Individual Members' Inspire Antarctic Expedition 2008

Hello Frase, Flo, Paca, Barn , Mum, Becca, Lizzie and all friends,

It has been an amazing few days since our first landing at Belinghausen. The first landing was in heavy, dark seas and very cold. I went with the first 2 zodiacs and then was there to help ballast the boat on the return voyage. Instead we ended up sitting offshore as the winds and waves were too big to get back to the ship. For about 30 minutes we bobbed about, me and the trusty boatman, being thrown around by waves. Quite scary and cold hands for the first time as my gloves got wet. Finally back to the boat and the rest of the day was described on the general blog that I wrote and is on the website.

Since then its been great having Rob and the other crew from B/hausen aboard. It has been a series of amazing landings ( now all calm as we are in sheltered areas off the Antarctic peninsula), including the most stunning beach with snow, penguins on parade and lumbering seals, followed by a glacier walk. Another day, another walk and a lecture on leadership on the hillside, followed by a slide down the hill in the snow. What differentiates people in this world is the deep, deep trust and loyalty that goes back to their historic heroes- Amundson ( clearly seen as the best of the best), Shackleton and Scott- people who when they say they will do something, never ever waiver from this commitment. Huge personal loyalty and deep friendship. Something I have not witnessed before to anything like the same degree.

Last night we camped on a glacier. Carried all our gear up the hill and made camp. 2, 3 or 4 man tents. By the time we were sorted, it was getting dark, so nothing to do but bed. Thank God for the amazing sleeping bags and a relatively warm night. Up at 7am, a gang of helpers turn up to help break camp and then we head back for a huge breakfast on the boat. An afternoon of quietly cruising in Zodiacs around huge icebergs, like a sculpture garden, made of ice. Stunning mountains and scenery. Picture the best single scene in the Alps and here, they are everywhere. And we have not seen a single boat or person for at least 3 days. Only us, no phones and no mail.

A few hump back whales emerge, only briefly. Lucky cameras that were there at the time. Tonight, an evening zodiac landing. I am really glad I bought decent kit, its been invaluable and really needed. Layers, layers, layers is the order of the day. At least the white hands seemed to have coped, even when the cold and wind chill is something like minus 30deg C. must be those nice red gloves that I have.

2 more days in the peninsula and then back to the Drake passage. I hear that day 2 will be pretty rough, while our trip down was relatively calm. Lets see. I need to help Rob with his final presentation and I am looking forward to that. The least that I can do for him and his team. Weds am, back to Ushuaia, farewells and the long trip home. Sitting in the back of Iberia.

Today ( sat) we stopped in a place called Paradise Cove. And it really is what it says on the can. The most stunning place on earth. Mirror like water, mountains and glaciers all a round. Blue sky, sun shining. We went ashore and sat in the sun, just quietly looking at the scene. One of our team sprinkled the ashes of her late father on the water. This really is the place to rest. This afternoon a decent climb to the top of glacier, led by the Norwegians and Joff, with the odd incident but all safely down. What a quite amazing expedition it has been. All that I had hoped for and so much more. Great group of people, plenty of laughs but above all a range of people who want to get everything that they possibly can from this trip, because they realise just how special it is and how unlikely it will be that they ever get to see it or experience it again.

Happy Easter to you, Frase, Flo, Paca and Barn, plus Becca, Lizzie and Mum. Miss you all and lots and lots of love. See you Thursday. Marcus, cabin 416, MV Ushuaia.

S 64º30.126’ W 061º45.966’ Portal Point, Antarctica Today I witnessed a massive iceberg break and virtually summersault in the water. We had taken zodiacs to shore and hiked up a ridge when suddenly a thundering sound echoed around the peaceful snowy bay. The water in the bay was dappled by small clumps of ice and the landscape completely snow covered shrouded in a faint mist. I was shooting, with the sense that I had found one of the “fairytale scenes” that I had hoped to shoot here. (Antarctica as the mythic, fairytale place, now climate change epicentre.) The iceberg completely disrupted the fairytale. I felt a wave of nausea and stopped taking pictures to witness the collapse of something like a city block of ice into water.

The Expeditionary team were awakened to a Christmas like scene. Snow and ice on the decks and cold winds, with high seas. And this was the day of our first landing in the South Shetland island of King George. The trip to the E-base at Belinghausen.

There was a real air of excitement and tension amongst the team as they prepared for the first landing. A sense of First World war soldiers about to leave their trench and go over the top. “ how many layers are you wearing?” “should we take goggles”, “aren’t these merino wool baselayers just amazing?”.

We gathered, fully kitted and awaited instructions. The steps down to the Zodiacs looked slippery and icy, the boats bobbled about like children on a bouncy castle and the seas looked large and a tad foreboding.

Zodiac 1 and 2 set off and landed at a bleak and windswept Belinghausen, to be greeted by Rob and team down at the water. Eager volunteers headed up for the E-Base, to collect all the gear of the brave souls who had spent the last 17 days, often in the toughest conditions, living just off renewable energy. A long trudge up a moon like landscape. The Zodiacs hung around and then back to the mothership in massive seas. The captain had decided to postpone the landings as the high winds were putting the Zodiacs and the boat itself, in danger of being blown towards the shore.

Inside the boat, it felt like Christmas had been cancelled. Real disappointment and a worry that the first steps on Antarctica might not be today. Early lunch and heads were down. But then ,out of nowhere, the whistle blows. We are going over the top, says Windy, so gear up. A rush for gloves, goggles and gore-tex, life jackets tightened, ready to roll.

Down the icy steps, 10 to a zodiac and then off we head, for Belinghausen. A huge greeting from Rob, off we set to the E-base. We meet our friends from nPower, who show us the E-House and give us a reminder of energy consumption patterns. We see a who house lit by 57 watts of power. That’s less than a single light bulb. And all from the wind from a wind turbine and some solar panels. Its really pretty warm and omfortable in their little nest. Will we ever put so much water in a kettle again when we want to make a cup of tea? I don’t think so….great job from team nPower.

And then to the E-base itself, completed by Rob and team last year and now a beacon for communicating to the world, in a totally sustainable way. The team who have been there for the last 17 days look like they are looking forward to the comforts of the MV Ushuaia tonight.

A stunning walk, gentle winds and snows, down through the Russian base, to see the seals at play. 2 seals frolicking on the beach, ignoring the gaze of the new spectators. And a massive elephant seal, lying motionless on the beach. Nothing really on his mind.

“ if you get chased by a seal, raise your hand and make yourself look bigger” is the instruction. Somehow, I hope I don’t get to test this strategy. My money remains on the seal.

Amazing landscape, exactly how you imagine it to be. Certainly sparse and windswept, but a raw beauty and quietness. Its just great to be quietly walking and chatting to a new found friend.

Back to the shore and into the Zodiacs. Hold tight, its into the wind but the waves have quietened and we are quickly back on the boat. Showers, relaxing in the lounge and reflecting on an epic day. Dinner and then the first of Robs lectures in the “ Leadership on the Edge” programme. His first story, his teams walk to the South Pole.

The expeditionary force is now complete and all members are on board. The end of a huge achievement by the 7 E-base team, having created the energy to power the base from nothing, 17 days ago. A real demonstration of the human need for energy.

A great day for those who took their first steps in the Antarctic world and who got their first impression of what is to come in the days ahead. And certainly a great day for merino wool.

Engines fired up, the expeditionary force moves on- Southwards, to the Antarctic peninsula. Spirits high, faces rosy and windswept, the team in the highest spirits. Tommorrow, first steps on the Antarctic continent and iceberg alley before breakfast. And another landing. It doesn’t get any better than this.

To boldly go where no man have gone before? Henry Kaiser who recorded guitar compositions in Antarctica, said because it would be the closest he could get to existing science fiction. Like the desert, an alien landscape. Someone asked me what kind of pictures I want to take here. I had a hard time answering because I’d like to take a picture I’ve never seen. Something that evokes nostalgia for snow. Turbulent skies and ice into water. Melting fairytales.