Field training

"As I write this it’s currently -2 deg and snowing with a 10-15 knot wind.

So after a very busy week again I was looking forward to 2 days off..................well........... to be able to venture out into the field everybody must be field trained. This is done by a Field Training Officer (maybe one of the best jobs in the world.......other than mine).  So I needed to be trained. There goes the down time I needed to sort the ever growing pile of clothes and dust in my room.

 First of all a small group of us was kitted out with the essentials like rucksack, bivvy bag, foam mat, sleeping bag, liner, pee bottle, chocolate, compass, map set, signal mirror, micro spikes, ice axe, and trow bag.  At Kingston we were issued with clothing and to do this training we needed to bring our thermals, fleece, windproof jacket, beanie, neck gaiter, walking boots, sun hat, sunglasses, and lots of sunblock................in addition to this I also packed a camera, toothbrush (that never got used,) a small measure of Jack Daniels, tinned pies for the troops and some pancakes for brekkie along with some maple syrup.

German Basler

The day we left a plane landed carrying some German scientists doing studies around the Antarctic. The plane is a Polar 5 AWI Basler.... it’s an old turbo-charged DC3......I took a quick snap before we left.

Justin on quad taking photos

Our objectives were to ride out on quad bikes to Platcha Hut and spend a night there then proceed with field training for the rest of the day.  All rugged up we took off from Davis riding over the sea ice on our quads.  The scenery was spectacular, icebergs frozen, for a time trapped in metre thick ice just waiting to continue their journeys when the thaw comes.  Fat slug-like seals could be seen every now and then sunning themselves on frozen snow under a cloudy sky, the fat’s there for a reason. We didn’t see any penguins on the first day but wow some of the ice and rock formations  were just as cool.  We arrived at our destination within two hours, went inside the hut and made ourselves a brew, warmed up a little then went back outside to unload the quads.  Next we got busy with a little training,  field rations, aka dehydes. Using our portable gas stove we proceeded to follow the instructions on things like Beef and black bean, Grilled beef stew, Himalayan chicken, Lamb and pasta etc....

The wind was blowing a bit so it took some time for the snow to melt in order to add boiling water to our culinary delights. The stew I had was just fine and I could quite happily survive on it for a time. For most chefs, often in our down time food is only fuel in order to achieve the simple domestics in life.  I must say though the cheese cake was a bit average....................I tried my best to jazz it up with half a packed of crushed shortbreads on top. The crew seemed to like this.

A few wines with dinner and some pre-sleep fun of sliding down the icy snow was undertaken by all.

An icy coffin

We dug ourselves into the snow........I dug a coffin shape about a foot deep. There we slept/stayed overnight by ourselves inside our bivvys.  I must say I was warm enough inside my sleeping bag, but all the condensation from my breath formed ice inside over everything.  As the wind picked up early morning it began to snow inside my bivvy. The tug by the wind on the canvas outer made all the iced up condensation above me fall like heavy snow. This lasted for about only 4-5 hours...............well until I got up.

The sun did set for about an hour but the sky never really darkens. Sleeping out like this is very interesting......well trying to block it out ended up being so.  First I tried my neck gaiter, then a beanie, then a t-shirt (that became stiff with ice about midnight.....) finally I just got so tired I couldn’t give a rats about the light.

In the morning I heated up the pancakes for everybody and passed around the maple syrup. I think everybody was expecting to eat 2 minute noodles or some thing............so they were all very happy.

For the rest of the day we did various training involving both field equipment and quads.

Its fair to say I was very sore and tired when we finally got back to Davis at 7pm that night...........Yay, work in the morning."

Watch this space.  An update coming about Justin's helicopter day out to an Indian vessel and then on the the Chinese Antarctic base.

Custard

Ever wondered how to make custard when there is no fresh milk?  Well to answer that question and also... how do you make custard without burning the milk?  Apparently it's easy!  To never burn the milk for custard again... USE MILK POWDER!  Justin swears he will never make custard the conventional way again.  When you boil the water before adding the milk powder, you can't burn the milk.  Ingenious.  Hey, and it still tastes great.

And, it had to happen, the first penguin photo.  Although not taken by Justin and the first of probably many, this is the first photo that I have been sent of penguins... the main wildlife down at Davis which is why there may be a few more come through.

Justin has moved to his new digs but got there late Saturday night so hasn't had much of a chance to sort all his belongings in to some semblance of order yet.  His days are long, he has a lot to get used to in the new kitchen environment but has phoned everyday - there is a phone in the kitchen you know - and sounds really happy to be getting stuck in.  He is also pretty chuffed he got the only double bed and plans to 'starfish' for a full 12 months!

Feel free to ask Justin any questions.  He will answer any sent through via comments. 

Photo credit Shane Mitchell.

Photos from V1

The last Australian sunset from Aurora Australia V1

Ice forming on the ship

 Justin's voyage down to Antarctica was V1... the first of the new Antarctic year.  He took plenty of photos on board the ship but with email restrictions of only 10k for the duration of the journey, he was unable to send them until he got to Davis.  

He has been extremely busy for the first couple of days and will be again today.  The ship is scheduled to leave again on Saturday so things will start to settle down as that means that everything has been unloaded and delivered to base, and the departure of the 2009/10 wintering crew.  

An iceberg seen through Justin's sunglasses

We have been able to have a couple of short but very clear phone conversations as the service from base is excellent.  The signal from the ship was very up and down so we found it hard to talk.  Yesterday it was a quick call before getting stuck in to preparing lunch. Schnitzel.  Justin's menus will be posted as he gets in to a routine and has more time to sit down and get them sorted.

Me on the wharf waving goodbye

  It is hard to see me but right in the centre of the pictre, there I am, wrapped up warm - it was sunny but cold - waving to Justin.  We spoke on the phone, waved and took photos of each other right up until the ship sailed out of sight.

Justin has one more night to spend in temporary accommodation before moving to his permanent room, as the previous chef moves out, which will be much bigger.  He will be able to get unpacked and properly sorted.  I can't wait for him to open his boxes and find all the wee bits and pieces that I stashed in there for him! 

And, as declared, I have tried another new recipe this week and am still enjoying the results.  I went for Annie Clark's Carob Date Slice from her book Muffin Magic...vegan, wheat free, dairy free, gluten free, sugar free, egg free and low fat!!!  But don't turn your nose up... this is one mean slice that tastes decadent and naughty without the nasty side effects.  I can't get enough.  Check out Annie's facebook page.  And I am sure if you would like it, Annie wouldn't mind me giving you the recipe.  

Recipe no. 2: Carob Date Slice... success!

The last sitrep for this journey

Tuesday 16-Nov-2010

Report (sitrep) no. 126
Universal time: 0700
Australian Time: 1800 (Eastern Standard/Summer)
Position on Map: 68° 34' S, 77° 53' E (degrees latitude, longitude)
Heading: parked in ice
Current speed: at Davis
Distance in last 24 hours: 52.5 nm (nautical miles)
Distance to next waypoint:  (nautical miles)
Weather conditions: 1/8 cloud cover, E’ly winds E’ly 10 knots
Air temperature: 2 (degrees Celsius)
Sea temperature: -1.7 (degrees Celsius)
Sea conditions: Nil
Ice conditions: 10/10 fast-ice

Remarks:
We arrived at station this morning and parked up in the ice. Lovely to see the snow-capped islands off Davis tinged with morning sun. The station leader and deputy came out to the ship and briefed everyone on board about station rules and procedures. After that, began the process of getting everyone ashore for station and vehicle inductions. We have gone from being a rowdy ship to extremely quiet, and vice versa for station! It is good to see some familiar faces of the wintering crew again. Refuelling and cargo operations commenced today amidst glorious blue sky and sunshine. We are hoping for similar conditions tomorrow. REGARDS: Karin, Sharon & Lance

And the first email from Davis...
 
"Heya dear........big day as you may have expected.  Have just got my email up and running, its now 10:30 at night and I’m knackered.
Will hopefully email you tomorrow with an update etc.........
Love you very much"
XXXOOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Well, that's the end of the sitreps for this year's summerers and winterers but of course, the Aurora Australis now has to refuel and do all that needs doing before bringing back the 2009/2010 winterers to Australian shores.  As for Justin, the journey now begins.  I can't wait to start receiving news of the base and what he is up to but I know that these first few days especially are going to be very busy for him.
 
If you would like to send Justin a question, please do so in the comments.

And so the ship comes to rest

After 3 weeks and 4 days, the ship has reached Davis base.  The Aurora Australis is approximately 3kms from the base, parked up in the ice.  Some people have been taken by helicopter to the base as they have an important part to play in the disembarkation and refuel, some will be transported by Hagg and others will want to walk the 3-4kms to the base. 

It is a little hard to see in this photo taken by the webcam but you can click here to see the AAD Davis webcam which shows further photos of the ship parked up and is updated every 10 mins.  You can see a bright white line across to the ship which is what the vehicles will follow to get out to the ship and back when unloading.  I have yet to find out how the containers get transported from ship to base but am sure I will.   

Yesterday's sitrep read like this:

Position:  68° 4' S, 77° 52' E

Distance in last 24 hours:  182.6 nm 

Air temperature:  0 deg c

Sea temperature:  -1.2 deg c


"Steaming along to Davis and making good progress. The weather has been quite balmy with light winds and temperatures zero and above. The sightings of wildlife has increased markedly since we came around the West Ice shelf and further south, and the cameras have been steadily clicking away capturing the moments from wildlife to magnificent sunsets. All on board are greatly looking forward to arriving at Davis."

And an update for all crew on board...
"The dart competition was fiercely contested this evening in the bar with Justin "the arrow" Chambers, and Ryan Madden pitted against one another in a nail biting finale!  Justin won the first game and Ryan fought back to take out the second with both games being extremely close in points. The final game was a heated battle and it all came down to "doubles" with Justin "the arrow" living up to his name and taking the game 114 to 97 and therefore winning the competition."

I am very excited for Justin... and now the hard work starts!

All and any comments/questions for Justin will be passed on and answered.

Sun rise, sun set

"All is good in the hood.  We are travelling in and out of pack ice at the moment. We should be at the Davis fast around Friday.... then a day's push through to be there by Saturday. We are seeing penguins every now and then..... and also likewise seals. The weather is all over the place..........sunny, cloudy, snow, cloud, wind, no wind. The sun sets around 7:30ish I think but it stays light for another 2-3 hours after..........pretty colours. It rises around 4-5ish.. though again it's light at least two hours beforehand."

And from the sitrep...

POSITION:  62° 46' S, 85° 14' E

DISTANCE IN LAST 24 HOURS:  201 nautical miles

AIR TEMPERATURE:  -2 deg c

SEA TEMPERATURE:  -1.2 deg c

ICE CONDITIONS:  4/10 first year small floes 


SPEED:  6 knots

As the night closed in we were cruising along at a fair old speed for the Aurora Australis – 13 knots running on both engines. We were following highways of open ocean that opened up before us through the ice. As dawn approached, the open water had turned into a thin layer of grey grease ice that shimmered, like a piece of silk blowing in a light breeze, as the ship left her wake.

Justin phoned on Saturday morning, and anticipating that, I didn't leave the house.  At around 11am the call came and we had a great chat as always.  I even managed to get his Summer Pudding recipe out of him... I could repeat it here but I would be revealing a secret ingredient and that just wouldn't be cool!  Soooo, I gave it a go and wow, talk about yummy.  Carol, Mum, Jenny, Martin and I thoroughly enjoyed both the Thai curry to start and the summer pudding.  I, probably, moreso just because it was my first and so good.  Now, there is something that I would like to commit to while Justin is away and that is to try one new recipe each week... I didn't think I would start until Martin leaves and I am on my own but seeing as how I already tried something new last night, I thought I would dive in head first and see how I land.  So 1. Summer Pudding... successful.   Watch this space.

Getting comfortable

POSITION:  51° 20' S, 124° 2' E

Distance covered last 24 hours:  193.2 nautical miles

Air temperature:  3 deg c

Sea temperature:  6.5 deg c

Speed:  9 knots

This is actually from yesterdays Sit Rep as there were problems with email yesterday and lot of people lost them so am thinking it is also why this didn't make it on to the AAD website by the time I went to bed last night. 

More expeditioners are being spotted around the ship, visiting the library and playing cards in the mess as they are feeling more comfortable at sea.  They have entered the 'Furious Fifties' though which is making things difficult and keeping them at the lower speed of 9 knots.  Westerly swells of 5m, seas 6m.

Activities including show and tells (there are more technical terms being that they are scientists doing the showing and telling), a talk about the Auroral Lights, a 'first iceberg sighting' sweepstake and the planning for an upcoming quiz night all starting to take place on board. 

There are no photos available from the ship at this point as the email limit to and from is a mere 10k whilst they are at sea.  There will be a lot of photo catch up happening once they reach dry land but in the meantime, for the first time, I have borrowed one of the Auroral lights from Davis base,  from the AAD photo library.  Enjoy.

Congratulations are in order!

Great news... Justin applied for the position of Deputy Station Leader (DSL) at Davis and got it!! 

As DSL he will be appointed as an Inspector under Antarctic environmental legislation (the Antarctic Treaty (Environment Protection) Act and the Antarctic Marine Living Resources Conservation Act ) and as a Special Constable under the Criminal Procedure Ordinance in the Australian Antarctic Territory.

It does mean increased responsibilities and a greater workload while he is at Davis but he is excited about learning more on the operational side.  He will also assume the position of Station Leader when the SL is off base.  Being a Special Constable, it also means that he is able to conduct an arrest should it be required of him!  Colour me proud.

I arrived in Hobart yesterday to spend the week with Justin and, inevitably, say goodbye next Thursday 21 October when the crew all board the ship for their journey to Davis.  As we drove in to Hobart from the airport, we could see the Aurora Australis that will transport everyone to Davis, slowly leaving the harbour for sea trials.  I won't get the opportunity to get up close to the boat but Justin was able to get close enough to take photos when it was  berthed in the harbour in Hobart up until yesterday.  Check out the link to find out more about the boat, including size and spec details.

As for me, I have never been to Hobart before and am pleasantly surprised by what I find.  It's a very pretty city and I was lucky enough to fly in on a gorgeous October afternoon.  It was fresh but sunny.  Today, however, it is grey, rainy and cold.  As Justin drove me around the city yesterday, he made the comment that we could be almost anywhere in New Zealand and he was right.  The small city centre, the hills and the colonial style buildings... what a breath of fresh air.

The Anaesthetist

Justin has been away for 8 days now, doing medical training in Hobart. At the beginning of the training they were assigned their roles in the operating theatre and Justin had thought that he would like to take on that of anaesthetist so was pleased when that is what he ended up with. Since then he has spent time nearly every day in theatre and has seen some remarkable surgeries including two caesarian sections, skin grafts and today a gastric bypass. Sharing the hospital with fully fledged and training medical staff has been an incredible experience for Justin and his colleagues and they are very aware of the privileged position they are in and the behaviour expected of them during their time there. I am absolutely blown away with what he has been learning and amazing experiences they've had. I am extremely proud of the way in which he has taken everything in and the way I know he will be conducting himself in the hospital environment. Much respect.

In addition to the hospital training, Justin has met fellow Davis base employees and had the opportunity to talk to people who have already been down to the Antarctic in the past few years. The knowledge that they are able to pass on is invaluable to Justin's preparations.

As for me, I have had a couple of not bad, but sad days when I have thought a lot about how it is going to be being on my own for so long but have decided that the only way to get by is going to be to stay focussed on what I want to achieve and take each day as it comes. I know there will be tough days but I will accept it as being a part of Justin's dream and know that I can handle it.

Just yesterday my friend Jenny and I took to some of the trees in our backyard with the chainsaw (having NEVER used a chainsaw before!) and took care of some brutal pruning. Bring it on!

We (Mr Bear and I) are very much looking forward to Justin's return this Saturday - even if it is only for a few days before he heads to Bali for some serious surfing!