Fluffy Kittens and Embroidery: Getting ashore in the 'real' Antarctic

Next stop Rothera! The unfortunate combination of cargo issues in the Falklands, decidedly interesting weather on the way out of Stanley, and plenty of thick ice on the journey south, meant we arrived a fair bit later than expected. The ship was carrying nearly all the base's supply of food and drink for the coming year, so it's probably fair to say our arrival just after New Year's Eve was less than ideal as their stocks of essential celebratory items had reached a critical level!

The delay also meant the deck team were under a lot of pressure to get base cargo and science equipment for the next cruise organised as quickly as possible and all help was gratefully received. On the whole shifting cargo is far more enjoyable than you might expect, though I suspect this is probably because it's always something I'm choosing to do rather than something I'm being made to do. I spent a couple of days in the cargo holds putting strops on boxes and attaching them to a crane and helping to unload nearly 500 fuel barrels. If I'm honest, I was rather hoping that if I spent enough time loading cargo onto the crane then I would eventually be allowed to have a go at actually driving it. Apparently it doesn't work like that (health and safety regulations or some such nonsense), so crane driving remains one of many things on my 'to do' list for now. Shifting 500 barrels is no mean feat, especially when someone thought it would be a good idea to rest the top layer on thin planks of wood rather than large boards. All of us fell through a gap at some point during the process, and the bruises sustained after I scraped my shin down one of the lower barrels were a particularly attractive and long-lasting reminder of the experience! My pride also took a bit of a battering when I realised that no matter how many times I was told there is a knack to tipping the barrels, it just wasn't a knack I seemed to have. 200 litre barrels are unsurprisingly quite heavy, and I suppose it was probably better for my back that Georgina (3rd mate) and I had to go for a two person approach, but good for back = bad for pride.

Barrel rolling in rather confined spaces

The ship's Chief Officer and Bosun looking surprisingly cheerful during barrel unloading

Barrels flying around over your head attached to a crane by chains and small hooks is a slightly unnerving experience

Colin looking very serious while driving the crane on a glorious sunny day

Despite the time pressures, base staff were keen to get as many of the ship's crew as possible out and about to see what Rothera has to offer. The main attraction for most is the crevasse which is situated close to the base and can be explored with the help of a couple of guides, a rope and some crampons. Having spent a bit of time in a previous life trying hard to avoid falling into crevasses, the idea of entering one for fun did seem a little strange. However, everyone who had visited it on previous trips to Rothera were effusive in their praise for it. The guides kindly arranged skidoo transport for the deck team as the 12 hr days they were working at the time meant they almost certainly wouldn't have enjoyed the walk up a rather large hill through slushy snow to get to the entrance! I tagged along and was reminded that skidoo driving is something else I really do need to try one day - an ever expanding list. Before this, the only time I'd been in a crevasse was when I was being taught how to get out of them were I to be unlucky enough to fall in one while crossing a glacier in the Alps. That crevasse was cold, dark and extremely oppressive, and worlds away from the beautiful ice cave we found ourselves in on this occasion. The photos don't really do it justice as my camera understandably decided fluorescent orange suits, blue ice and low light levels was just not a combination it could cope with, but hopefully they give some impression of what it was like.

Getting lowered down through the fairly small and slippery opening

Everyone looking very orange and very happy after the trip

Skidoos back to the ship

Other than cargo and crevasses I mostly spent my time walking round the coast late at night to check out the wildlife and enjoy the almost sunsets. It was also lovely to catch up with Rose, the Rothera doctor, and swap some winter stories, but all to soon it was time to head off out to sea again to get on with some science.