19 November 2000 - Stanley Revisited
RRS James Clark Ross: Diary entry, 19 November 2000
Noon Position : Stanley, Falkland Islands.
Distance travelled since Grimsby: 10936 nautical miles
Air temperature @ noon: 11.7 degrees Celsius
Sea temperature @ noon: 9.5 degrees Celsius
STANLEY REVISITED
This week has been spent alongside at Stanley. We arrived last Monday
morning and are expected to depart next Tuesday. So this week's update will
be a little briefer than usual, as everyone has been busy with loading cargo
and mobilising for the science programmes. Stanley seems to have increased
its population enormously with British Antarctic Survey personnel as,
due to bad weather conditions, the Dash-7 aircraft has only been able to
do four of its expected trips. The Dash-7 is used mainly for carrying essential
cargo and personnel to Rothera station on the Antarctic Peninsula but
it is essential that weather conditions both here at Stanley, Rothera and
at the contingency/emergency landing site are good. This is a bit of a tall order
so early in the season. This has meant that many personnel have
been waiting with bated breath for weeks never knowing quite when they
may be off. A frustrating time for all involved but luckily there's been
plenty of activities and things to do to keep everyone busy. One
of the most visited local attractions is Gypsy Cove, which at this time
of year welcomes back numerous flippered and winged friends.
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Magellanic penguins |
Rock shags |
On the ship there has been literally tons and tons of cargo to load, including a huge number of great big rocks destined for something at Rothera - perhaps the rockery? - talk about "coals to Newcastle"! Apart from the busyness of loading cargo held ashore for us, we have also been awaiting the arrival of RRS Ernest Shackleton at Mare Harbour, which has been carrying cargo for us from the UK, that is now being trans-shipped by road across the island. Mare Harbour is the port facility built by the Ministry of Defence to service the military establishment at Mount Pleasant, where the miltary airport is based.
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Rocks for Rothera |
Loading containers |
Loading more containers! |
After a quiet trip back to Stanley from Signy, the ship has now taken on a more vibrant air, as two dozen or so scientists and support staff seemingly invade the ship for the trip across Drake Passage and down the Antarctic Peninsula. For all of you who believe the English Channel or the North Sea can produce lumpy conditions for sailing, the Drake Passage causes "old salts" to suck in a sharp breath through clenched teeth, as their eyes go misty at the thought of this uncompromising stretch of water.
When the opportunity arises, such as this longish stay in Stanley, maintenance routines are undertaken that cannot easily be done at sea. This included a trip out for workboat as part of this schedule.
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Captain Pugwash aka Doug aka "Sherpa" and his/our Chief Officer Graham. |
