Days Gone By

The Gould has gone with almost all summer folks. It is a sad turn of events, though brings our station population down to 26. I have my own room for the time being and lines at the dish washing station are manageable. Indeed, it is the good life. This coming weekend is a two day weekend for us. This comes at a much needed time, before the Gould returns for a 21 day stay. They will be in and out of port, fishing and running experiments along the peninsula.

The divers have begun diving at night, which keeps the late hours interesting. It is surreal to see them motoring around our inlet in the darkness, flashing their lights, in competition with stars and moon. Both of which have been in full form these past few nights.

On Earth Day, the divers along with 6 or 7 volunteers, retrieved 300 lbs of trash from the sea floor around station. I was out on a Boating II class, and unable to help out, but it was a pretty cool event, in honor of a great day. Also, thanks to an unexpected arrival of the sun we were all given 2 hours "safety break" to go boating. Our first wave took off to Hermit Island for some hiking and cruising around Cormorant Island and the glacier. We saw a variety of seals and birds. Cormorants, penguins, Giant Petrels. On the second wave, a group of us went to Humble Island where Station Manager Brett and Doctor Will allowed us (permit holders) to watch them weigh Giant Petrel chicks. They weren't quite as small and cuddly as you might imagine but they are prehistoric looking animals. The chicks weighed in over 12 lbs with wing spans of 5 ft and more. Oddly enough, as the birders approach the birds to pick them up and shove them in a bag, they don't struggle much at all. The parents as well, flutter away, leaving their chick to deal with the molestation on it's own terms. Thankfully the birders are careful, trained and respectful and no harm is done to the animal. Indeed the measurements gleaned are used to protect the species. After Humble Island we cruised around Loudwater Cove to enjoy the sights and sounds of the glacier. Carla, our IT guru and OSAR member expertly navigated us around rock and ice and we were home in time for dinner. I'll get some photos of this up soon.

Christine Island

Here are some shots of OSAR team members, Carla, Jordan, Payot, Anthony and myself on our way to Christine Island for a SAR cache changeout. There are 11 emergency caches, three barrels each, spread around our boating area and beyond. Each year they are retrieved, batteries replaced, food checked, stoves tested and restocked with freshly checked gear. These caches are used infrequently, though offer a tent and enough sleeping bags, water and food for 5 people to survive for 8 days. A few science groups have used them when the weather has turned, but none since I have arrived. Wind is our main worry here. As a rule, no boating happens in wind over 20 knots. As I write this the wind is blowing at a steady 38 knots (44 mph) with gusts at over 50 knots. It is wild. White caps explode and shower off sideways onto shore as the wind rattles everything not tied down.

In the photos below we are surrounded by brash ice, which is ice that has calved off the glacier in our back yard. It can make going pretty slow.

Patches

Patching Zodiacs. If there is there another activity that is as thrilling, I have yet to discover it. The boats here are often put through heaven and hell and it takes more than a little TLC to help them live long and healthy lives. Some of our Zodiacs have been cruising these waters for more than 16 years. They can look like a shot-gun fire of patches on the bottom, but they hold air. And they hold secrets and history.

Here are a few patching photos. As well as the bottom of Z-boat, my favorite of all our Zodiacs.

The boats here are constantly landing on rocky shores. Also, brash and bar ice can puncture the Zodiac skin. Then there is the general chemistry, as the boats freeze and thaw throughout the year. We currently have a mere four boats on the water. The dive boat, OSAR boat, Birder boat and a boat for recreation. The short days and limited water time gives me a chance to get the boats into the boathouse.

Fire and OSAR

Fire Training





















































Ocean Search and Rescue (OSAR) cache changeout and towing

Bustling Days

Things here at Palmer are bustling these days. Turnover of station to the winter crew has everyone in the throes of trainings; Fire Team, OSAR, Fuel Spill response, station protocol and job specific training. Since there are so few people here, everyone has a lot of outside duties such as fire fighting, working at the store, cleaning bathrooms. The list goes on.

The days are getting shorter and the brash ice has been thick and heavy the past few days. The summer folks are abuzz with travel plans and the winter crew is finding their favorite chairs, movie nights and forming relationships. We have been having a lot of Ocean Search and Rescue exercises on the water during the work day so I have tried to take some time in the back yard. The station is situated at the foot of a glacier and hikes up it offer great views as well as a chance to get away from the small universe that contains our daily lives.

Anyone interested in seeing a cool video of our glacier calving click here.

After All

It's Easter Sunday. Some folks made Easter food, but I accidentally missed it. That's a funny thing about living here. When you have only one day off it becomes a struggle to fit things in. I find myself saying things like "I might be able to meet for a game of poker. I have to watch cartoons at ten and then am taking a sauna at noon. Maybe after that, before I play Settlers of Catan, but after I decorate cookies. Oh and I was going to have Bailey's and coffee and play frisbee sometime in there." Ridiculous. It's the end of March and time is a slippery thing. Last night was a coworker's 50th birthday party, which was a hoot. It turns out we went to the same Junior High and High School. We even had some of the same teachers. Amazing how small the world can become. Really not much new is happening that I haven't already mentioned. Here are a few photos, however.

Shorter Days

Nothing really big and profound happening lately. I am in the boathouse now, it's after hours. The boathouse is a great place to hang out, as I have mentioned. I recently got a new monitor that constantly displays the weather and is still a kick to admire.

The Gould arrives in two weeks, bringing a large portion of the winter crew and therefore bumping the population up to 45. I am enjoying the 31 we have now. As our daylight decreases the boating hours get shorter, ending at 6:30pm currently. The days are still jumping with boats, though the after hours have become a bit more mellow. Soon I will be busy in the shop, patching and winterizing the motors.

An unexpected encounter...

This is a short video I was able to take with my little point and shoot camera. It's rough, to say the least, but you'll get the idea. We came upon a pod of four humpback whales, three adults and a baby. We were just drifting, with motors off about 100 ft from them when they decided to come up and see us. They were extremely curious, or angry. It was a bit hard to tell, but I can say that they were really cool and humongous.

Life here at Palmer continues to evolve. We are down to a population of 31 now, as the Gould left with the krillers, riggers and some of the divers. It was sad to see them go, though it feels good to stretch out a bit more. Today I went out with our communications technician to Outcast Island, an island outside of the boating limits, to work on an old Argentine tower. It's abandoned now and a grant is being written to install another wind detector to more accurately make boating decisions. The ocean is much more wild out there than in our protected harbor, with 12 foot swells and curling breaks.

The Rubber Duke

Today I retired the Rubber Duke, which is an enormous platform boat, with a winch and large amount of equipment used for pulling krill out of the water. It is a beefy, gem of a boat and I will miss crawling around it, filling it's air and hoisting it's cranks. Weighing in at over 3200 lbs with a variety of priceless scientific instruments, lifting it from surging ocean to the boathouse deck is an operation fraught with peril, even with our sturdy track vehicle, the Skytrak.


This last week has been a good one, involving all the enjoyable experiences, projects completed and things learned that go into making a good run. Last weekend I had a whale experience that made me remember the immensity of our universe. On Monday, hunting whale with a group on the water, I came across a mom and calf, swimming around, bobbing up and down. Flopping their tails and blowing their holes. They came very close, directly under our boats, spying us.

Today again, out on Hermit Island replacing the SAR cache I noticed a group of two or three whales swimming around a series of shoals. Around me was a mine field of roaring fur seals. Asleep, they look so much like the surrounding rocks I had to be extremely careful not to trod on them. Also, there were penguins, skuas, and my favorite of all the Antarctic birds, the blue-eyed shag.

More photos.

Our population is up to 39 people now with the arrival of 7 more on the Laurence M. Gould research vessel last week. It is tradition to jump off the pier as the Gould chugs away, as a farewell to friends leaving station, northbound to Chile.

The person in green shorts jumping on the left is me. Thankfully Palmer has a hot tub (that's right, a hot tub) and after the swim it is great to head up for a soak in 110F water to restore circulation.

The Boathouse

The boathouse is a special place on station. It is located on the shore of Hero Inlet, overlooking Palmer Staion's fleet of Zodiac boats. The boats vary in sizes and accoutrements and are build up specially for the science groups that use them. All boats have two motors, two external gas tanks, a battery, a safety box with emergency supplies and a GPS unit. The birder boats are small and quick, with long range radios, nets and poles. The Dive boat has a rubber flooring, depth finder, and leapord seal alarm system. There are two boats with large platforms which are used by the mircobiologists and the krill scienctists. These boats are more complex with motorized winches, 50-75hp motors, nets, bottling equipment, computers, water pumps and various other tools and equipment. There is also a recreation boat built specially for recreation and maintenance projects. Lastly, is the Ocean Search and Rescue (OSAR) boat which is our newest boat with a 75hp motor, long range radio, emergency gear and other safety equipment.

The boathouse itself is large and spacious. One side has a rack with 9 extra motors stored and ready for action. The motors range from 9.9hp to 75hp, are four stroke Yamahas, and turn key ignition. Pretty sweet. The boathouse is large enough to fit one fully inflated Zodiac comfortably, though I have fit two at a time. There is a computer, for monitoring weather and checking email. Lots of tools and hoists, safety gear, ropes and boating things.

All are welcome in the boathouse. Right now it is littered with SAR caches, which are blue barrels filled with survival gear, stored out at various islands to be used in case of emergency. I am in the process of retrieving them, changing out expired items and replacing them back on the islands. There is music in the boathouse so indoor activities are almost just as fun as outdoor ones. It is also the muster station in case of a fire. There is a hammock in the boathouse, though an upside down Zodiac is a much more comfortable bed in case a night needs to be spent with the boats. This happens from time to time in bad weather.

The boathouse has a deck overlooking the inlet and a ramp for easy access. It is a place in constant flux. Boats are in and out of the shop, motors are being torn apart, platforms fixed, people gathered. It has seen a lot of action and will likely see much more.

Transplant

I would like to update this blog from time to time in order to give my loved ones (and anyone else who is interested) a better account of what life is like down here at Palmer Station, Antarctica. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my job and daily activities that I don’t take the time to look around and process all that is happening. Since this was actually started by Lacy to be a travel blog, I will try and insert inspiring travel quotes and other such thematic threads. But of course, I am really not traveling at all. At least not in the way that most people would define travel. My entire area of activity is within a two-mile radius generating out from the station in which I spend most of my hours. I actually live here, at Palmer Station. Held hostage by a ship that comes around only once every couple of months and a string of rules and regulations that would make Shakleton and Scott shudder.

But I still feel like I am traveling. For one thing, I am only here for 6 months. I have a wife and cat waiting for me. And this place is so dramatic that looking out the windows of my bedroom is enough to make my heart beat faster. The day trips to various islands, which I am coming to know better, hold more mysteries than I will be able to discover. It is as foreign to me as another planet.

Travel Quote No. 1: “Extensive traveling induces a feeling of encapsulation, and travel, so broadening at first, contracts the mind.” – Paul Theroux

I can hardly say I am an extensive traveler compared to many, but constantly moving though places often gives me only a glimpse of life with which I use to make wild and sweeping conclusions. Staring out the window of a train, it is easy to see a village and make a judgment about an entire country. It’s easy to think in my language and feel apart from it all, just an observer.

I am happy that I am here long enough to be able to become part of the community. There are progressive things happening here. Antarctica is one of the greatest places on earth, not just because of its physical beauty, but because of the science that brings humans here. People from all over the world come here to research the ocean, the cosmos and the human psyche. Though we are all dependent on the whims of our home-countries, living here often creates the illusion of world peace. We study penguins and global warming, the beginning of our universe and the impact of tsunamis in the South Pacific. Everyone here is a transplant, a high percentage of whom hope to bring findings back to the real world and make some type of change.

Of course there are downsides. And points to be entirely critical of, but I’ll have to save those for another time…

Back to Antarctica

I have been at Palmer Station for about 2 months now. I will be here until June working as a Boating Coordinator, managing a small fleet of Zodiac boats used by scientists. Lacy is holding down the home-front and we plan to meet in Chile in June, right after she graduates with her Masters in Landscape Architecture. There are 33 of us on station and the weather hovers around 35F daily. Things are smooth and good at the moment, though chaos is perpetually just around the corner. Boats popping, motors exploding, scientists getting stranded on the water and blowing away from station. All of these things continue to happen around me and I am usually just putting out fires...so to speak. The wildlife here is plentiful and entertaining. Three humpback whales swam directly under my boat last week. One of their tails nicked the boat. I was frightened, but the lady I was with seemed cool, so I just went along. I work long days and half days on Sundays. It is tiresome and makes me miss my coffee-shops and wife. But the perks of this job are fantastic. Lots of time speeding around among the islands. I get to go to many "protected areas" and out to various boats under the banner of science . It is quite a bit different than Pole. The scientists use the boats every day. Some of the groups I work with are SCUBA divers (looking for cancer cures, and believe it or not they have found one for melanoma), birders (penguins, giant petrels, albatrosses, etc.), krill (little shrimp-like things) collectors, and microbiologists. The krill and microbiologists are finding some interesting and scary things. The declining krill population is thought to be connected with the lack of bacteria in the water, due to too much glacial silt from the rapidly melting glaciers. Antarctica is melting, the silt blocks the sunlight, causing less bacteria in the water, limiting krill population, which limits whales and penguins. Many of the Antarctic species of penguin populations are shrinking rapidly, which is terrible because they are so damn cute. Also, there is a this "tourism" dynamic here that keeps the station in constant flux. Mostly small yachts, 3-8 people, but sometimes we get huge cruise ships of 100+ people. Sometimes helicopters from Chile. Last week we had a family on station who has been living on their sailboat for 5 years. Mom, dad, and 10 year old daughter. Wild. The girl wore a purple fairy princess costume with wings the entire time she was on station. I ate dinner on their boat one night and they were on and on about pirates and storms.

Around Palmer