Position Report:
Reclus Peninsula - The Antarctic Peninsula
64° 28’ S
061° 47’ W
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"John
Laing is secure and the first climbing parties are ashore...." |
We had a breezy old night for our last on
Deception Island and waited, therefore until Sunday afternoon before winding in the cats
cradle of warps that held us firm in the middle of the small cove we had tucked John Laing
into. After several hours on deck the previous morning, spent sorting out an anchor
that was refusing to bed into the cinders of the dormant crater floor, we no longer
wondered whether we had brought too much mooring line with us - almost all of it was out
protecting the yacht against the fierce squalls which blew first from the north, then from
the south and with equal ferocity from all points between. The stakes, spare anchors
and recovery pickets too (used to create a strong point to tie to in the absence of marina
cleats and bollards) had also shown their worth. On Sunday afternoon however,
the wind abated on cue and we were ready for the off for the final push south to the Danco
Coast of the Antarctic Peninsula.
It was not all to be plain sailing - in a
fresh to strong south westerly breeze and a short and uncomfortable swell I can now offer
scientific proof, 
from my sample admittedly
of only 16, that it takes less than two days in the relative stability of being at anchor
for the most seasick prone to lose their hard won immunity from "the
curse". It was admittedly a bumpy ride for a while but this time however, their
suffering was to be short lived - the passage was to take no more than 24 hours.
Enough time for the mainsail too, however, to protest against its prolonged use on the
voyage so far by splitting open along the top seam (particularly frustrating here because
if it was any lower we would have been able to carry reduced sail while mending it - in
this case there was no alternative but to drop it completely). The
distractions, however, were more than enough to dispel any despondency - the Russian ice
breaking passenger ship the Captain Dranitsyn took the opportunity for a close pass by as
she took her fare paying passengers towards their own very comfortable 7 day trip to
Peninsula. I wonder what they would have made of us getting drenched in the cockpit
and hanging from the main boom repairing the mainsail as they steamed south in their
comfort. Major Dick Pattison took the opportunity of the new potential audience to
get out his bagpipes and play for the occasion. I can only presume (hope!) that the
pianist in their dining room was more accomplished because only one hardy soul appeared to
come out to the deck to listen!
By this time the ice and mountains of
continental Antarctica were in sight. And what a sight! Tim's photos will
follow in later dispatches but it would be hard to believe that even t
hey can take in the grandeur, magnificence and intimidating nature of this
last great unexplored continent. With each mile south, new images of ice opened up
and almost unnoticeably the seas became calmer as the yacht entered the Gerlache Strait;
the berg strewn stretch of water which separates Brabant and Anvers Island from the
mainland. Members of the climbing teams forgot even the discomforts of the last few
hours and plans were made to disembark an early overnight reconnaissance party to
determine the lie of the land. Joint Expedition Leader James Harris, Tim Hall and
"packhorse" Harry Scrope were booted and suited, as the climbing store (in John
Laing's Mate's cabin) was unpacked from its cramped hibernation since the Falkland
Islands. Strange items of ice hardware began to bedeck John Laing's topsides and
sledges, skis boots and poles emerged from the depths below.
At 1525 hours (GMT) on 10 December 2001 the British Army
Antarctic Expedition landed its first climbing team on the Reclus Peninsula. Inflatable drivers Windy Gale and Simon Goldby were
technically the first ashore 
although
the climbing recce party were hot on their heels. Once sure that their
equipment was complete and functioning correctly, James and his team were off.
We shall hear more on their progress at our pre-arranged radio schedule
tonight. Meanwhile the inflatable dinghy recovered to John Laing. As the
climbers receded out of sight up the heavy snow towards the ridgeline they will ascend
towards the 6800 foot summit of the Antarctic plateau we turned John Laing's transom
towards them to make the short passage south once again; this time towards Enterprise
Island where there is known to be an old whalers' anchorage.
What we had not realised was quite how
stunning the little cove we intended to moor in was going to be. Sunk in the middle
of a small lake surrounded by 100' ice cliff lies the wreck of a whaling support ship
(sunk after a fire in 1916) which makes an outstanding pontoon to moor to. The
climbers remaining on board are now packing their stores in anticipation of good news from
the hill and the plan at the time of writing is for them to disembark tomorrow morning to
join the early birds on the hill. In the meantime those who remain on John Laing
will set to exploring the old whaling station we find ourselves within which is one of the
heritage sites we have been asked to record by the Scott Polar Research Institute of the
University of Cambridge. Specifically we have been asked us to make comparisons with
old whaling charts arising from 1920-2 to examine the passage of time on these man-made
intrusions from the early days of the 20th century. More on this fascinating project as
the programme develops. In the meantime my deck seems to be full of climbing
hardware and there is a cacophony of cries below to the effect of "Has anyone seen
my.....?"
Andy Bristow
Joint Expedition Leader
(Roll mouse over photos for captions
)
It's cooler on the
John Laing than at Rothera Point!
(Current
temperature at Rothera)
|
Today at
Rothera:
|
Rothera
67.6° S 68.1° W |
