. This will be a poignant moment…
Who could have imagined that I would need a list, just for my camera equipment for this trip? It has proved to be a particular challenge for me – the camera novice that I am! Having said this, I am thankful for the course I did before Christmas. I would have totally ‘at sea’ without it. Even after the course, there was further research required. For example, I knew that I needed to get a filter for the camera,…
It hasn’t helped that I am reading these books about Antarctic exploration out of chronological sequence! Consequently, when I come across a reference to someone or something which is familiar, I have to think for a moment which ‘appearance’ came first. Most often, this is made easy for me, as the context is already set in the book. And then, it sometimes sparks my curiosity, so that I put my book down, resort to Google, and do some exploration of…
I’ve always known that I would have some great camera equipment to take away with me. Glen had a couple of fabulous cameras. However, I had some serious doubts about my photography skills, to do them justice! So, on the spur of the moment, a couple of months ago, I enrolled in a course. Six weeks later, I felt much better placed to bring back some photos which capture some of the grandeur and magnificence which I know I will…
I want to set the scene. Imagine… Extreme low temperatures, limited food, limited fuel, tents, blizzards, wet clothing and bedding. This all sounds bad enough. But imagine if this is all experienced on a journey in darkness. “The Worst Journey in the World” was written by Apsley Cherry-Garrard. In it he shares with us his experiences during Scott’s Last Expedition during the years 1910 to 1913. I have to admit, before reading the book, I thought that the name of…
The time of departure is fast approaching, and I am getting excited. As my preparation tasks are being completed one-by-one, there is, however, still an ocean of reading which I would like to wade through before I go. I am now in the middle of reading Roland Huntford’s biography of Shackleton. After the last few books which were written by the explorers themselves, reading an account of someone else’s life is a totally different experience. In any case, I feel…
(And how I made sure it was waterproof) When I mentioned to a friend that I would be wearing Glen’s heavy duty sailing gear on my trip, he suggested that I might want to test that it was still fully waterproof. Apparently, over time, and after much use, it is possible that the material may perish. So, I came up with a plan. And I needed an assistant with just the right amount of recklessness, tinted with some serious commitment,…
The ice of the Antarctic continent consists of the grounded ice sheet (layers of ice on top of bedrock), floating ice shelves, glaciers and frozen streams. The grounded ice contains by far the majority of the Antarctic ice. However, it is in one particular ice shelf that I am most interested (for obvious reasons!): The Ross Ice Shelf, or “The Barrier” as it used to be called. “As we approached the land under all studding-sails, we perceived a low white…