Bill's 2022 Antarctic Adventure

  2-10-2023   Burger Bar and Chaz….When I went to the galley last night for dinner I was confronted by a line extending into the hallway (about 60 people long) then I remembered it was burger bar night. I passed by the line and had salmon, wild rice and vegetables for dinner. It reminded me though of our urges to return to that which makes us feel comfortable whether it be food or habits especially when we are out of our normal environment. Even though I didn’t get in the line I did think about getting home and returning to my “normal routine”. There is a sense of calmness in that.   Last night I was watching the departure of the Happy Delta and I bumped into a friend from Helo Ops, Chaz. We had many interactions over the season, and he told me he was headed home tomorrow. Before he heads home, he plans to spend a month traveling around New Zealand. His home is in Fiji! He told me if I ever find myself there to look him up and he’d show me around. I offered the same thing...

  2-9-2023   Shadows…As I was riding to work this morning, I noticed how the setting sun changes the appearance of everything around you. It’s like looking at the face of the moon and depending on the phase it’s in it will look completely different. Still beautiful, just different. Another reminder that time is passing.   A new ship is in town. The Happy Delta pulled in Wednesday night. It’s a smaller container ship mainly resupplying the Kiwis. It’s bright yellow so you can’t miss it as it sails along. We have vehicles here on station called “deltas” we are never “happy” when we ride in the delta. It’s like being in the back seat of a roller coaster when you ride in it. The good thing about the delta is that it can “go where no man has gone before”.   Last night they had a “Museum of McMurdo” on display in the galley. I was just too tired to go check it out but I’m told they had a bunch of memorabilia there. 

  2-8-2023 Ship change…The first cargo ship left port last night and the next ship pulled right in behind him and began off-loading. Because of that, our Yacht Club meeting was cancelled because our Commodore was pulling line duty on the ship change. (For non-nautical people it means he was handling ropes used to tie the ship up to the pier) Because of the sun falling further in the sky it now feels like dawn and dusk all day. The first sunset is February 20 th , the day I leave McMurdo. The days are also getting cooler.  It’s not too bad when the wind isn’t blowing. If I can stay awake, I can visit the McMurdo Museum which is open from 8:00 to 10:00 this evening. The Minke whales are in the sound in large numbers. Last night I watched a pod of about 12 swimming around. It’s fun to watch them all “blow” as they surface. The Orcas are also still around. Penguins stay near the ice edge and are in jeopardy. All the seals are near Scott Base away from the ice edge and danger.

  2-7-2023 Ship change…The first cargo ship left port last night and the next ship pulled right in behind him and began off-loading. Because of that, our Yacht Club meeting was cancelled because our Commodore was pulling line duty on the ship change. (For non-nautical people it means he was handling ropes used to tie the ship up to the pier) Because of the sun falling further in the sky it now feels like dawn and dusk all day. The first sunset is February 20 th , the day I leave McMurdo. The days are also getting cooler.   It’s not too bad when the wind isn’t blowing. If I can stay awake, I can visit the McMurdo Museum which is open from 8:00 to 10:00 this evening. The Minke whales are in the sound in large numbers. Last night I watched a pod of about 12 swimming around. It’s fun to watch them all “blow” as they surface. The Orcas are also still around. Penguins stay near the ice edge and are in jeopardy. All the seals are near Scott Base away from the ice edge and danger.

  2-6-2023 It’s a spectacularly beautiful weather day at Williams Field. Days like this remind me how lucky I am to be here. Sunday morning, I went to the galley between breakfast and lunch. I went to make a Belgian waffle. While I was making my waffle the oncoming lunch shift had a premeal briefing. I was interested. The first to speak was the chef, followed by three or four others. They were sharing information with the team about the meal they were about to serve. They talked about each dish, salad, dessert and anything else that was available to eat. They talked about vegan and vegetarian options allergies were discussed as well. At the end of the meeting, they chose one of their own, Sarah to dedicate the meal to so like in a sports huddle they all extended their hands into the center and shouted “Sarah” as they raised their hands and ended the meeting. I know in most good restaurants in the world this kind of thing is done. I was very impressed with the professionalism of the...

  2-5-2023 Busy days…With time running out in the season a new urgency has urged us all to do more with our remaining time here. The first ship offload is complete. Onload and departure is set for tomorrow. Planes are flying missions to the South Pole around the clock to finish their resupply before the beginning of South Pole winter February 14 th . Picture the rush before Christmas and that gives you an idea of our mindset. Sunday night I went to the last science lecture of the year. It was presented by a NASA medical doctor. His specialty was emergency medicine before going to NASA but now is working with health issues for long term space travel for astronauts. It was very interesting and enlightening.  Last night I went to a presentation on the history of McMurdo. I thought I knew a lot but as it turns out I knew very little. It was a truly fascinating talk. After the history lesson I went to a travelogue presented by a woman who spent a year traveling and working in Afric...

2-4-2023 Pete….I met a guy named Pete at church this morning. Turns out he’s the “ice pilot” for the cargo ship that’s in port.  He’s been working as a merchant marine sailor since 1974 (so he’s a little younger than me). He was at church with a young man who is currently in the Merchant Marine Academy. They both joined the ship in Littleton, NZ, the Port for Christchurch. Pete is like a harbor pilot for a passenger ship. He has 39 years of experience guiding ships into the ice pier. Like me, he's mainly retired but comes out, when called, to share his vast experience, particularly at McMurdo. We had quite an interesting chat after church at breakfast. I had my usual Belgian waffle. Pete had a cup of black coffee.