The Agony and Ecstasy

16 January, Port Lockroy

A remarkable day yesterday – from which we are still recovering. Our
aim was to climb the main peak on Lemare Island which is listed on the
chart as being 2,490 ft high. Dropped off from nearby Waterboat point
where we were anchored beside Gabriele Gonzales Videla Base, we spent
the usual amount of flaffing time getting tied into ropes for glacier
travel and fitting snowshoes before starting up the hill. We were also
distracted by Gentoo penguins wandering through our skinny band of rocky
beach and a weddel seal keeping a weary eye on us as he basked 10 meters
away.
The route looked rather daunting and indeed there were adrenalin moments
for each of us. It was not very technical and by mountaineering
standards not that exposed, but we were acutely conscious of both our
inexperience with snowshoes and our isolation from rescue services. The
slope gradually steepened, but with the deep, soft, wet snow the biggest
challenge was maintaining traction as there was little risk of sliding
down the hill. But once we reached the narrow icy ridge the steep
drop-offs on either side and strong breeze raised pulses a little. But
things quickly changed and by the time we reached a rocky ridge near the
first summit (2,200 ft) the wind had died and there was some topless
sunbathing while the sweat dried. The sun was out and the views
stunning with numerous icebergs below us and mountains completely
surrounding us with their glaciers ending in the sea in jagged ice cliffs.
We continued on through a broad gentle valley and after a relaxed lunch
in the snow attempted the main peak finding comfortable routes between
crevasses. At 4pm we decided that everyone was a bit too tired to
continue and we turned around maybe an hour short of the summit. The
trip down the hill and back to the rocky ridge was fun for everyone. We
were following our footprints, the snowshoes were working well and
confidence was high. At the ridge we changed to crampons as the
snowshoes were uncomfortable on steep downhills. This worked well until
the last slopes where the breakable crust meant that every second step
was knee deep.
Shortly before we got back to the beach Darrel had radioed that we were
invited to a BBQ at the Chilean base, sometime after 8pm. It was almost
8 by the time we were all on board Spirit, so it was a sprint to anchor
and lay out shore lines before grabbing a large ribeye steak and a slab
of beer and heading over to the party. Food was purely meat: rare
ribeye steak with some pork and chicken served continuously for 3 hours.
There was no other food and it was tough for the vegetarians, but great
for the carnivores. The workshop had been converted to a makeshift bar
with the forge as a BBQ, music videos projected onto an old screen and
dartboard. It was a vibrant atmosphere and after an adrenalin day we
all probably drank more that we should. About 11pm there was a
spectacular sunset with the snow and rock lit in soft orange light.
Standing outside in the penguin colony, observing our route and the
penguin life and reflecting on our day, it all seemed very special.
Today began rather slowly and we had quite a bit of work to do sorting
gear from yesterday, weighing anchor (a big job as there were two long
shore lines out that had to be rolled back onto their deck drums. We
motored down Paradise Harbour and up the Fergus on Channel, sometimes
pushing slowly through brash ice and dodging numerous icebergs. Shortly
before the south end of Weinke Island we spotted humpback whales and
then stopped in calm conditions to observe a pod of orca.
We had planned to paddle up the Peltier Channel, but the wind rose, the
cloud came down and it started snowing lightly, so we opted to observe
the steep grandeur of the channel from the yacht. With its mixture of
glaciers calving into the sea and towering rocky peaks it was still
dramatic.
As we motored in calm conditions for over six hours there was time for
everyone to have a very refreshing shower. The shower space is in the
head and very cramped. Fresh water is made on board by reverse osmosis,
a process that requires considerable electricity and the water is heated
with waste heat from the engine so showering is only possible when the
engine is running and its reasonably calm. Having washed ourselves we
decided to do our first clothes wash and had just started this when we
got the opportunity to visit the Port Lockroy historic base. That put
dinner plans back somewhat and we finally ate a superb lasagne at 10pm.
I am writing this while on my anchor watch from midnight till 1am. We
are swinging at anchor in willy-wall conditions with 15-25 knots of
wind. It's light outside so I can mostly observe conditions from the
saloon, regularly checking the depth and wind strength.

Ross