REPORT NO. 1, 24 JAN 2010  -  PREPARATION 1

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When I first travelled to Antarctica in 1988, the preparation was

intense over a period of three months.

All of us had come to grips with the technical demands which we would be

facing in our various jobs, and the environmental

challenges (and dangers) which were peculiar to Antarctica. It was

exciting, demanding, and we were being paid for it!

This time I'm a guest of the AAD, and my only official job is to inform

expeditioners of the benefits of joining the ANARE

Club, flog club merchandise, and to help out wherever possible, both on

the ship and (if I'm lucky) ashore at either Davis and/or Mawson. 

I've had three days in Hobart to sort out the details, and it's been

mostly social and always delightful. Friday was spent at "the Division"

ostensibly to get kitted out with cold weather gear, most of which will

be returned to the AAD after the voyage. But my presence

at Kingston provided the opportunity to catch up with old friends from

'88 to'90, many of whom work in science and IT at the AAD.

It seems that a passion for Antarctic matters turns into a career for

many who have had a taste of that amazing place.

The social aspect included a delightful evening with five other

expeditioners, two of them station leaders, one biologist and

one Comms/IT specialist, and our hostess, Dr. Ingrid McGaughey. Having

spent only one winter "on the ice", I was the least

experienced of them all! Between the six us, there were more than 15

winters spent at the various bases. The conversation ranged

from the beneficial effects of tight restrictions on the consumption of

alcohol, to the effects of high speed internet links

which allowed the bureaucratic tentacles of Kingston to reach into the

minutiae of station management.

A good bottle of shiraz prompted an animated discussion of the

dysfunctional consequences of bureaucracy, and by the time we had

all sounded off on this it was time to go home. Thanks, Ingrid - the

"chicken magic" really was!

REPORT NO.2, 25 JAN 2010  - PREPARATION 2

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Although the Aurora Australis was not scheduled to sail until 5pm, the day began with most passengers assembling at AAD headquarters at

11.30am for transport to the ship by bus. Two stops were made in downtown Hobart, then we proceeded directly to Macquarie wharf no. 4. There were no

friends or relatives at the wharf - just security, customs and quarantine personnel. All farewells were made at bus stops - ship

departures now seem to be as sterile as airport departures. My previous trip, 22 years ago, had families, sweethearts and friends

in an enthusiastic crowd on the wharf, and many tears were shed and kisses blown as the "Icebird" pulled away. Not any more! This

time the whistle blew, lines were cast off, the side thrusters started growling, and the "Orange Roughie" moved effortlessly out into

the Derwent. Sideways! The technical smoothness of the operation was admirable, but the romance of maritime departures sank on

September 11, 2001.

The process of getting from the bus and onto the ship was tightly controlled. Each item of personal baggage was weighed individually,

to check that the total of 30kg per person was not exceeded. The bags were then stacked in metal cages for transfer by crane to the

heli-deck at the rear of the ship. A formal inspection of the baggage was done by customs and quarantine officials, while the

expeditioners, having walked unencumbered up the gangway, were subjected to a series of briefings on safety and survival at sea.

This edifying experience climaxed with Australian Customs examining each expeditioner and his/her passport. I was ushered into the presence

of a taciturn officer who took my passport,and looked at me as if I had just hopped off a plane from the Middle East. He then handed the

document back to me, and I departed. Not a word was spoken by either of us during this entire transaction. The technical efficiency of

the process was impressive, and the whole country has benefitted from the fact that this bloke didn't pursue a career in the

diplomatic service.

Within an hour we were on our way.

This is our third day at sea, and this stubby but sturdy little ship explores every bump in the ocean. I am managing to maintain a delicate balance of inputs and outputs, but it ain't easy! I lie down most of the time, take regular medications which are reasonably effective, and venture down to the mess for every meal. There I am faced with  indomitable characters who eat like horses (I refer to quantity, not to the  manner of eating). I, on the other hand, pick some morsel which looks nutritious and readily digestible, have a cup of weak tea, then, having eaten, retreat forthwith to my cabin for a little lie down. This procedure seems to work, but I'm not the life of the party! Our Voyage Leader, Rob Bryson, is very helpful with his SitReps. They tell us how much worse things might have been had we not taken the long way around some low pressure system bearing down on us. There seems to be an unavoidable trade-off between the length of suffering and the intensity of suffering; a bit like life, really. So much for philosophy, I'm going to sign off and have a little lie down.

REPORT NO.4 : ACCOMMODATION ON THE AA

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30 JAN 2010

There are about 40 passenger cabins on the ship, most of which contain four bunks.

Each cabin has an en-suite bathroom, and a small desk plus four storage lockers.

With only 41 passengers on this leg of the trip, we are spread out almost one to a cabin. Maximum

capacity is about 106.

This will change at Davis and Mawson,where we will pick up many more passengers than we drop off.

But the low numbers are particularly obvious at meal times, when less than half seem to show

up, no doubt due to "mal de mer".

Some regular "round trippers" have remarked that this one seems longer because there is little

group social activity; a certain "critical mass" is needed to get things rolling (!). The theory is that

you need a certain number of a certain personality type to have them "spark" off one another, then when sustained

social fission is achieved, voila! - spontaneous outbreaks of people playing monopoly, scrabble and deck coits.

Let's see what happens on the trip back from Mawson. With the possibility of three hairy Mawson winterers in the

same cabin, deck coits could be attractive!

Cheers

Owen

Seas much quieter now - people emerging from hibernation -

most of us have lost weight - Jenny Craig, eat your heart out!

I'm eating and not throwing up, maybe I'll end up enjoying this

shipboard life.

REPORT NO.5 : REMINISCENCES

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It's Sunday afternoon, most have recovered from their sea-sickness, and the prospect of a Trivia Night

after dinner will probably induce the troglodytes out of their caves. This could be our first big social

"bash". The other item which is raising spirits is the promise of sticky date pudding, for which the chef

is justly famous. Since so many of us have lost weight over the last week, we can confidently get stuck into

a good desert with impugnity.  It's also comforting to know that those who didn't get sea-sick will soon

be racked by guilt!

But the news that next week's flight of the A319 has been cancelled because of weather conditions at Casey

brings back memories of the very first flight from Tasmania to Antarctica in November of 1988. I had only been

on Casey station for less than a month, when nearly all of the station crew were transported in various vehicles

up to S1 (an old glaciology site about 5km from Casey) early one morning. There was little cloud cover, and the

sight of pink icebergs on a dark blue sea was breathtaking.

We had been waiting for no more than half an hour when VHF contact was made with the Twin Otter aircraft being

flown by Dick Smith and renowned British polar aviator Giles Kershaw. They had come all the way from Hobart,

with the aid of additional fuel stored in bladders in the passenger cabin. A primitive runway had been prepared by

Casey staff, simply by dragging steel girders over the surface with bulldozers. By angling the girders appropriately,

snow had been pushed to the sides over a distance of at least 500m, with a runway width of no more than 20m. When the

plane came into view, it first made a low pass over the "facilities", then went around again for a landing. It was an

impressive sight to see that plane coming in with flaps down and landing lights on. It touched down gently, braked with

reverse pitch on the two propellers, and stopped within a few hundred metres. It then did a U-turn, and slowly returned

to a spot adjacent to the welcoming party.

As the turbine engines wound down, a window on the flight deck opened, and there was the smiling face of the

"Electronic Dick" (as his company trucks loudly proclaimed). In due course, the side door with integral staircase

opened, and out stepped the two intrepid flyers. The welcoming party was led by our Station Leader, the indomitable

Tom Maggs. Tom was just starting to wax lyrical about the staggering importance of the event, when there darted out

from among the assembled multitude two St. Trinnians schoolgirls, with blond wigs, fulsome blouses, short blue tunics,

frilly knickers and fishnet stockings. They skipped straight past the official party, and presented the startled airmen

with bunches of plastic flowers and kisses on both cheeks. The two interlopers then dashed back into the crowd to put

on warm clothes, before anything that girls don't have dropped off.

Tom, ever the pragmatist, realised that he had no chance of restoring that sense of decorum which is so characteristic

of ANARE ceremonies, and dispensed with further formalities. After checking and securing the aircraft, the party moved back

down the hill to Casey, where Dick and Giles stayed for several days as official guests of the AAD. Later that summer

the Twin Otter and its enterprising crew provided valuable logistic support to Australian antarctic operations.

There are two important footnotes to this story :

1.Several years after the Dick Smith flight, Giles Kershaw, a highly experienced pilot, lost his life while flying an

experimental aircraft.

2.One of the two "girls" mentioned above went on to do great work for the AAD over several decades; his contribution has

been formally acknowledged. However, defamation laws prevent me from naming this fellow, who was the main conspirator in

this disgusting and reprehensible fiasco.

---

3:02 PM 4/02/2010

REPORT NO.6 : CEREMONIES

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Yesterday was full of pomp and ceremony - Aussie style. King Neptune and his entourage of sycophantic sadists visited us around 3pm,

and those passengers and crew who had not previously crossed the Antarctic Convergence (where sea temp suddenly drops) were

subjected to processes which I thought had been banned by the Geneva Convention. The hilarity was universal - even the victims

said that they enjoyed it!

Then, after giving the initiated ones time to clean up, a BBQ was held on the trawl deck at 5.30pm. This ritual seems to have

become a standard feature of ANARE voyages. On the Icebird in  '88 the German crew thought we were all crazy to stand around

in the freezing out-doors, drinking beer and eating the burnt offerings coming from a slightly modified incinerator.

Today was different - the beer ration was determined by the Voyage Leader (it's a dry ship), and the barbecue was a purposely

built version reflecting Australian ingenuity and design flair. It's amazing what can be done with a 44 gallon drum! The food

was consistent with the AA's high standards, and the jovial mingling of passengers and crew was delightful.

9:23 PM 8/02/2010

REPORT NO. 7 - DAVIS

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The first impression of Davis is that the station was not laid out by Walter Burley Griffin. Perched on a peninsular,

this triumph of building technology over aesthetics houses a community of workers whose hospitality has no bounds. Station Leader

Mike Woolridge and his people went to great lengths make us welcome; their efforts were much appreciated by those of us who had

the good fortune to get ashore.

We "round trippers" were piggy-backed onto various modes of transport which were carrying scientists into the field, and which had

spare seats. Executing these complex operations kept the comms, helicopter and small boat people busy, but it all seemed to work

smoothly. Sleeping in the small hut at Platcha was an unforgettable experience, and I'm well on the way to recovery. Many thanks

to FTO Mike Grimmer.

The summer accommodation problem, common to all stations, is that the numbers present in summer can be four times those present

in winter. Apart from providing sleeping facilities for all these extras, heavy additional loads are placed on all the supporting

services, not to mention the longer term residents who have to keep the whole show going. The frenetic summer programme in science

and construction adds to the stresses on the station, and those staying for the winter heave a sigh of relief when the last ship

departs, leaving them in peace.

When the last barge left Davis, bound for the AA, the waving mob on the wharf were almost jubilant ; were they glad to see us go?

This bodes well for the feelings which will accompany the departure of the final ship (for this season) in March.

"Parting is such sweet sorrow"

Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2

2:17 AM 10/02/2010

REPORT NO. 8 - THE RUN TO MAWSON

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The absence of sea-ice in front of the Amery Ice Shelf has allowed the AA to cut straight across to Mawson, without going

hundreds of km north. We did the trip in 33 hours, only to be frustrated by strong off-shore katabatic winds on arrival.

Being only 10km from the shore, we had a clear view of many rarely seen land forms along the Christensen Coast.

Foremost among these was the Scullin Monolith, which one excited old timer said he didn't expect to see in his lifetime.

I didn't enquire as to whether this was a reflection on his life expectancy or the improbability of the sighting.

It's Wednesday, and we are still waiting for the winds to drop so that we can get into Horseshoe Harbour.

Few people are showing up for meals. For those who left Davis, the whole Mawson exercise is an irritating delay -

they just want to get back to Hobart. There is definitely a post-Davis lethargy abroad; then, maybe it's a pre-Mawson

frustration. Maybe it's seeing the same iceberg go past the porthole repeatedly.

There is only one cure - go up onto the bridge and gaze at the Masson Range and Mount Henderson, poking through the ice-cap

just behind the station. The view is simply magnificent. I'm off !

14 Feb.2010

REPORT NO.9 - MAWSON 1 - TURNING COLDNESS INTO WARMTH

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The above words have nothing to do with giving chocolates to your mother-in-law. They are intended to describe the innovative

work being done at Mawson to increase energy efficiency and reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and attendant CO2 emissions.

The most conspicuous hardware in this enterprise consists of two wind turbines, each capable of generating 300 kW of electrical

power.The centres of rotation are 30 m off the ground; each of the six blades is 15m long. There is no gearbox - the rotating hub

drives a multi-pole alternator directly. It's amazing to think that cold, dense air, sliding down off the ice cap, could easily

drive 6,000 electric blankets! And only 14 expeditioners are staying for this winter! Are those people in Kingston crazy? No way!

To substitute for 5,986 electric blankets (conspicuously missing from the AA re-supply cargo) they have installed an espresso

coffee machine,the most important electrically powered flash boiler and drug dispensing apparatus on the station. Despite having

received no formal training in the operation of this device, old-time residents of the station can produce great coffee. The OH&S

implications of this lack of formal accreditation procedures are disturbing, and inconsistent with the policies in force for all motor

vehicles, cranes, boats, staplers and pencil sharpeners.

---

In the Masson Range, 20 km from Mawson

REPORT NO.12 - SCIENCE AND THE IMPACT OF THE INTERNET

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Much science must remain a "hands on" business, in that the gathering and studying of specimens is labour intensive.

Biologists, zoologists, glaciologists, oceanographers and physicists now have ready access to colleagues and a vast knowledge

base via the internet; this is of enormous help in exploiting unforseen opportunities.

Even in remote field locations, scientists can use Iridium satellite phones to dial straight into the global phone network.

The ability to exchange text messages, photos, and data from sensors means that the scientist in Antarctica  can remain a part

of the world-wide scientific community. Isolation has gone.

The instrumentation used in space physics, geophysics and meteorology has also changed. Once equipment is set up, data links via

satellite eliminate the need for any people to operate it. The old days of chart recorders, film development, and marginal equipment

design are over. Standardised hardware and standarised data communications protocols have allowed widespread use of unattended equipment.

Twenty years ago, UAP (Upper Atmosphere Physics) had four physicists and two support engineers (I was one) spread across the three

stations. Now there is one physicist only, at Davis, with more experiments running than ever, and data is sent continuously

via satellite to Kingston. Much of it goes straight to websites where it can be viewed from anywhere by anyone in real time.

Provided, of course, that they are affluent enough to have access to a computer and the internet.

Biologists Luke Einoder and Daren Southwell have just returned from a 6 week sojourn on an island close to Mawson.

Here is Luke's description of their work:

"A long term study of Adelie penguins at Bechervaise Island near

Mawson is one example of the logistical advantages of remote sensing

equipment in the field of biology. Some years ago a low fence was

constructed around apart of the penguin colony forcing birds to

travel over a weighbridge as they come and go from the sea. At the

weighbridge are two antennas that are responsive to small glass encapsulated

microchip tags. These tags, similar to those used on domestic pets, have

been implanted in many penguins from the colony and identify individuals.

The two antennas determine which direction an individual is travelling, so

the weight of the bird upon arrival and departure is recorded. All data can

be downloaded via satellite in Kingston to allow calculations of the

weight of food delivered to chicks through the season, and over numerous

years. All this contributes to our understanding of the feeding conditions

the penguins experience in the ocean at any given time, and provides an

indirect indication of the health state of the chicks in the colony, and the

variation in conditions from year to year".

While this technology may not have been readily applied to elephant seals (just try to fence them in!), maybe the AAD could

licence the intellectual property to restaurants, gymnasiums and porta-loo contractors. Anyone for a chip implant?

Civil libertarians need not apply.

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25/02/2010

REPORT NO.13 - COUNTDOWN TO HOBART - ETA Sunday Feb.28

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It's a long way from Mawson to Hobart. It can take up to a fortnight, depending on weather. The journey started for us

with smooth seas and many icebergs north of the Amery Ice Shelf. These spectacular views were interspersed with occasional sightings

of whales, orcas, and majestic albatrosses. Such sightings are often announced on the PA system, resulting in a scramble of keen

photographers up onto the bridge. Impeding the climb of each of these enthusiasts is invariably a digital SLR camera, with at

least 12 mega-pixels of resolution, and a zoom/telephoto lens the size of two house-bricks (end to end). Sometimes, when I am swept away

in these waves of enthusiasm, I lower the tone of the whole occasion by producing a 7 M-pixel pocket camera, which is regarded with barely

concealed disdain by others on the bridge. On several occasions I have had the temerity to produce my classic Rollei B35 film camera,

leaving the impression that I have either serious techno-phobia or early onset dementia. However, many of these very competent

photographers generously put their photos on the ship's file server, for all to see. Nearly everybody seems to have a laptop PC

with wireless networking facilities, and all can exchange photos readily.

Rob Bryson, Voyage Leader, has announced that Saturday evening will be "special", with a barbecue on the helideck, and alcoholic

beverages provided. The AA should be close to Tasmania by then, and we can all look forward to enjoying Tasmanian weather, rather

than Antarctic weather, regardless of the claim by some (from the north island) that there isn't much difference. As someone who's

been snowed on twice on mid-summer bushwalks, once in the Walls of Jerusalem and once on the Mt. Anne circuit, I intend to be fully

dressed for the occasion. At least on the helideck, regardless of Tasmania's proximity, there will be no mud!

CORRECTION : NO BBQ ON HELIDECK, OR TRAWL DECK, OR HOLODECK (for "Trekkies") OR ANYWHERE. Just drinks in the bar at 1900. I'm confused - time to go home!

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