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The Journal of the New Zealand Antarctic Society Vol 17, No. 4, 2000 [lil 72111 chi "Liili-S -duVl r^uiiHj]i^ iM^'isDTirss • Business^ofiles • Advertising •Magazine a . " ^ newsletter publishing • Corporate communications 'V- ■• • Marketingi.. cormtownications • Media relations • Event management x • Financial PR, annual reports P 0 Box 2369 Tel ++64-3-3650344 Christchurch Fax ++64-3-3654255 New Zealand [email protected] ANTARCTIC CONTENTS Shackleton's Voyage Re-enacted Successful season at Cape Roberts Traverses by Women Surfing Antarctica Lone Rower's Attempt Our cover illustration of Shackleton's Hut is courtesy of © Colin Monteath of Hedgehog House and is sourced from his magnificent book Hunting Meteorites 'Antarctica: Beyond the Southern Ocean', published 1996 David Bateman Ltd, reprinted 1997,160pp. Titanic Icebergs Price NZ $50. Volume 17, No. 4, 2000 Looking for 'White Gold' Issue No. 171 ANTARCTIC is published quarterly by the New Tourism Zealand Antarctic Society Inc., ISSN 0003-5327. Editor Vicki Hyde. Please address all editorial enquiries to Warren Winfly 2000 Head, Publisher, 'Antarctic', PO Box 2369, Christchurch, or Tel 03 365 0344, facsimile 03 365 4255, email: [email protected] Riding the Hagglund Printed by Herald Communications, 52 Bank Street, Timaru, New Zealand. The 'Vanda Lake' Boys The Riddle of the Antarctic Peninsula Shackleton's Endurance Exhibition REVIEWS Book review - 'The Endurance' by Caroline Alexander TRIBUTE Harding Dunnett tribute Volume 17, No. 4, 2000 Antarctic NEWS SHACKLETON'S EPIC BOAT VOYAGE RE ENACTED Four men have successfully re-en Television network ROUTE OF THE JOURNEY acted Shackleton's epic 1916 open film crew aboard mak Siidgeorgien boat journey from Elephant Island to ing a documentary of South Georgia, including his climb the re-enactment. over the island to the Stromness The James Caird 11 "James Caird" enters whaling station to raise the alarm for was launched at Hope Haakon Bay his stranded men. Bay on January 19th, Several previous attempts by other and travelled to Point expeditions to re-enact Shackleton's Wild, Elephant Island, rescue voyage have been attempted; arriving nine days April 24th 1916 all but one have failed. In 1994, Trevor later, shortly after the "James Caird". the sturdiest of Potts and three companions success the lifeboats, puts to sea from January 19th 1915 Dagmar Aaen. Arved Elephant Island "Endurance" gets stuck fully completed the journey from El reported that the 230 in the ice and drifts for [Clarence- 282 days . ephant Island to South Georgia in the km journey from . April 9th 1916 Ernest Shackleton. Unci- lifeboats carried Hope Bay had been on board are launched The four men of the Shackleton very cramped. Elephant-I. 2000 Expedition were Arved Fuchs The James Caird 11 November 21 si 1915 Endurance" sinks, and and Martin Friederichs, both of Ger left Point Wild for a camp is established many; Sigridur Ragna Sverrisdottir South Georgia on 30 from Iceland; and Henryk Wolski of January, shadowed Poland. faithfully by the In 1916, Ernest Shackleton's Impe Dagmar Aaen and its rial Trans-Antarctic expedition suf film crew. They en fered a major setback when the cross countered difficult ing party's ship, the Endurance, was weather and adverse beset by pack ice in the Weddell Sea winds initially, but and was eventually crushed. From eventually the winds backed to the Photo & Map courtesy Hapag- that point on, Shackleton's highest northwest, and progress to the north Lloyd priority was ensuring the survival of east improved. near the head of the bay. his men. The group moved to El Their best day's run was 160km. The re-enactment was complete ephant Island and from there, when the four men followed Shackleton left for South Georgia Shackleton's route across South Geor with five others in the James Caird, gia from King Haakon Bay to the leaving behind 22 men under the now-abandoned Stromness whaling leadership of Frank Wild. station. The crossing took seven days, Shackleton's voyage with Worsley, with poor weather for much of the Crean, McNeish, Vincent and journey, and difficult open crevasses McCarty across 1300 km of ferocious on the Crean Glacier. The men arrived sea in what was a modified open boat on 23 February, and were later picked is one of the greatest Antarctic epics. up from Grytviken by the Hanseactic. Reaching King Haakon Bay on the The re-enactment was much earlier south coast of South Georgia, the res in the year than Shackleton's actual cue group them climbed across the voyage, which had begun on 24 April spine of the island to the whaling sta (Easter Monday), at a much colder tion on the northeast side to raise the time of the year. In addition, six men alarm. Arved Fuchs and his expedition team had been crammed into the original The Shackleton 2000 Expedition, traced the legendary route. James Caird with none of the benefits together with James Caird II, a replica of modern clothing and equipment. of the famous whaling boat, was Before arriving at South Georgia, the Worsley's account ("Shackleton's transported from Ushuaia, Argentina, small boat encountered winds of 60 Boat Journey") records some pretty by the German-owned Hapag Lloyd knots as well as a significant number hairy moments during the original tour ship, Hanseactic on 6 January of large icebergs that made the ap voyage, while the difficult three-men 2000. The tour ship was accompanied proach to King Haakon Bay difficult. traverse of the island in just 36 hours by a 20-metre sailing vessel, the On 12 February, Shackleton's former was remarkable considering the ba Dagmar Aaen, which had a German camp was reached at Peggotty Bluff sic equipment that Shackleton had. 76 Volume 17, No. 4, 2000 NEWS Antarctic gramme were just off the mainland at Cape Roberts, but the drill site on the sea ice had a science lab, a mud hut SUCCESSFUL SEASON and a lounge. Alex Pyne was Techni cal Manager and Pat Cooper the Chief AT CAPE ROBERTS Driller. Different scientists, most of whom lived at McMurdo or Scott Base, With the closure of its third season were responsible for different aspects this summer, the Cape Roberts Drill of the core as it emerged. ing Programme has been an undeni In the 1999-2000 year they planned able success, both in terms of interna to focus on older sediment lower in the tional co-operation and in obtaining sequence, which might record the on new information about the geological set of the polar glaciation. history of the Transantarctic Moun Cape Roberts 3 was drilled 12km tains and the development of the Ant seawards of Cape Roberts in water arctic ice sheet. that, at 295m, was 100m deeper than The total cost of Cape Roberts has the previous site and was technically been NZ $llm, including the price of more difficultEach night the core, split the drill rig and running costs, shared down its length, was flown by helicop by a consortium of seven countries: ter from Cape Roberts to the Crarey New Zealand, the US and Italy with a Lab at McMurdo in 20m lots. The re 26% financial stake each; Germany, maining half-cores were taken to Cape 10%, Australian and the UK 5% each; Roberts Camp and, at the end of the and the Netherlands 2%. Professor season, would be taken for storage in Peter Barrett of Victoria University, the US. New Zealand, was Chief Scientist. The Pat Cooper, chief driller, watches the The cores at McMurdo then under drilling rig, drillers and the overall drill stem at Cape Roberts 3. went 'fast track sampling' under very management of the project were pro Photo: Malcolm Laird controlled conditions. The cores, kept at a constant temperature of 4 degrees vided by New Zealand, with Jim different parts of the sediment pile. Cowie as Project Manager. C, were supervised by a Core Curators During the first year (1997-98), drill Tom Janacek and Matt Curren. Each Geophysical surveys of the Ross Sea ing had to be abandoned after coring floor indicate that up to 14km of sedi- 148 metres, due to a storm-generated morning, at 8am, the cores would be ment has accumulated in down- ice break out. In the second year (1998- brought into the lab and examined by faulted troughs, and the Cape Roberts the sedimentological team. Then, after 99), 624m of sediments were drilled a public presentation and discussion Programme has concentrated on drill and beds of Oligocene age reached. ing near the margins of the basinwhere New inflatable floats were used to help by the team, and under the curator's the sediments are thinnest and more strict control, a team of specialist sci support the weight of the drill rig.The accessible. Each year the drill site has accommodation buildings for the pro- entists was able to study the new core been moved to a new position to reach Continued on page 78 TWO TRAVERSES PLANNED BY WOMEN Two separate pairs of women Both women are teachers and will attempt crossings of Antarc plan to correspond with schools tica via the South Geographic Pole in many countries via their Web during the 2000-2001 season. site and by email during the Liz Arneson of Norway and traverse. The 2950-km crossing Ann Bancroft of the United States will begin from the coast of plan to cross from Dronning ""'ANTARCTIC Dronning Maud Land north of Maud Land to the Ross Sea via Adventure Network Internation xEXPED[H0N 2000 South Pole and the Axel Heiberg al's blue ice runway, and is ex Glacier. Both women have previ pected to last 100 days.