Met Data - Ship Position

Photographs

15:00 pm (local, GMT-3) : we land in Mount Pleasant after a long and tiring journey started on Tuesday 23:30 pm (GMT).The temperature outside is far different from the one on the Ascension Island where we had an hour-stopover.
Once all the luggage and boxes are collected, we go through the security check and get a stamp on our passport. For me, the adventure starts at this exact moment. The transit between Mount Pleasant and Stanley is done by coach, allowing us to discover the East Falkland. The view is splendid : colourful low-growing vegetation, white grass, peat, sand, rocks and in the background mountains. On the way, it is possible to travel miles without seeing any houses or man-made structures apart from fences and tracks. It is approximately 17:00 pm when we finally arrive at Port Stanley. The vision of both the Ernest Shackleton and the James Clark Ross is very impressive. Then, the end of the day consists on settling in the scientific cabin that I share with the three other women involved in the hydrographic campaign, having one of the famous three course meals in the officer's dining room and enjoying a nice after dinner drink in the bar.

Thursday 27th November 2003

I wake up at 7:00 am. I am not an early bird so I need a great shower to really wake me up !!! The breakfast is served at 7:30 am. I opt for fried egg on toast with bacon and a cup of coffee. In the morning and the afternoon, the principal activity is to dispatch and secure all the equipment in the different labs where we are going to work. We also have free time to discover Stanley, which is a 40 minute walk from the ship. Walking is very nice, as we have not had any physical exercise in the last few days. The air temperature is about 4°C and the wind blows in the west direction with a force of 6. We leave the JCR in sunshine but the weather rapidly changes and we witness an alternance of showers and sunshine. I read in a book the of the Falklands’ saying : “if you do not like the weather wait 15 minutes”. Hum … no doubt… you really need to be prepared for sudden changes.
Back on the ship, after dinner, I go in bed (the upper berth) very early as the last few days have been intense.

Friday 28th November 2003

The breakfast is still at the same time… I have to get used to it !
We are supposed to sail for Rothera at 13:00 pm. We have our last morning on land free. Ally and I decide to go to Gypsy Cove, reputed for its variety of wildlife, in particular the penguins. It is about one hours walk but we take a taxi to allow ourselves more time over there.
Approaching Gypsy Cove, the vision is impressive. The beach is splendid : white sand and blue clear waters. If the temperature was not so cold we could easily think that we are in the Caribbean!!! Moreover, we are lucky, the morning is pretty sunny revealing even more amazing colours. From the car park we follow the tracks, which leads us directly in the vicinity of a small group of Magellanic penguins. It is my introduction to penguins .........so exciting!
It is a shame not to visit this place ! Breathtaking landscapes and fascinating wildlife ! 10:00 am, we decide to walk back to the ship. On our way, the wind does not help us at all, it blows in the opposite direction making our progression difficult.
At the same time, containers and fresh food are loading onboard the JCR.
Before lunch we have a quick briefing with the catering officer and we are strongly recommended to take some seasickness pills.
13:00 pm : everything is now ready, the JCR leaves Stanley for Rothera. I am really excited by the idea of being part of a scientific cruise in the Southern Ocean.
17:30 pm : I am lying on my bed (with another person in my cabin) because my stomach is not particularly happy with the actual movements of the vessel. The sea is rough, a lot of white caps can be observed on top of the waves. After a first attempt to have dinner, I decide to come back to my cabin hoping that I would feel better soon….....

Saturday 29th November 2003

I am very tired this morning, as the pills did not really work for me. I am strongly advised to use a 72 hours patch instead of the seasickness pills.
I spent most of the day sleeping, trying to recover from the previous night.

Sunday 30th November 2003

7:00 am : my alarm clocks wakes me up. I feel much better today. The weather has improved notably. We are now in calm seas with light winds.
9:30 am : we are at our stations for our first CTD cast as a test. The CTD is put in the water.
12:05 pm : the CTD recovered, we collect water samples ( 2 samples for each of the 12 bottles ) and transfer the data to the computer to analyse them.
At the same time, the geophysics survey has started and the activity on the deck in the afternoon is focused on several dredges.
We organise our team for watchkeeping. I have been attributed the slot 16:00pm – 20:00 pm. So, I have a couple of hours after lunch to chill out in the bar. I enjoy spending time in the bar, as there is always someone with a great story to tell.

Thursday 4th December 2003

ICEBERGS !!! Whaou … such a nice view when you wake up ! I have been waiting since the departure to see icebergs, and here they are : huge, majestic ! Moreover we are very lucky as it is very sunny. It is difficult to contain my excitement! It is going to be a great day today!
During the morning, I take millions of pictures with my digital camera … colours are always different.
In the afternoon, the captain announces that we are going to be close to the Deception Island by 16:00 pm (local). So between 16:00 pm and 17:00 pm almost everyone is on the “monkey island”, the highest point in the ship (offering the best view), warmly clothed and camera in hand ready to shoot. Once again we are offered a fantastic view ! I spend most of my day outside in spite of the cold.

Friday 5th December 2003

The night has been short as we wake up at 4:00 am. We are now approaching Port Lockroy where we are going to leave three fellows on the island for the duration of the austral summer. Astonishing, amazing, majestic! … Unfortunately my English is not good enough to explain what we see.
Around 7:00 am we arrive in the waters of Port Lockroy (named after the French politician Etienne-Auguste-Edouard Lockroy (1840-1913)… “Vive la France!” ). The British station is based on the Goudier Island. The waters are relatively shallow so to reach it the cargo tender is launched. I am one of the lucky people to be taken on board.
On the island, the two modest buildings are literally surrounded by Gentoo penguins....... Incredible! There are penguins everywhere. The place offers fantastic scenery that I will not forget. I feel definitely very lucky to be part of this science cruise !!! Next stop : Rothera .......(tomorrow)
The globe pinpoints Rothera's position.

On the way to Rothera, the view is really impressive as we navigate close to the Peninsula. Moreover, the visibility is exceptional. On the bridge, I have been told that we can see more than hundred miles away.
The weather is incredibly good, some people are wearing tee-shirts* I am not, still too cold for me! In addition, I need to put on a lot of sun cream if I do not want to burn with the sun, so I have a white face....... Note that I never had a mat complexion anyway*
Just before arrival in Rothera we do a CTD cast. It is quick as the depth is about 350m.
15:00 pm : We just finish the CTD in time to see the manoeuvre of approach to the Rothera base. A lot of people are on Monkey Island to observe this moment.
I see four buildings and a huge hangar. Such a difference to Lockroy ! I am impatient to discover more about this place but for the moment we have been told to stay onboard.

Sunday 7th December 2003

I volunteer to help with cargo so I work on the shift 8am-2pm. it is a rather physical work. I try my best to help but some boxes are definitely to heavy for me !
In the afternoon I manage to have a look around in the base. I walk around the point. It is beautiful ! I see a group of seals. They look inactive, so I manage to get closer to take photos. They are huge ! I am really excited as it is the first time that I am so close to seals and I see so many at the same time. I spent time to observe them. The walk takes approximately 40 minutes and ends on a culminating point allowing a 360° overview of the area. Whaou ! I am impressed !
In the evening, the ship is very quiet, as the BAS people have left now the JCR to settle on the base.

Monday 8th December 2003

Same timetable as yesterday.
In the evening at the bar, someone asks me if I would like to stay here. Humm* Well, I had the desire to come to the Antarctic for a while. Now here I am, and it is even better than I imagined! So my answer is "Yes, of course!" I cannot say anything about the atmosphere on the base but I am definitely under the charm of the location! It is difficult to explain what I feel here* it is such a peaceful place, you really feel disconnect from the rest of the world. The notion of time is also difficult to keep as there is no night.

Thursday 18th December 2003

First of all, all my apologies for the late appearance of news. The delay is partly due to CTD work. We left Rothera on Tuesday 9th of December. With Rothera sinking behind us, we headed towards Stanley with a lot of work to do on the way north as 30 CTD casts (in addition to the 2 already done) are on the program of the week. The first CTD was launched on day 345 (i.e. 11th December) at 15h51 and the last one has been recovered on day 349 at 17h14. That was quick, we probably beat all records on this section !!!
At each station, the CTD is lowered from the ship to near the seabed, measuring pressure, temperature, salinity and water velocities. In addition at ten depths, water samples are captured in bottles. These samples are analysed onboard ship to make a precise determination of the sample’s salinity and compared it with the CTD’s measurements. Once the CTD are recovered, the data are processed and analysed.
We arrived back in Stanley on Tuesday, a bit less than a day after the last CTD.
We decided yesterday to allow ourselves a nice break and discover more about the Falklands Islands. So, Ally, Cathy, Rebecca and I went to Volonteer Point, which is one of the most popular tourist sites in the Falklands. Volonteer Point is to the north of Berkeley Sound, named after the ship Volonteer in which the American navigator Captain Fanning called at Port Louis in 1815. The site is famous for its white sands beach and the King, Magellanic and Gentoo Penguin colonies. To get there, you need 2h30 to 3h off road across peaty and rocky fields with a 4x4 car. It is a real adventure!
Once there, the scenery is fantastic! Hundreds and hundreds of penguins...they are everywhere! One of the Volunteer Point guidelines says: “ give all penguins right of way along the beach and on the green” (not to distress them). Well, it is a new concept for me … but true, over there you give the right of way to penguins!
I spend a lot of time on the beach watching the king penguins. Spectacular! Just imagine … white sand, blue-green clear waters and blue sky … and king penguins! Penguins are really amazing birds and the way they walk is really funny! Whaou ! I realise once again how lucky I am.

Now, only two days left before our flight back to UK. Two days during which we are going to finish our work and pack everything and chill out. The JCR adventure is close to its end. I relay enjoyed every moment (except perhaps the first night on sea), it has been a truly inspiring trip and if I have the opportunity to do it again I would without any hesitation !

Merry Chirstmas everyone !