Date: Sat, 10 Jul 1999 17:48:03 +0100
Subject: Roughest waters and packing: Any sun to spare? Please send...
Pictures: none
The weather is still very bad here and has prevented us from doing just about everything we had planned for the end of the cruise. First, we had to give up on the last few stations which we were going to visit, the sea being too rough to allow any instrument into the water. Then, we decided to stop at Palmer Station and give everyone a chance to visit it and get used to being on land again. However, we had to cancel that plan too: the boat is too big to be able to go all the way to the pier, and therefore it is necessary to use zodiacs to transport people to land. Again, the sea was too rough to allow this. Too bad! I would have loved to get a first hand impression of what it might be like to live in a research station over the winter.
Talking about that, we heard that a woman who works at the Admunsen-Scott South pole station (away from the coast) had recently discovered a lump in her breast, and, after consultation with doctors through satellite communication link, it was decided that she needed medical supplies until she could be evacuated back to the continent, after winter is over. To deal with this situation, an air force plane is coming from New Zealand with the medical supplies, food and mail (a bonus for all living there) and, since they cannot land, will airdrop all of this from about 700 feet above the ground, in total darkness. It is a very challenging mission, which involves 22 aircrew members.
Today on the ship has been spent packing all the gear that we brought with us, and which must fit back into its many containers to either be stored in Punta Arenas until the next cruise, or taken back home. It involves making many lists of contents and destinations.
We are back in the Gerlache Straights, protected from the bad weather by the peninsula to the west. We are going to "hang out" in here for about twenty-four hours, time to finish packing and tying everything down before we venture into the Drake, hoping that by then the worst of the sorm will have passed over us.
Stay tuned for an update on our return!