September 2013

It’s hard to believe that it’s six months since winter began and we left the coast at Crown Bay, but the arrival of the equinox today, 22nd September, leaves us with no doubt. The event actually occurs at 20.44 GMT and at that moment, as the earth moves in its orbit around the sun, it reaches the point at which, due to the tilted axis of the earth, the sun crosses the equator. It marks t…

Received by HQ at 12.01 GMT today “A hive of activity here. The first fuel scoots have been pulled out of their drifts and are now rigged up ready to move. As I write we are getting ready to try and take the first two loads of scoots north. The sun is shining but drifting snow is reducing visibility. We will have someone on foot ahead of the Cats to give them direction. With the conditions less…

Today’s activities: Met obs + GPS trial continues. Snow sampling. Despite several brief partial clearances conditions remain poor with visibility down to less than 10 meters for most of the day. Cats kept running round the clock with 2hrly checks. General caboose maintenance. All OK. Intentions for tomorrow: Normal obs. Domestic scrubout. Conditions permitting we will start moving fuel scoots…

Mary Mouse has been keeping a low profile these recent months on the ice, but now the sun is up she’s out and about making herself busy around camp. Watch this video by Ian Prickett of Mary’s best friend Richmond Dykes showing us what the little mouse has been up to (and find out what a manmade underground Antarctic snow cave really looks like!).

With the Ice Team getting ready to start their long journey home any moment now, I thought I would momentarily distract you all with this wonderful picture of our dear trustee Joanna Lumley and friends during her recent visit to Bangladesh. Joanna was joined by expedition leaders Ran Fiennes and Anton Bowring on a short trip to the country to help raise awareness of Seeing is Believing, t…

We might be ready to move but the weather has other ideas! With the temperature up to -28℃ for the first time in ages we are all feeling the heat but with the mild air has come cloud and snow as well as the ever-present wind. Visibility has been less than 50 meters all day and at times considerably less than that so it’s just not been sensible to think of moving. The day has not been lost…

We have followed your reports with much interest and enjoyed seeing the splendid photos.  It is most encouraging to us lesser mortals to see you weathering the situation so well. Keep it going, we are proud of you. John Blashford-Snell and the Scientific Exploration…

Well, its time has come. After 100 or so days of being parked up and not turning a cog at -55C and  with winds gusting around it to chill it to the bone, Rover’s dig out time has come round. We all got stuck into clearing away the snow with shovels, ice axes, pry bars, welding rods and brushes.  Most of the morning (Monday) was consumed with removing the surrounding mounds of drift snow that…

After a day of dozing snow away from the cabooses and hand-digging snow from under the Science Caboose,  both cabooses are now almost ready to move. At long, long last and all being well with the weather, the Ice Team will be ready to starting moving the fuel scoots north tomorrow!

The Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897 to 1899 was the first expedition to winter in the Antarctic region. It was also the first scientific expedition to the continent itself. At the age of 25 Roald Amundsen was first mate on the expedition aboard the Norwegian-built whaling ship the Belgica. Unfortunately the vessel became locked in the Antarctic pack ice at 70°30′S off Alexander Island,…