The Journal of the New Zealand Antarctic Society Vol 17, No. 4, 2000

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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

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 ', 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

Shackleton's 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 to ing a documentary of 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 in the km journey from . April 9th 1916 . Unci- lifeboats carried Hope Bay had been on board are launched The four men of the Shackleton very cramped. Elephant-I. 2000 Expedition were 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 ; 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 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 to the leaving behind 22 men under the now-abandoned Stromness whaling leadership of . 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 . 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 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, , 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 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; , maining half-cores were taken to Cape 10%, Australian and the UK 5% each; Roberts Camp and, at the end of the and the 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 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 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 and the Axel Heiberg al's blue ice runway, and is ex Glacier. Both women have previ pected to last 100 days. ously skied to the South Pole, An unsupported crossing was Arneson being the first woman to originally planned, but a resupply do this in 1994-95. of food and equipment will now The expedition is being organ be made at the South Pole. ised and promoted by the US- Extensive medical studies on Sorby and Arneson and Bancroft have both based company Base Camp Pro Slettemark are being undertaken before started training on Great Slave motions. and planned for during the Antarctic Lake in the Canadian Arctic, at expedition. Continued on page 92

Volume 17, No. 4, 2000 77 Antarctic NEWS Continued from page 77 in a locked room. They were not al lowed to touch the core, only to plant miniature flags at the levels they wanted to investigate. The rigid secu rity was necessary to prevent over-en thusiastic scientists breaking up the valuable core and pocketing some 'un official' samples for their research. During the afternoon, the curator would then take carefully recorded samples from the flagged sites for the scientists to start studying. The CRP 3 hole exceeded all expec tations, passing well beyond its target of 700m; when it hit 940m, it became the deepest hole to be drilled in the Antarctic sea floor. Dr Malcolm Laird, sedimentologist and Senior Research Fellow at the Uni versity of Canterbury, said that the drill hole had passed through sediments dominated by glacial de posits into earliest Oligocene, less ice- influenced sediments below. Twenty-two glacial advance /retreat cycles could be recognised in the core, with periods of coarse-grained ice-con tact sediment deposition recognisable down to 300m depth, and more distal glacial involvement down to 380m. Despite vigorous discussion as to the detailed environment of deposition, the general opinion was that the core largely represented mid to outer shelf Left: The "mess' for the glacially influenced sediment. at Cape Roberts From 380-580m, the core passed base camp. Photo: Malcolm through clean, well-sorted sands, some Laird showing the effects of ocean storm wave disturbance and muds. Coarse glacial deposits were absent, although occasional isolated stones, probably dropped by icebergs, were present. SURFING ANTARCTICA Fossils, unfortunately, were disap An eight-man expedition to the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula in early pointingly few, and dating the 2000 in search of good surfing conditions had only limited success. The surfers sediments was difficult. Deeper still, were affiliated with the US-based Surfer's Medical Association, and included the core passed through 30m of an an cient gravel (conglomerate) with boul three medical doctors, one full-time professional surfer, three journalists and a ders up to a metre across, suggesting photographer. The claim has been made that the group contains some of the "best-known and most experienced surfers in the world", most having being deposition by rivers. An erosion surface (unconformity) involved in surfing for over 20 years; none, however, had had previous Antarc covered by angular blocks resembling tic experience. those in scree, lay not far underneath The expedition used the -based 20m steel schooner Golden the gravel. Below this, unexpectedly, Fleece skippered by Jeremy Poncet, who has sailed the area on many occasions was typical Beacon Sandstone as over the last two decades. The expedition began in Ushuaia, Argentina, on 31 found in the Transantarctic Mountains. January, and proceeded to search for suitable locations as it travelled south These rocks were possibly as much as wards from Elephant Island to Gerlache Strait, Anvers Island and the Lemaire 350 million years older than the Terti Channel. The furthest south reached by the group was the Ukrainian station ary sediment above. Vernadsky in the Argentine Islands. Finding older Beacon rocks was a Only Harmony Point and Low Island provided good surfing conditions. The surfers wore specially designed head-to-foot wet suits, which included gog great surprise, as geophysical profiles suggested a much greater thickness of gles. None of the group reported any serious cold-related problems during surf Tertiary sediment in this region than sessions, which sometimes lasted an hour or more. was actually found.

78 Volume 17, No. 4, 2000 Antarctic NEWS ROWER DOGGED WITH GREAT MISFORTUNE Lone rower Joe Le Guen was Le Guen left Wellington, New Zea of the journey. The 20m yacht King forced to abandoned his attempt to land, on 3 February in a 9m boat, Keep fisher, on its way to France to compete row a boat across the sub-Antarctic it Blue, heading generally east-south in the single-handed, non-stop part of the Pacific Ocean between east, meeting heavy seas and high Vendee Globe around-the world New Zealand and Cape Horn on 3 winds over the next seven weeks. His yacht race, was asked to divert to Le April. Le Guen was just over a third speed during that time averaged 1-2 Guen's position to deliver equipment of the way into his planned 8300km knots, about the same as the eastward to him. voyage when he was taken on board heading current in these regions. Despite numerous attempts dur the container vessel Palliser Bay on The boat's name reflects the ing the 23 March rendezvous, the medical advice some 2700km south project's aim of "raising awareness of transfer was unsuccessful due to dif east of New Zealand. the need to preserve the oceans". The ficult sea and wind conditions, and The rower was transferred from boat had been built in France for the the equipment was lost overboard. the ship to a hospital in Punta Are trans-ocean attempt late last year. On-board satellite transmissions nas, Chile, where, according to me Oars are its only means of propulsion. are continuing to be received from dia reports, he was said to be "ill with With the rower and his supplies on Keep It Blue, which was abandoned blood poisoning and possible gan board, the boat's total weight was just when Le Guen transferred to the grene from wounds on his feet". Eight over one tonne. Le Guen was directly Palliser Bay. of Le Guen's toes had to be ampu affected by the shut down of the Irid Data received from its Argos bea tated, and the remaining two were re ium satellite-based telephone service con indicate that the row-boat is still moved in France several weeks later. in mid-March, and special arrange afloat, and has drifted several hun Le Guen is reported to be healing well ments had to be made to ensure that dred kilometres from where it had and is expected to be able to walk a minimum guaranteed telephone been abandoned. again. service was available for at least part Private Group Studying Ellsworth Meterorites A private, non-profit organisation best location on the planet for mete teacher Sharon Hooper, field person known as the Planetary Studies Foun orite preservation and recovery. Over nel David Butts, Bill Gruber, and dation (PSF), collected 20 "stony" the past 40 years, researchers from James Pritzker, and Amanda Onion meteorites in Ellsworth Land region France, Japan, Russia and the US, and Adam Petlin from a US cable TV during an 18-day expedition last have collected over 16,000 samples outlet. The group was air-lifted by January. The meteorites are currently from a range of Antarctic locations. ANI from Punta Arenas, Chile, and being examined in an US laboratory A large number of research papers then transferred to the Thiel Moun and will go on public display later have been written about the compo tains, using ANI snowmobiles for the this year. sition and origin of these objects from meteorite search. One meteorite was The US-based Planetary Studies outer space, and there has been con collected near the Patriot Hills, but Foundation group is an educational siderable scientific controversy as to the remainder were found near the organisation whose objective is to in whether or not one collected from the Thiel Mountains. volve students in the study of plan Allan Hills in Victoria Land contains Most of PSF's 200 members are etary science and astronomy. It was evidence of primitive life on the from the US, although a small established in 1989 and sponsors field planet Mars. number come from Australia, programs aimed at providing stu The PSF collecting group was led Canada, France, Germany, New Zea dents around the world with direct by Professor Paul Sipiera, a US plan land and the UK. Funding for the PSF access to science via the Internet. etary geologist with previous Antarc programmes comes from corporate, It is also working towards build tic experience. The remainder of the personal and membership sources. To ing a planetarium and research cen 10-person group comprised Richard date, the Foundation has organised tre and has established a meteorite Hoover, an astrobiologist with six expeditions to various parts of the exhibit at a NASA facility in the US. NASA, retired astronauts Owen world, three of which have been to The Antarctic ice sheet offers the Garriott and Jim Lovell, school Antarctica.

Volume 17, No. 4, 2000 79 Antarctic NEWS TITANIC ICEBERGS CALVED B15 Breaks all records The largest and longest iceberg ever recorded broke away from the central edge of the Ross Ice Shelf just west of Roosevelt Island in March. The 295km long, 11,000 square kilo metre iceberg was dubbed B15 be cause it is the 15th iceberg to be tracked in the B quadrant of Antarc tica (90° W to 180°). It calved away from the ice shelf with another large berg, B16, and is estimated to be about 100m at its thin nest part at the ice front, thickening to 350m at the inner margin. Within 10 days of calving, B15 started to exert pressure on the east ern part of the ice shelf where the gi ICEBERGS NOflR-14 23 MAY 00 AT 10:17 UTC AMRC=CSSEC:UW-MADISQN) ant B9 iceberg calved in 1987. On 30 Satellite image of the nezv mega icebergs on 23 May, processed by the Antarctic March, B15 caused the calving from there of another massive iceberg, B17. Meteorological Research Centre, University of Wisconsin, Madison. North is This 110km long berg split into four approximately towards the top-left corner, and the front of Ross Ice Shelf runs approximately zvest-east. The largest bergs are B15A and B15B, with B15A (165 within a day, and one piece was large x 39km) to the zuest starting a clockzuise rotation while drifting WNW. BIS, enough to get its own name, becom which calved at the same time as B15, is about 200km out of the image to the ing B18. WNW. B17 and, to a greater extent, B18 are rotating counter-clockwise and Using satellite imagery, Douglas drifting WNW. B19 is the long, narrow (43 x 7km) berg at the southeast end of MacAyeal of the University of Chi B15B. These tzvo bergs drifted zuest about 50km along the ice front cago produced a model to show how in the 40 days since escaping from the calving notch in the ice shelf. B15 had been jostled by tides. These tides drove the giant berg back into Photo: Antarctic Meteorological Research Center, University of Wisconsin- the Ross Ice Shelf where B15 caused Madison the calving of B17 and its fragment B18. The B15-B16 calving event in from a plane or ship, often long after when it first calved as it was a dis volved 11,500 square kilometres of ice the original berg had begun disinte tance of 500-2,000km and possibly shelf, while the total B15-18 calving grating. some years' drift from probable calv event represented about 13,500 B15 is unlikely to have been the ing sources. Modern massive icebergs square kilometres, possibly the larg largest iceberg ever. Most recent mas have survived longer than two years est calving on record. The June-Sep sive bergs have broken up within two drift only when they have been com tember 1986 calving of an estimated years as they have been relatively posed of thick ice from single ice 13,000 square kilometres from the long and narrow and not thick or co streams. Filchner Ice Shelf north of the long- herent enough to withstand forces Several institutions are monitoring known Grand Chasm rift appears to exerted by swells, tides and ground the floating behemoths B15A and be the largest previously documented ing. B15 broke in two after about B15B, including the University of calving. The January 1996 breakout seven weeks, but, interestingly, not at Wisconsin Antarctic Meteorology from the Larsen Ice Shelf produced its thinnest or narrowest points. Research Center (AMRC), which the previously largest known iceberg Another massive berg, A43, which tracks icebergs from pictures taken by A20 which was 9,000 square kilome at 250km was the second-longest on polar orbiting satellites operated by tres (see Antarctic vol. 13 no 9, p. 361). record when it calved from Ronne Ice the US National Oceanic and Atmos The calving and small movement Shelf in May this year, broke in two pheric Administration and the of huge icebergs such as B15 would after only two days. What is now the Defense Meteorological Satellite Pro be very difficult to see without the use third-longest berg on record was gram. Matthew Lazzara of AMRC of modern satellite imagery. Before about 180km long when observed by reports receiving 10-12 pictures a day. modern technology, large icebergs a whale-catcher in 1927 in the Scotia Understanding global ice budgets were only discovered when observed Sea. It was probably much larger is an important contribution to the

80 Volume 17, No. 4, 2000 NEWS Antarctic Continued from page 80 issue of global change. Icebergs rep resent the main way the Antarctic ice sheet loses mass. Recently attention SAVING ANTARCTICA'S has been focussed on ice shelf disin tegration in the Antarctic Peninsula 'WHITE -GOLD' caused by rapid regional warming. Antarctica may lose its "white gold" — the Patagonian toothfish — but However only one (A32) of the 26 the pirates looting it are not without their critics as a recent TVE Earth Re largest bergs recorded can be attrib port film, "White Gold", demonstrated at its BBC World global premiere. uted to this process. The "pirates", who are ravaging the rapidly diminishing stocks of the No scientist has yet hypothesised world's most lucrative fish, call this fish "white gold" because, respectively, that the carvings of more thanl5 other of its pale succulent flesh (marketed only in the most expensive fish mar massive bergs recorded since 1980 are kets) and because one five-week fishing trip can net the pirates several mil anything other than natural calving lion dollars. events. B15 and B17 formed along The fish is better known as the Patagonian toothfish, but when it is sold rifts that had been known since 1987- in the rich fish markets of Japan and the United States, it is marketed as 1997 and formed by normal ice shelf bass: Californian sea bass, Antarctic sea bass, Chilean sea bass, Australian flow. The western front of Ross Ice sea bass. The decline in tuna has made the toothfish a valuable commodity. Shelf is still at its most advanced po TVE, an independent non-profit organisation, produced the film after an sition in recorded history. investigation of Antarctic fish exploitation and its associated threat to the Tracking large icebergs is impor southern albatross. TVE has been working with WWF, Greenpeace, and tant as it can provide an early warn ISOFISH (a Tasmanian-based NGO dedicated to saving the toothfish) on an ing for those that look about to drift undercover investigation into the groups who are not only destroying this into shipping lanes, or which threaten fish, but who are also endangering several species of albatross, especially the access to base installations. The the wandering albatross. The seabirds become caught on the fishing lines movement of icebergs is also a guide as they dive for bait trailed from the fishing boats. The bird's breeding to the tides and currents around Ant grounds lie on islands adjacent to the continental shelves in the Southern arctica, which are still not fully un Ocean where the Patagonian toothfish live. derstood. In terms of global climate Pooling resources and expertise, the filmers of "White Gold" produced change, currents are important driv some damning footage ers for moving heat around. We have in their three-month op good evidence that warm currents "UNEP believes in giving the public the eration. Working with entering Antarctic waters cause melt facts as it strives to alert the world to the Greenpeace, they ing from the base of some Antarctic grave threats to our shared planet. As we tracked a pirate vessel ice shelves and fiord glaciers, and that see in these remarkable films, the greed of a across 3000 nautical such melting is the second main way few remains a major threat to Earth's rich miles of open ocean, the ice sheet looses mass. and irreplaceable bio-diversity," documenting the result B15A has now escaped from its - UNEV Executive Director Klaus Toevfer. ing violence perpetrated calving notch and looks set to drift by the pirates on the high NNW, but at this stage its direction is seas. Numerous pirate uncertain. It is rotating counter-clock ships were identified through the computing power of ISOFISH, as well as wise under the influence of possibly their captains and unscrupulous owners based in Norway and . They two known currents and seems un endeavoured to show, using hidden cameras, how the holiday island of likely to cause problems in McMurdo Mauritius has become the world's capital for landing illegally caught Sound. However some of the smaller toothfish. They also documented how a squadron of the French Navy, based but still large bergs that calved with on Reunion in the Indian Ocean, does nothing but track down pirate ves it may begin to enter shipping lanes sels and, when successful, sinks them. there from about August. B15A, B and The film has been made possible by finance and support from WWF and B17 are all likely to break again within UNEP. the next several months. WWF International Director General Claude Martin added: "This video Satellite tracking has its limitations is a testimony to the urgency to which we must all approach saving species. because positioning precision is only It is particularly heartening to see the French Navy and Greenpeace work to the nearest kilometre or so. Con ing on the same side to give the beleaguered species a chance. The main sideration is being given to putting task must be to close down the markets, harass the Spanish pirate owners technology, such as an automatic and send a message to the world to those who would flout international weather station and a GPS, directly law that 'you can't get away with it/." onto B15A or B. Parachuting a pack The film comes at a time when discussions of establishing a moratorium on toothfish extraction are under way, a move which has its critics. age or landing a plane on a surface of about 6400 square kilometres should "If s ironic that an environmental group is pushing for the moratorium be no problem! knowing full well it would be a green light for uncontrolled illegal fishing - Margaret Bradshaw and Harry Keys on a grand scale," claims Alastair Macf arlane, Trade Policy Manager of the New Zealand Seafood Industry Council. Continued on page 83

Volume 17, No. 4, 2000 81 Antarctic ENVIRONMENT WHO ARE THE BEST STEWARDS? What's the difference between a tion, while scientists are regarded as where environmental protection and scientist and a tourist in Antarctica? participants in the environment. It management is stressed as a result of This is not the start of a bad joke, quotes Brian Foster at a policy work this activity. but a serious question asked by a shop noting "whether scientists (in "It could be argued," the paper group of students participating in the formation sightseers) have any more states, "that the 'true' environmental University of Canterbury's Certificate right to intrude than tourists (scen stewards are all those involved in the of Antarctic Studies. Their paper, sub ery sightseers)". protection of Antarctica, and that the titled "A fugue in five voices", dealt Scientists, it suggests, through most good will be achieved by co-op with the roles and responsibilities of their participation in an international eration and the pursuit of common the scientific and tourist community collective body of knowledge, oper goals rather than through differentia on the ice, and whether there was any ate as Antarctic ambassadors. Treaty tion." significant difference between the provisions enshrine the special nature The paper discusses how the limi two. The team (Paul Carran, Lester of science in Antarctica and place it tations and restrictions embodied in Chaplow, Sarah Hodder, Clair Staf squarely at the heart of the region's the have pre ford and Kathryn Yusoff) started their interests and activities. However, the served the cooperative spirit interna fugue by asking "do the various bod paper warns, increasing commerciali tionally. Increasing commercial activ ies representing the Antarctic com sation of such knowledge, may de ity is seen as directly conflicting with munity perceive differences between tract from the spirit of international such values, and implicitly opening science and tourism activities, and cooperation that is a hallmark of the up potential destructive arguments does discrimination occur as a re ice. over ownership and exploitation. sult?" The report goes on to note that sci "Institutionalised differentiation Their paper takes a look at these entists should not be too blase regard may be necessary and justifiable in perceived differences, such as the leg ing their role, as there are many ex order to protect the values we have islation and control issues surround amples of undesirable environmen placed on Antarctica," it concludes. ing access to the historic huts. Images tal practices associated with scientific "For this reason alone, the institution differ too, with tourists being seen as activity. Equally, there are examples alised differentiation between science consumers or objects of considera of responsible tourism, particularly and tourism (commerce) can be jus tified."

UNITED STATES The annual winter air pro gramme to the Antarctic began on August 21 2000, when a US WINFLY 2000 C141 aircraft departed from Christchurch at 6.20am. The plane arrived on schedule at 12 HEADS SOUTH noon taking 74 passengers, plus cargo and fresh food for the winterover staff at Scott Base and McMurdo Station Three more flights were scheduled to make the round journey to the Antarctic in the same week. The flights coincided with the official start of daylight at Scott Base. On August 19 the sun's disk appeared on the ho rizon for the first time since 23 April this year. It skimmed the horizon for 1-3/4 hours from 12.04pm to 1.49pm. From then until 22 October, there will be an additional 23 minutes of ex tra (official) daylight each day.

Volume 17, No. 4, 2000 TOURISM Antarctic ICE RIDE FOR THE CITY-SIDE TOURIST

I By Vicki Hyde, Editor 'Antarctic'

"My Mum went to Antarctica. Her truck fell in a big crack in the ice. Eve ryone crawled out. Another truck pulled the wet truck out. Then they went back to Scott Base for tea. My son David was five in 1997 when he took this "news" item to school, along with a photo of the Hagglund pitched up on the ice, the back unit half-sunk and floating in the Ross Sea. It had been an exciting moment — abandoning the vehicle, crawling across the broken ice to firmer ground and then helping get the remainder of the party out through the window Above: There are some times when even the Hagglund's excellent capabilities are along a crevasse plank. The first time in 12 years of operation that such a put to the test! Photo: Vicki Hyde thing happened and they had a jour course The circuit around the Centre nalist on board complete with cam takes in some steep hillocks demon era.... strating the vehicle's climbing capa So it's no surprise Davey was a lit bility; a small velodrome-style circle tle apprehensive three years later for speeding around at a steep angle; when I announced I was going to try ™T «•« - < « * : finishing off with a three-metre-deep out the Hagglund adventure ride at fr. — 83 the International Antarctic Centre in _£^j pool to show off the vehicle's aquatic . I'iiliii] abilities. It may not have had the fris Christchurch. In the six months since ''Ml son of my initial Hagglund experi |rT^iH BPf,r opening, the ride has taken almost ence, but it was certainly enough to 17,000 passengers on a tour of the op 1 entertain and impress the visitors. erational side of the centre and over —> It hasn't all been joy-riding. Dur an impressive course which demon - % h ing September and October the strates the power and mobility of I Hagglund spent four weeks in these Swedish military vehicles. • '^ssl Queenstown taking movie stars up The Visitors Centre had the the Remarkables as part of the film- Hagglund specially built for the at The International Atitarctic Visitor ing of, appropriately enough, "The traction. It's a bit more comfortable Centre's Hagglund ride provides an Vertical Limit". than the field workhorses — padded impressive demonstration of the Vicki Hyde first rode a Hagglund in seating, larger windows and extra vehicle's capabilities. 1997, when on Antarctica New Zealand's noise shielding — and there are safety Media Programme. belts and hand straps in deference to the mixed-aged groups of locals and tourists taking the ride. But for all that, it offers a special look at one as Saving Antarctica's "White Gold pect of Antarctic operations not avail Continued from page 81 able anywhere else. toothfish and skate. He estimated Jam-packed bookings indicate the "New Zealand is at the forefront that without fishing vessels in the popularity of the approach. In sum of international efforts to stop area undertaking this work as part mer, the tours take in the Hercules poaching, and the industry whole of their ordinary operations, the and other Antarctic planes waiting to heartedly supports the current New Zealand government would service the South; in winter, visitors measures. Illegal fishing operators need to spend $6 million annually get to wander through the deserted aren't going to pay any attention to to get the same research done. departure area. The US clothing a moratorium — it would simply "A move towards a moratorium warehouse impresses with rack after give them a free rein." on exploratory toothfish fishing rack of gear, and anecdotes from the Macfarlane noted that the New would have dire environmental Hagglund drivers concerning nose- Zealand seafood industry has con consequences and would effec wipers are sure to draw a laugh. tributed significantly to research in tively halt all scientific research in Then it's on to the adventure the Ross Sea, including looking at the area."

Volume 17, No. 4, 2000 Antarctic OVER MY SHOULDER [DA LAKE -1 The greatest tangle of mountains I and Vanda experi had ever seen. ence, and had This abridged extract from 'Tales out of School' by Peter proved himself a Ingram (1998) provides an insight into Antarctic life in They were completely snow cov the summer of 1975-76. ered and paired so they could dictate popular and co . . the flow of the glaciers, gently lower operative fellow, ing them to an eventual eastern exit so I saw his pro and the Ross Sea. It was a world of motion as well de ^^ pure white without even the blemish served. Peter of rock face or moraine and com Braggins was an prised the northern section of the electrician from Trans Antarctic Mountains. Robert Masterton, who Falcon Scott had also looked across would be our at the same virgin estate and called technician and it Victoria Land after a queen he could w a s a k n o w n no longer serve - Britons were now t r a m p e r a n d Edwardians, seventh time around. mountain man. I was looking at the scene through Sid Woods, a the solitary window of a giant USAF f a r m e r f r o m Starlifter's galley, as the continent Geraldine whose continued to slide beneath us and family had an earlier association with Vanda Base staff 1975-76. now we could make out bright blue Antarctica, was our field assistant or From left: Peter Braggins (technician), sea to the east and ahead, the start of "muscle man" and mechanic by turn. Harold Lozoe (leader), Peter Ingram the ice shelf and mighty Erebus with He was a quiet and studious fellow (meteorological technician), Sid its 12,000-foot cone and smoky who could easily run with the rest Woods (field assistant and mechanic) breath. when it came to a party night (and Photo: Neville Peat. We landed on the sea ice of the air- we would be seeing plenty of those). unusual surface coming more from a vations and he proved readily adapt- n*ii9K!ijirajB!m;^Eij^niEIis@SnMM@i buildings and into the melter. Harold get away briefly with field groups. Several special 4x4 buses now ar ,,.... _.,.« ama spread of ice sud At "night" after dinner, we usually rived from the nearby base of denly appeared and the biting cold went for a stroll on the sea ice, roped washed its way into the fuselage. It McMurdo and we gladly clambered was 1500 hrs on a fine afternoon with aboard into their heated interiors. We up and with ice axes and crampons a 10 knot "sea breeze" blowing. The were told we could "go shopping" in as the pressure ridges near the shore sun was already considering setting McMurdo for an hour, then further line could be dangerous. It was an excellent climatisation exercise which and the air temperature was -28 de transport would take us to Scott Base, was invariably followed by a noisy grees Celsius. some two miles further on. In my

Only a circle of face was exposed, but me to study the this was enough to convey the mes- ment and I was still away with tents, ' , . , , caop nr,,,?, urn at t. Anrarrrira J L, Li-urae mncrlv ni,_T-i hiickiPQ n,, knhprr j ii halrnn not have Srnrr anrl too al| much room. Outside, the emitted crackling noises to let me ping! know things were icing up in there There was plenty to do in the fort ground at times, otherwise maintain and that perhaps the mouth might ing a changing series of sunset glows. night preceding our departure for the We would sip our beer and think and like to help out for a while. But the field. I had to change over the solar teeth disagreed with the passage of radiation measuring installation and until our eyelids were ready to shut this incoming blizzard, so a compro carry out the lengthy calibration runs. down. mise had to be made or one would The Met stock had to be checked and The Scott Base leader, Hamish probably die in a very short period old equipment packed for return. T-» 1 1 .. * 1 _.!<•_•. .J of time. Then the laboratory technicians had with characteristic energetic rubbing T ■ -.1.1 .1 . . . ___!__ ... to he trained in makinp- weather re of the hands and broad grin, an of our small team as they straggled servations and carrying out nounced that the Vanda party was to out blinking into the bright afternoon climatological readings and record go into the field tomorrow and light. Our leader was Harold Lowe, ing. I mixed this with volunteering to should report for a helicopter brief ing with the USN at 1500 hrs this af ternoon. There was a massive round

Volume 17, No. 4, 2000 Antarctic OVER MY SHOULDER of cheering, as it meant everyone land to the entrance of our valley comfortable shrine before even com would be in the field within a week. some 100km away. Scott had called ing to us to report their arrival. Just We were the Vanda boys, four of in an inlet and never ventured into don't be in there when a helicopter us off to a frozen lake of that name in it. The USAF had taken aerial photo arrived or it was all airborne toilet the central valley systems of the Trans graphs of the region during 1947's paper and dust, coupled with the Antarctic Ranges. But the peculiar "Operation High Jump", but it wasn't thumping rotor wash as the pilot at thing about our particular valley was until the IGY that the first pedestrian tempted to evict the trouserless vic that it was usually devoid of snow penetration was to be made and by tim. and known scientifically as "dry". Wellingtonian Ron Balham. The val Harold warned us not to be dis This does not sound very exciting, but ley was subsequently called the mayed when we opened the door to to geologists and botanists, it meant Wright Valley after the Canadian our lodgings, so we decided to look all was exposed, as there was no snow physicist on Scott's 1911-13 expedi non-committal at the six-inch carpet or ice cap to hide history. tion. It led due west and inland for of fine snow across the floor. Evi The glaciologists and hydrologists some 50 kms, until it came to an dently, the valley tended to get a bit similarly celebrated as they could abrupt halt at the Upper Wright Gla "wet" at times during the winter. So study glacial form and movement cier and the Polar Plateau beyond. while Peter and I got stuck in with clearly and had the bonus of a real So we came into this mysterious snow shovel and broom, Sid took a live river, the Onyx, which flowed world, chonking noisily along at fresh 6-volt battery out to the family brightly through the countryside about 2,000 feet and providing the tractor to wake it up. This machine from late December to early Febru was a Ferguson from Ed ary and then abruptly shut down Hillary's TAE stable, and al again. And it was perhaps up to the though it hadn't gone on the meteorologist to find out and put a Polar run, it had done a simi plausible tale forward as to why the lar mileage and at least wasn't valley was "dry". 1J \ languishing in some museum The explanation for the snow free like others we had seen. Sid conditions of the Wright Valley (and pulled the rag out of the car her adjacent sisters, the Taylor and burettor, hooked up the bat Victoria) turned out to be quite sim tery and cranked her into im ple in the end. The Antarctic conti mediate life. Peter and I nent, away from its coastal regions, emerged into the sunlight with is a massive desert with a microscopic Lake Vanda and the Wright Valley taken from our task completed and annual precipitation record. To be the top of the Dias. Vanda Station zuas situated Harold asked us to take the such, it needs to be under the influ at the far end of the lake. Photo: Tony Bromley. tractor and trailer down to the ence of a resident high atmospheric lake to get some "water". The pressure zone (anticyclone) where the tractor was a willing beast, but air mass is perpetually sinking and first man-made noises of the summer. a periodic rock would strike a front warming adiabatically towards the Glaciers erupted out of ridgetop cols tyre and a terrible oscillation would surface. and spat a tongue of white ice down run right through the whole steering In its last few hundred feet of de the mountain slopes in an attempt to system. Perhaps the kingpins, then, scent, it mixes with surface air tem reach the valley floor, but all failed - had been on the rigorous South Pole peratures typically of -40 degrees C, they needed an ice age to go the ex trip. becomes extremely dense and heavy, tra distance. How beautifully they We drove out onto the lake ice and and starts to slide downhill away contrasted against the colours of the Peter dismounted and took a mighty from the central polar region. It is in barren slopes and the deep blue of the swing with a pick at the grinning sur effect, a gravity wind, or what we call sky overhead. To our south, the face. I thought the lake would be split "katabatic". The three valley systems Asgaard Mountains silently observed in half, but no, only a half inch inden are nicely orientated to accept this our intrusion, and to the north, their tation appeared and Peter was left gravity wind and let it pass daily identical cousins, the peaks and nursing his badly jarred hands. Like without hindrance. This dry wind, ridges of the Olympus Range, reacted Jerome K. Jerome's "Three Men in a suddenly warming some 5 degrees in similarly. Surely we were in the lands Boat" and their can of pineapple, we its downward plunge to the valley of goblins and gods. tried everything out on that lake sur floor, is only too happy to accept any Ahead now lay Lake Vanda, a face - even getting a bucketful to take meagre surface offerings of moisture, broad sheet of white ice and at its back would be something. But to no that is, any available ice or snow is eastern end, a small collection of huts avail and we reported back to the boss ablated into the atmosphere and which we would call home for the for further instructions. Ah! You took borne away. next three months. The helicopter pad a crowbar, of course, and tackled the Summer solar radiation also assists was adjacent to the camp's solitary pressure ridges. Within 10 minutes in maintaining the arid appearance of toilet, a doorless villa that took in a we had a full trailer load of ice and these so-called dry valleys. millionaire's view of the mountains threw it into the now heating melter. The following morning, we were and, as an added bonus, pointed to airborne by 0900 hrs and flying out the morning sun. Constipated field Part 2 of the 'Vanda Lake Boys' on a northwest heading from Ross Is parties were known to flock to this zvill appear in the next issue.

Volume 17, No. 4, 2000 85 Antarctic HISTORY THE RIDDLE OF THE ANTARCTIC PENINSULA The Story of the French Antarctic Expedition 1903-5: Part II by David E. Yelverton FRGS Charcot, forced to winter no farther erwise was treat the cardiac symp orderly ranks of stores, now invaded south than Booth Island, had con toms, augment the patient's diet with by a jumble of vital things from the soled himself that Frangais Cove lay copious quantities of fish and tinned ship. For eight hours the others lay as far south as , and milk, and keep him in his bunk. in their tents outside, the threat of was exactly suited to supplement the The fear of losing Matha added a being marooned and losing their ship observations by the Swedes at Snow third dimension to the threats already hanging over them until the storm Hill, and Mossman's at Laurie Island. building against his spring sledging began to die down. With the Frangais disencumbered plans. Still centred on resolving the By 5am it had passed, and Char once the huts, instruments, stores and enigma of the strait beyond Cape cot and his weary team returned to dogs were safely installed ashore, and Tuxen, Charcot's every sight of the their bunks for a few hours' sleep. an awning erected over the fo'castle, coast had underlined the impossibil The ordeal was repeated on 4 August, the twenty men of the French expe ity of a land route for exploration. and for the second time the ice dition soon had their larder aug Since the previous month the sea ice massed at the entrance to the cove, mented with copious rations of seal, had also begun to look like a totally the swell threatening to hurl the ship penguin and fish. Only two men unreliable route for a sledge journey. on to the land. Again he ordered eve found it impossible to stomach seal Even in mid-June the southern bay of ryone ashore as the wind suddenly meat, readily eating penguin instead. the island, on their direct route to reversed, and the perilous prospect Adelies and seals remained on the Krogmann and Petermann Islands of shipwreck loomed. For several island, so that, by mid-winter, they (De Gerlache's Hovgaard and Lund hours Charcot felt their luck had run had amassed enough to last them Is) was swept almost clear of ice. If it out, and that they would be con through to the spring.In spite of the could break up then, what chance had demned to more than a year in tents varied menus, on which Argentine they of sledging across it in the spring awaiting rescue. But again the storm beef and veal figured six times had subsided, and they all got back weekly, fish three times, seal three Nevertheless he had to try and es aboard. times, and penguin once a week, tablish a depot on one of the two is For Charcot the relief that they had Matha came to Charcot on 18 July lands. A dangerous but successful ski survived was tempered by the cer 1904 to report that he felt too ill to trip with Pleneau, Gourdon and the tainty that his sledging plans were in carry on with the multiple duties he dogs down the Lemaire Channel to ruins. They would have to make the had been carrying out. the far island, a week after Matha had spring journey by boat, and who was Among other duties, he had been reported sick, convinced him that the to say they would survive among ice carrying out hydrography, surveying, southern end of Krogmann Island of driven by such storms. But at least meteorological and pendulum grav fered the better site. Three days later, the cove had saved them, and if the ity measurements. His rather drawn with Matha showing signs of steady ship could survive those two storms, face, following fits of fainting four improvement, he succeeded in plac he could not imagine worse. They days before, had hardly perturbed ing the first supplies there, the three would start when the weather im Charcot, for they all looked pallid and men accompanied this time by Rallier proved. tired by that time. du Baty, and Paumelle in charge of Following two vain attempts to set But here was his second-in-com the two sledges pulled by the dogs. up a depot on Krogmann Island, dur mand with swollen limbs, suffering The journey was a painfully slow ing which fog stranded them on an from palpitations and obviously in progression, with Charcot in front islet barely 20 yards square, Charcot the last stages of exhaustion on pre probing every step of the way, and had only managed to reach the island cisely the day Hanson, on might well have been disastrous, for, on 3 September 1904. Borchgrevink's expedition, had de after their return that same evening, Intent upon reaching his first goal veloped identical symptoms, before a storm burst upon the cove. It threat beyond Cape Tuxen in the whaler, he his eventual death in October just five ened to end the expedition and smash had at last succeeded in augmenting years before. their small ship to pieces, trapped the small emergency depot sledged Remembering with relief that between the shore and the advancing to Krogmann Island the day of the Lecointe's similar symptoms, in July masses they could faintly see at the first storm. This time his party woke 1898, had been cured in two weeks gates of their haven, as the wind to find themselves marooned there by by Cook's treatment, Charcot had hurled and the swell broke, grinding the state of the ice. Three days later, Matha spend many hours each day the ice in the cove against the hull. at considerable risk among the grind naked in front of the red-hot stove. In the gloom of the polar night, ing floes, the party regained their base His obvious signs of scurvy were amid the threatening din of the storm, just in time to escape the next in a suc hard to credit, for none could say their they hastily evacuated the ship, get cession of north-easterly storms that diet had lacked fresh meat of one kind ting Matha ashore in his sleeping bag, held the ice in their bay Attempts to or another. All Charcot could do oth- to lie in the portable hut among the establish a second depot on

86 Volume 17, No. 4, 2000 Antarctic ENVIRONMENT

Petermann Island were repeatedly baulked during the greater part of the McMURDO'S FOOTPRINT following three months. If that frustrating period saw the Ross Sea Workshop Spotlights a Messy Situation worry about Matha lifted when the second-in-command improved suffi ciently to resume his surveying at the end of September, Charcot's patience had been tested to the limit when, once more stuck on Krogmann Island for three days, no sign of a break in the ice showed to the south. Climb ing the island's highest peak he thought he saw a ribbon of water run ning south along the mainland shore. They would just have to use that. Back at the ship final preparations for the crucial journey began on 21 November, and when the ice looked feasible in the southern bay on the McMurdo Station: More flak over pollution 24th, Charcot gave the word to go. With his four companions — McMurdo Sound is probably the Presentations covered a range of Pleneau the geologist, chief engineer most polluted harbour in the world. areas, including the state of the soils Gourdon, midshipman Raymond That was one comment which and ice-free areas as well as the Rallier du Baty (a qualified mercan stuck in the mind of Tamsin Falconer coastal ecosystems, and pressures tile officer and son of an admiral), and and other attendees at the recent due to global threats, tourism and the seaman Besnard — and the boat workshop on the Ross Sea State of the other private sector activities. Tour loaded with 20 days' supplies, a col Environment Report, organised by ism was separated out on its own from other activities, and some lapsible sledge and the instruments, Antarctica New Zealand and the attendees felt that it might be useful they set off at 2 o'clock in the after Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. noon. They dragged the boat, weigh The 300-page report, published in to also separate logistical impact from 1999, marks an important benchmark science impacts, difficult though this ing perhaps 850kgs in all, over the ice for three hours before reaching open for the environment of the Ross Sea might be. water. It was almost dark when they region and will be of vital importance The comment regarding McMurdo in assessing the future impact of hu Sound was accompanied by the sug dragged the boat ashore on an islet off the southern tip of Krogmann Is man activities in the area. Organised gestion that the best management land. A second exhausting day by Emma Waterhouse, Antarctica option would be to leave it as it is, New Zealand Environmental Man- rather than make any concerted at- brought them to , and on 26 November they fought

of the Ross Sea region, and the prin it solves. no such thing. One speaker, who took the trouble The return to the island was fol ciple pressures currently affecting them. During the report's prepara- to estimate the size and impact of an lowed by days of interminable labour — 14 hours on the 27th, 18 the next day and scarcely less to bring the boat walked, on average, about 10 km a to shore at the foot of Cape Tuxen on Following a preliminary workshop day. 29 November 1904. Here, leaving in March, the May meeting provided Others commented on the marked Pleneau in camp suffering badly from an opportunity for the various au absence of any sort of framework re snowblindness, the other four scaled thors to discuss the report's contents garding the state of the environment the jagged 3000ft summit of the cape, with other interested Antarcticans. of the historic buildings in the Ross there to find that they could not see Attendees included people from Sea region. There will be abundant into the bay they hoped would prove MFAT, Antarctica New Zealand, opportunities for people to continue to be a strait. Some four miles to the to be involved when report cards are south out among the pack, however, Gateway Antarctica, most of the uni versities and Crown Research Insti prepared on specific issues, such as lay an island from which they could tutes, Antarctic Heritage Trust, stra the historic huts and protected areas. settle the question once and for all. tegic and funding organisations such One attendee reported that the work Leaving a cairn at the foot of the as the Marsden Fund and the Foun shop provided an interesting insight cape, they began the long haul over dation for Research, Science and into the processes used by Antarctica the uneven ice, often dragging their Technology, and those with a keen New Zealand in gauging the support unwieldy load while up to their Antarctic interest. of the Antarctic community. Continued on page 91

Volume 17, No. 4, 2000 Antarctic BOOKS THE ENDURANCE Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition. By Caroline Alexander. Published 1998 Alfred A Knopf, New York 211pp. Price NZ$70 Reviewed by Richard Reaney The release of Caroline Al captain, , a exander's book "Endurance" New Zealander. Amazingly marks the latest in an impres they succeeded, landing on sive list of published ac the West Coast of South c o u n t s o f S i r E r n e s t Georgia 16 days later in what Shackleton's 1914-16 expedi can only be described as one tion. Its publication in 1999 of the most incredible sur was timed to coincide with vival epics of all time. But as the American Museum of if this wasn't enough, no help Natural History's Exhibition, was available on the island's Endurance: Shackleton's Leg west side and Shackleton endary Expedition, for which had to trek over the moun Caroline Alexander was the tains and glaciers to reach the Curator. whaling station and civilisa The "Endurance" expedi tion. From here he set out to tion is legendary and needs rescue the 22 men left on El no introduction to polar en ephant Island, which was thusiasts. In 1914, Shackleton achieved without the loss of left the shores of Great Brit a single life. If the story were ain, a country about to enter Shackleton \s Legendary written as a fiction novel, it the Great War, to undertake In ta re tic Expedition would have been too incred what he described as the last ible to be plausible. great polar journey — a cross A feature of this publica ing of the Antarctic continent tion is the 140 photographs, from the Weddell Sea to the many previously unpub Ross Sea via the South Pole. lished, taken by Frank Hur Shackleton first told the remarkable ley, the expedition's photographer. story of what happened to the expe ing, among other things, the three The photographs are all black and dition in his classic account "South", lifeboats. For another six months the white, abstractly beautiful and published in 1919. Yet in Caroline's men drifted northward on floes until graphic, creating a wonderful visual telling, the terrifying details of the the ice broke up. The breakout per record of the expedition. Hurley's at journey come vividly to life. mitted them to sail for land, the near tention to detail is quite outstanding In December 1914, Shackleton est being Elephant Island, a remote and he went to extraordinary meas sailed in his ship, the Endurance, for and hostile dot of land some 600 miles ures to secure a shot. It is known that the Weddell Sea. The Endurance, built south of Cape Horn. Hurley took some of the Antarctic's in a Norwegian shipyard, was a 300- After a nightmare seven-day jour very first colour photographs but ton barquentine specially ice ney in the open boats with several none of the 20 known surviving Paget strengthened for polar work. Al men close to collapse, they reached colour transparencies have been in though Shackleton delayed his depar the Island. Shackleton realised that no cluded in this publication. ture from South Georgia — a sub-ant one would ever find them there so he Of significance is the correct por arctic isle — in the hope of better ice made the incredible decision to take trayal of the famous "rescue" photo conditions, he was soon surrounded the largest of the three lifeboats, the graph. Hurley was known to doctor by heavy pack ice deep in the Weddell 22.5-foot James Caird, and sail to South some of his photographs to suit a spe Sea. Georgia for help. It was a desperate cific purpose. In many previous pub By January 1915, the ship became measure — the journey meant trav lications this photograph has been icebound less than 100 miles, or a elling 800 miles across the most for captioned as the men being rescued day's sail, from their destination, midable ocean on the planet in win from Elephant Island. In reality it is a Vahsel Bay. The ice never let go, car ter. "goodbye" photograph taken as the rying Endurance north, crushing and Shackleton chose five men to go James Caird departed on the incred eventually sinking it in November with him: , Tim McCarthy, ible open boat journey. Hurley de 1915. Shackleton abandoned ship tak- JohnVincent, Harry McNeish and his leted the James Caird from the picture,

Volume 17, No. 4, 2000 Antarctic BOOKS leaving visible only the Stancomb Wills, purportedly the rescuing boat. Caroline has managed to retell Shackleton's adventure vividly. She has availed herself of most prior sources and brings together diary entries and memoirs so as to evoke both the beauty and harshness of the Antarctic: "The eerie landscape of ice blocks piling up like sugar cubes, the sound A hand-bound album of memories of penguins crying as if grieving the from more than 100 relatives of peo loss of the ship." ple who died on board flight TE901 The account also covers the story at Mt Erebus in November 1979, and of the men's life aboard ship during people who were closely involved in the winter of 1915, their privations the recovery operation that followed, and the ordeal of losing their ship. was flown to Scott Base in August. She looks at the backgrounds of most The book will be kept in perpetu of the men and the particular skills ity at Scott Base with a 50 year access moratorium on it. they bought to the expedition, such as Worsley and his magical naviga Chief Executive of the New Zea tion of the James Caird. Reference to land Antarctic Institute, Gillian Wratt Shackleton's leadership skills focus says the idea for the book came from some initial messages from family on his uncanny ability to care for his members of passengers who had died men and to know the right moment in the crash at the time of the 20th to lift their spirits. (It is disappoint commemoration of the disaster last ing to see naming errors evident in November. previous publications being perpetu "We invited people to send us mes ated in this account.) sages which could be kept at Scott In the final chapter, there is some Base. Because the response was so valuable research into the post-expe overwhelming, we decided to make dition lives of the men and Caroline's two copies - one to be kept in Ant acknowledgements give an indica We can look into the diaries of the arctica and the other to be kept at tion of the diversity of source mate men and recall their feelings. Thomas National Archives in Christchurch." rial. A disappointment is the lack of Orde-Lees, a Royal Marine, wrote in The archived copy would be avail an index, although a short bibliogra his diary after one failed attempt by able to close family members and phy is provided and some valuable the crew to march over the ice pack: those people who had contributed to detailed notes about the photographs. "Were it not for a little natural anxi the book, at the National Archive of As is typical with many publica ety as to our ultimate progress I have fices in Auckland for two months be tions covering the "Endurance" Ex never been happier in my life than I ginning 1 September, in Wellington pedition there is no reference to the am now, for is not this kind of exist from 20 November to 26 January . This support party ence the 'real thing' I have for years 2001, in Dunedin from 5 February to was required to lay depots across the set my heart on " September, in Wellington from 20 Ross Ice Shelf to the foot of Such effusions of romantic agony November to 26 January 2001, in Dunedin from 5 February to 9 March in anticipation of coupled with Hurley's wonderful Shackleton's crossing, and thereby visual record make this book excel and then in Christchurch. It was the first time National Archives had sup provide him with valuable supplies lent reading and a valuable addition in the latter stages of his journey. to any Antarctic library. ported regional availability of an ar chive and this way it would provide All in all, it is the story that Being without radio and unaware of easier access to those who wanted to Shackleton's predicament, they pro founded the Shackleton legend: see it. ceeded to lay the depots under the "For scientific endeavour give me "Because there is a 50 year access most appalling conditions imagina Scott, moratorium on the book, anyone who ble. The privations and ordeal of this For speed and efficiency of travel give has not made a contribution or is not party make their story an epic of sur me Amundsen, a close relative will not be able to read vival on its own. But when your ship is sunk and all is it," Wratt says. "This is to protect the Yet if history distances lost get dozvn on your knees and pray for special nature of the messages and Shackleton's exploits, Hurley's pho Shackleton." their meaning for the people who tographs return them to immediacy. wrote them and those to whom the messages are addressed." Antarctic NEWS SECOND 2000 CROSSING OF SOUTH GEORGIA

Sir Ernest Shackleton's historic erate under guidelines set by the ship at King Haakon Bay in the 1916 crossing of South Georgia was Government of South Georgia and southwest of the island and started retraced for the second time in less the South Sandwich Islands their traverse. For the first day of than two months when three noted (GSGSSI), each flight carrying a their four-day trek, they were accom mountaineers, , GSGSSI Observer to ensure compli panied by cameraman Mike Graber Stephan Venables and Conrad Anker, ance with the conditions set and to and two mountain guides, who then completed the journey over a three- advise on wildlife concentrations. On returned to the ship to travel round day period in mid-April. the south side of the island, filming to the north coast. Their film was the culmination of involved a replica of the James Caird The three climbers found the route an operaton to produce two film ver which had been carried south on the up over Trident Ridge and across the sions of the story of Shackleton's "En Shuleykin. Crean and Fortuna Glaciers signifi durance" voyage. White Mountain The film group then moved to the cantly different from the conditions Films of New York and NOVA, of the Antarctic Peninsula, where bad that had existed in Shackleton's time. US Public Broadcasting System, are weather delayed operations, al According to Messner, the glaciers producing a science documentary for though Shackleton's Iceberg Camp were far more broken up than 84 PBS and a large format 40-minute was reconstructed on an iceflow and years ago, and long detours fre feature film for exhibition in IMAX(r) filmed, together with scenes of the quently had to be made around the theaters worldwide. Both films, replicas of the James Caird, Stancomb most dangerous areas. Messner was which are scheduled for release in Wills and Dudley Docker. The replica reported to have suffered a broken 2001, are based on the recent book by boats were again used when the team foot during the crossing of the Crean Caroline Alexander, "The Endur moved to Elephant Island, but on Glacier, but this did not stop him ance". November 20th, in particularly bad completing the journey. The trio Support for the filming was pro weather, the boats were all lost while camped on the Crean Glacier over vided by the vessels Akademic under tow. night and on the , be Shuleykin, from Marine Expeditions, The Akademic Shulyekin returned to fore descending to the former whal Canada, and the Laurel, of the Chil Ushuaia, in Argentina in late Novem ing station at Stromness, arriving on ean company Ultragas. The two ships ber for the first of its eight tourist voy- the morning of April 14. arrived in South Georgia at the end ages in the Antarctic Peninsula, After their arrival at Stromness, of October 1999 and began filming Scotia Arc region. The ship returned the three climbers boarded the near Grytviken and Stromness. Lau to South Georgia on April 10th, car Shulyekin and filming continued for rel carried a single Aerospatiale A- rying 25 film and logistics support a few more days, with the ship visit Star 350 B3 ("Squirrel") helicopter to crew. ing Grytviken before departing for support filming and general expedi Reinhold Messner, Stephan Montivideo. tion work. This was required to op Venables and Conrad Anker left the

cluding Skate and Toothfish he says. Moratorium Spur Recently, this research was highly praised by CCAMLR, the interna tional body which monitors the area. "If our vessels were not down there to Illegal Fishing for the fishing season conducting this research, it would cost the Govern Fisheries Minister Pete Hodgson scientific research in the area," says ment upwards of $6Milion a year to understands the importance of allow Macfarlane. "It's ironic that an envi undertake the same research on its ing responsible, sustainable fishing in ronmental group is pushing for the own," Macfarlane. the Ross Sea Antarctic Toothfish fish moratorium, knowing full well it "New Zealand is at the forefront ery, says Alastair MacFarlane, trade would be a green light for uncon of international efforts to stop poach policy manager of the New Zealand trolled illegal fishing on a grand ing, and the industry wholeheartedly Seafood Industry Council. scale." supports the current measures. Ille "Amove towards a moratorium on The New Zealand seafood indus gal fishing operators aren't going to exploratory Toothfish fishing would try has spent tens of millions of dol pay any attention to a moratorium - have dire environmental conse lars on research in the Ross Sea since it would simply give them a free quences and would effectively halt all 1996, covering a range of species in rein," he claims.

90 Volume 17, No. 4, 2000 Antarctic HISTORY

The Riddle of the Antarctic Peninsula Continued from page 87 waists in half-frozen water. Not un til 2am on 1 December could they at last launch the boat in an open chan nel. Arrived at their goal half an hour later, it took the weary men another three hours to find a landing place ad equately sheltered from the NE gales they had come to fear most. Waking again that morning, Char cot had his reward as he hastened to climb the 650ft summit of the island, which proved to be the largest of a group, rather than a single one. (1) The answer to the enigma lay before him — there was not the least sign of a strait. Deeply indented into two bays, the ice capped coast stretched The Frangais in Frangais Cove on Booth Island, 1904. south to another deep bay beyond Cape Perez, as it was later named (2), plain to the horizon across the direct north of the 68th parallel. and then south-west to Cape Garcia route south. Charcot planned to out But the pack stood across their line about 30 miles distant. flank it by heading out from of sight as far as the eye could see in Favoured with two more days of Dallmann Bay after making a full sur either direction, and after thirty hours fine weather they were able to take vey of the harbour at Wiencke Island, of probing east and west, Charcot angles from the highest of the Argen which they would aim to touch at on gave up and followed its edge away tine Islands (65°15S 64°15W) on the their return. north-east on the 13 January 1905, second day of their return journey, Arrived there the next day, they hoping for another chance. Twice reaching Petermann Island the same completed the task by December 30, more that evening they sighted the evening. Hampered by snow and establishing that Mt.William was not prominent mountain (later named mist, a long third day saw the five the highest peak on Anvers Island. A Mt. Bayonne), at about the same time men safely back. They found the ship higher peak in the centre of the island as a snow-capped peak (later named still trapped by ice filling the bay was promptly named after their ship. Mt. Gaudry) rose over the horizon (later named Port Charcot) outside Trapped there for four more days by ahead, with a chain of mountains the cove. ice blocking the exits, they weighed dwindling away north of it. If 1904 had yielded resolution of anchor early on 4 January 1905, and, Retreating north eastward on 13 the first great question about the coast stopping only to alter the message in January 1905, with their first sight of of Graham Land, denied to De the cairn, emerged into an open sea mountain peaks ahead of them, Char Gerlache from his track a mere four north of Anvers Island three days cot and his men were some 20 miles miles further away, how much more later. south of Biscoe's reputed position might they see on the way to Alexan Forced far outside De Gerlache's when, also approaching from the der I Land ? and Evensen's tracks by the pack and west, he had first sighted Adelaide A week later there seemed to be a the dangers of fog, and by now seri Island on 14 February 1832. (3) fair prospect of blasting and sawing ously short of coal for emergencies, When the wind fell calm the fol a channel to open water 650 yards Charcot forbade raising steam, except lowing evening Charcot did not hesi away along the shore. After five days' in extremity, as they headed south. tate to order steam, and as the speed work, they woke on 18 December to Rapidly overtaken by north-easterly picked up to 6 knots, the short four find Nature had done the job for storms, and twice narrowly avoiding or five mile coast, which was all the them. The bay outside was clear of icebergs in the fog, they saw nothing fog allowed Biscoe to see when he ice. Work began immediately to of the coast until the evening of the had to turn away a few miles from it, recommission the engine. 11th, when the horizon suddenly lengthened northward for the ap Leaving the steam launch, huts cleared to reveal a conical summit proaching Frenchmen. To them it and a depot of supplies with a record south east of them. Hasty reference seemed that it must be the mainland, of their achievements and intentions to De Gerlache's charts showed it and, in the clear weather they were in a large cairn, all was ready by could be nothing other than Alexan enjoying, there was every chance they Christmas Eve, and, after the custom der I Land. could follow it north to their farthest ary celebration, the Frangais cast off Matha's sights put them in 67°25S, south of the previous February. as the tide reached its high mark. some 40 miles west and 75 miles Even so, the edge of the pack was But it was not to the south west north of its position according to the moving north-west across their direct that they went, for, clear as the bay Belgians, when they had sighted it track, and, early on the January 15, was, the pack formed an unbroken twice from a westerly course just Continued on page 94

Volume 17, No. 4, 2000 Antarctic NEWS Tzuo Traverses planned by Women Continued from page 77 times experiencing temperatures of -40 degrees C. By the end of May they had also conducted several field trials in Nor way. Various public appearances are planned before their departure from Cape Town in October. A second pair of women, Sunniva Sorby of Canada and Uiloq Slettemark from , plan to cross from Berkner Island to the Ross Sea via the Gould Coast at the head of the Ross Ice Shelf. The traverse will be known as the Trans-Antarctic Ex pedition 2000 (TAE 2000). Two resupplies of food, equipment and fuel are planned, to make loads Sorby and Slettemark, the tzuo Antarctic traversces. lighter and the traverse potentially faster. TAE 2000 is promoting an en King George Island in the South Shet- way and . vironmental and educational focus on lands, and has been a guide and lec A medical institute in Canada will Antarctica via its Web site. turer on tourist voyages operated by undertake a research programme on Canadian company Marine Expedi the two women involving physiologi Sorby was part of an earlier all- women crossing attempt in 1992-93 tions in the Arctic and Antarctic Pe cal, psychological and immunologi that began at the Patriot Hills. How ninsula region. cal studies. Considerable baseline ever, after a 67-day traverse to the This will be Slettemark's first visit testing on the two subjects has al South Pole, the crossing was aban to Antarctica, but she has travelled ready been conducted. It is under doned because of injury, poor across Greenland, climbed Mount stood that during the two resupplies, weather and funding difficulties. Aconcagua (the highest peak in South researchers from the institute will ac (Ann Bancroft was also part of this America), taken part in number of company the aircraft to carry out a four-woman team.) In December other adventure pursuits, and is a range of tests on the two women in 1997, Sorby took part in a traverse of highly rated cross country skier. Both the field. women have been training in Nor- Map of the traverse route for the TAE2000 expedition.

Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Dunbar (above) has been posted as Operations Officer, Air National Guard Detachment 13 at Christchurch for the next four years. He has responsibility for over seeing flight operations for the logistical support for . As a member of the New York Air National Guard Lieutenant Colonel Dunbar made regular vis its to Christchurch on training missions between 1989-2000. He has been joined in Christchurch by his wife and 11 year old son who has settled into a local school where he is playing soccer and having a go at rugby.

92 Volume 17, No. 4, 2000 HISTORY Antarctic SHACKLETON'S ENDURANCE EXHIBITION Caroline Alexander, author of the Dick Reaney sighting recent publication "Endurance", was through the sextatit instrumental in arranging with the mounted alongside the American Museum of Natural His James Caird. tory to present an exhibition on Shackleton's Endurance Expedition Dick Reaney at "The last year. Endurance" Exhibition The American Museum of Natural at the American History is a grand building situated Museum of Natural adjacent to Central Park in New York. History, Nezo York. The exhibition ran from March to Photos: Dick Reaney October 1999 and was housed in a small enclave of the museum. The convincing were story of Shackleton's Endurance Expe those big video dition was featured through the lens waves that a person of the expedition's photographer could get seasick just . In a beautifully set out watching. and comprehensive display, Hurley's Adding to the re photographic work was presented ality was the mount from the plates that survived the ex ing of two sextants pedition. The enclave was partitioned on either side of the in such a way that each series of pho Caird. You were in tographs told the story of the expedi vited to take a bear tion. ing against this The coup-de-grace of the exhibi heaving horizon to test your skills in Meeting the organisers and mu tion was the presence of the James securing an accurate fix of your posi seum staff was a pleasure but unfor Caird. The trustees had graciously tion. The result left me with nothing tunately I missed Caroline Alexander given permission for the vessel to be but a greater appreciation of Worsley as she was away at the time of my uplifted from its home at Dulwich and his amazing navigational feat in visit. The exhibition was well at College, England, and transported to getting the/nmi's Caird safely to South tended throughout the period, with the museum to be part of the display. Georgia. queues of people still seeking admis The photographic story was de Although I had seen photographs sion when I visited in the closing days signed to culminate with the James of the boat before, seeing it for the first of October. Caird featured in a setting of virtual time was a surprise. It was larger The surge of Shackleton interest reality. Standing astern of the boat than I had anticipated and made me seems to have continued unabated while watching computer-generated realise just how difficult it would with the opening of a school in the waves play across movie screens off have been for six starving, emaciated US based on Shackleton's leadership her bows, I could almost feel the sting men to drag it up the beach on South principles, and the wish to see those of the freezing sea thrown up by the Georgia, let alone turn it over for a taught in today's society. mountainous Cape Horn Rollers. So shelter at Peggotty Camp. - Richard Reaney Tribute to Harding Dunnett, 1909-2000. Founder, James Caird Society Harding McGregor Dunnett, an Scott Polar Institute by Shackleton's Caird was presented to Shackleton's authority on Sir Ernest Shackleton, grand-daughter. old school In 1924. Years later, after a died on April 22 at the age of 91. Harding Dunnett was perhaps best productive career in display design, Dunnett was a driving force behind known as the founder and chairman writing on industry, and in industrial the recent surge of interest in of the James Caird Society, named relations, Dunnett began his retire Shackleton, especially with the recent after the open boat in which ment by writing a book on eminent Endurance Exhibition in the United Shackleton and others sailed to South pupils of Dulwich College. From here States. He was a friend and contem Georgia in a rescue attempt for men sprang a deep interest in Dulwich's porary of the late Lord Shackleton, stranded in the Weddell Sea follow most famous pupil, Sir Ernest son of the explorer, and in 1999 was ing the destruction of the Endurance. Shackleton. present at the opening of the Dunnett had been a pupil at Dunnett began with a campaign Shackleton Memorial Library at the Dulwich College when the James Continued on Page 94

Volume 17, No. 4, 2000 93 Antarctic TRIBUTE to grab the handle of the engine room Continued from Page 93 The Riddle of the Antarctic Peninsula telegraph, and avoid being flung to Continued from page 91 the deck, Charcot slammed it round for the return of the James Caird to to 'Full Astern', as the ship slipped Dulwich from the Maritime Museum the French ship had to push through back into the water and half-clothed at Greenwich, where the boat had it to reach an open channel, barely men tumbled out of the hatches. Al been restored. He also produced a two miles wide, along the piedmont most mesmerised by the realisation video called "Shackleton's Boat Jour ice cliff fringing the coast. Peopled of what had happened, Charcot could with menacing icebergs on the move, ney". In 1994, when Trevor Potts re hardly take his eyes from the water peated Shackleton's journey from El Charcot reasoned it must therefore be ahead as the deadly rock appeared, free of submerged rocks and safe for ephant Island to South Georgia, glimmering dully beneath the sur Dunnett exhibited the James Caird at the Frangais's 10ft draught. She was face. the Earl's Court Boat Show. He set up well into the channel by 8am, in To be continued the James Caird Society which now 66°40S and some 5 miles up the coast has 500 members from all over the from Mt.Gaudry, when Matha came NOTES (1) They had reached the Berthelot Islands in lati world, and in 1996 published a book on the bridge to take over. tude 65°20S, which Charcot named after a member of "Shackleton's Boat - the Story of the Like Scott in front of his new dis the lnstitut Francois who had supported the expedition. James Caird", an illustrated outline (2) The cape Lecoin le showed on his chart in 65 <35S covery (King Edward VII Land), (3) Hugh Robert Mill (in The Siege of the South of the the Endurance expedition and Charcot could not bring himself to Pole) describes Biscoe as "running east-southeast to its aftermath. leave the bridge as they continued at 67°S 72°W where he sighted land on Feb.Ulh [1832]", In his 90th year Harding Dunnett and tlutt he later sounded "3 miles offshore". The map 6 knots towards a cape, behind which in Mill's book shows Biscoe's course running on to ± travelled to South Georgia to verify further coast lay hidden. Without 67°15S 69°15W, which, incidentally, is very near to De Gerlache's course at that point. If there was reason details of Shackleton's landing and to warning, as a tremendous shock lit visit his grave. Shortly afterwards, he to doubt Biscoe's chronometer and longitudes from his erally bent the foremast, the two men assertion that he could see the summit of "Adelaide Is arranged for the James Caird to be ex saw the forecastle rising up almost land" from 72 °W, Charcot's first sighting of the 8,335ft hibited in the US. Mt.Gaudry, from about the same distance (±60 miles) - Dick Reaney and John Parsloe. vertically before them. Near enough as Biscoe, lends much credibility to their accuracy. MEMBERSHIP

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94 Volume 17, No. 4, 2000 SPOTLIGHT Antarctic

This new map published by the (BAS) in association with the Natural Environment Research Council of the UK, shows the location of bases on the Antarctic continent operated by Antarctic Treaty Nations. The BAS says that Antarctica is the largest and most pristine wilderness on Earth, covering an area of nearly 14 million sq km. The only permanent structures of any size are scientific research stations. There are currently 45 stations, with about 10,000 scientists and support staff in summer, falling to about 1000 in winter. The population density in Antarctica in summer is the lowest on Earth at only 0.0007 people per sq km. Europe by contrast has a population density of 65 people per sq km. The BAS operates three stations in Antarctica, of which the largest - Rothera - currently has a complement of up to 124 people in summer, and 25 in winter. The environmental footprint of these stations is small, says the BAS. At Rothera it is 3 people per sq

Volume 17, No. 4, 2000 km. 95 The last sunset of 2000 McMurdo Sound

Photo Courtesy © Beth Sheid, McMurdo Station