The Night Carte

An irregular collection of Scott Base doings for July 1998

Chris, Ray and Mike 'Z' take a break out of the wind at the top of Mt Aurora

A winter trip to Aurora

After a few days of discussion and really cold weather we finally decided it was time. The conditions looked right to traverse out to Black Island and climb the Mount. We checked with Mac Weather and Dirk said that it should be fine... there was a front way out on the Ice-Shelf but it wouldn't affect us. We piled into the

Mike and Chris load up the Hagglunds

Hagglunds (singular): Ray, Mike, Chris, Eric, Tom (from McMurdo) and Geoff. Helen was meant to go but she'd twisted her ankle so the American took her place.

The first few minutes in a Hagglunds are always fun but, after the next hundred and twenty it takes to get to Black Island, the novelty wears off. We stopped for a few short breaks to check out the glow on the horizon. Getting closer to 'The Gap' between Black and White Islands, the flags on the route changed: instead of flapping lazily from the north, they were standing straight out from the south (not a good sign!); then we lost visibility. You remember the front that was out there

Chris looks for the next flag on the way home. (first attempt)

but wouldn't give us any trouble? Well it was no longer "out there" and it did "give us some trouble". It found us about five minutes out from McDonalds and vis. was down to three metres within minutes.

We contacted Mac Weather through Scott Base and asked for an update. Surprise, Surprise! Bad weather for two days!! Chris did a U-turn in the Hagglunds and we picked our way flag to flag until we cleared The Gap and then cruised back home in time for lunch.

Several days later we decided to try again but our numbers where down to four: Ray, Chris, Eric and Mike. Tom couldn't make it and Geoff had back and shoulder problems. It was warmer and Mac Weather advised that there where no storms, at all, anywhere around us, so we should be safe. We arrived at McDonalds at about 10.30am. It was full of snow so we cleaned it out and got the Preway fired up in case we wanted to sleep there that night. We then left and started our search for the best way up to Mt Aurora.

We cruised around the shore of Black Island for quite some time going "well, there's the hill that looks like a camel but this ridge doesn't look familiar" and after a foray to the south we were headed north again to spot any familiar land/icemarks. We spotted a ridge that Eric thought looked familiar from past expeditions and the general feeling was "we're getting sick of looking for a path, lets just climb the nearest damned ridge that doesn't look too steep". So we did and, as it turned out, we'd picked an excellent route up onto the island.

Ray gets his gear ready for the summit assault

At minus twenty (°C) and little wind, we were comfortable wearing "windproofs" which stopped us getting overheated and sweating too much (we carried our survival gear). Chris, Eric, and Ray used instep crampons for much of the way. They were excellent for walking on the ice and compacted snow that covered a significant part of the plateau. Unfortunately one of Mike's 'full' crampons had snapped in half and so he had to walk more carefully. The walk across the plateau is pretty easy and we made good time to the start of the main climb. A short stop at the base of Mt Aurora for a hot drink and a look at the twilight above Scott Base, then it was onward and upward.

This last section of the climb is up fairly steep scoria and requires a slow steady pace. The route we took this time brought us directly up to the summit, which appeared quite suddenly out of the night... we were there! The ascent took about four hours so we reached the summit by 4.30pm. The twilight had all but gone, however the lights of Scott Base and McMurdo shimmered in the distance. The team sat down in a sheltered spot out of the wind, had something to eat and drink and took a few photos while we were about it. We decided to head home before we started to cool down and our cameras froze up. A quick call to Scott Base (not that Dave, who was at the other end, appeared too interested) to tell them we're on our way, then the descent.

Although the moon was nowhere to be seen, we had sufficient light to navigate by and the sky overhead cleared a bit revealing the stars. Stopping a couple of times along the way for photos, we arrived back at the Hagglunds by about seven thirty. After throwing all the gear in the back of the Haggis (including the generator, connected up by Chris to keep the vehicle warm) we headed back home. Deciding to drive back to Scott Base rather than stay at McDonalds for the night, we just went in and turned off the Preway, closed everything else up and headed for home. Eric took the helm and managed to revisit the same bumps in the ice road that Chris had discovered. Chris disputed the fact, but was surprised to be overruled by the back seat boys.

By nine thirty the Hagglunds was in the cold-porch. The unpacking was left to another day... it was time for a shower and fresh clothes. …. Ray

Scott Basers Bowl McMurdo

The Scott Base Bowling Team had a good run this month. Winning all four games in July has pushed the team up in the score table.

The first game of the month was our best with Even Eric, Air Dave and Smooth Geoff playing hot games of 163, 145 and 136 respectively while Chris added 87 to the total.

Later in the month the scores drifted downwards a bit but the opposition teams couldn’t come up with the goods, so Scott Base took the games. The good thing is that most people don't take the games too seriously and set out to enjoy themselves, concentrating on their individual performance.

In the last game of the month, Scott Base edged ahead winning by only nine pins. Eric and Dave have become consistent in their bowling and have averages of 154 and 128 respectively, providing a stable base for the team.

Still Getting the Point

The darts team played twice this month. In the first match of July the folks from McMurdo turned up and while they displayed times of brilliance had to wait until ‘extra time’ (i.e. after the games on the radio and playing solely against the Scott Base team) before they notched a win. Scott Base had taken the second game of the match as well as winning one in extra time.

The second match of the month had Scott Base pitted against the Aussies at Davis and Casey. After three rapid- fire games (within fifty minutes) each team had posted a win. The decider went to the Aussies and some talk ensued about the Bledisloe Cup which, unfortunately for us, turned out to be true!

MEATY CHUNKS II

The Meaty Chunks made their second appearance at the beginning of July to a packed audience. Never mind that the people weren't specifically there for us. We had entered as an act for the Gong Show.

Helen, Herm and I (Pauline) got together a week before to decide on a song to lip-sync to... a couple were bandied about. My favourite for the night, which I thought was the ultimate 'love to hate' song, was Barry Manilow's " Copacabana", but it was instantly rejected by the others as being toooo bad! So we chose Tammy Wynette's "Stand by your Man" instead. Despite Helen's intense dislike for the song, she considered it to be one hundred percent better than my initial suggestion.

After choosing the song, the next thing to do was practice. NOT! We didn't want to be good so the practice was limited to about three half-hour sessions at lunchtime. We then sorted out some kind of costume: jeans, denim shirts with red tassels made out of serviettes, dark glasses, pigtails and very large 'in your face' belt buckles. We made horses out of mops, and might I say, rode in on them very stylishly.

Herm, Pauline and Helen prepare to 'Stand on their Men'

So, the lights are dimmed, the intro to the song has started, we file in on our horses and make it to centre stage. We're an instant hit!! The Americans seem to love us just cos we're kiwis (always a good start). There's rapturous applause and we have hardly started. We completely bedazzle them with our performance and we are in the running for the first prize. Not bad for three girls whose aim was to get gonged off after the first couple of bars.

Well, I'd like to say that we won first prize but we came second and got US$25 for a bit of fun, not bad for a couple of hours work. A lot of people said we should have won first prize, but what I'm wondering is... who did they vote for ?!

Roll out the Carpet

Last month I said there wouldn't be a report this month because the job would be complete. Well it's 98% complete. There's just a few little touches left to do.

Ray's "mood" lighting is all go in the hallways we think. It's not blinding by any means. The bedrooms are all sporting fancy spotlights, plugs and even switches to go with the lights.

The top floor of Q Hut with Johno's air conditioning ducting

Johno's ducting is now distributing the warm air from his air handlers and boiler to all the right places. The boiler is a beauty - very clean burning Emma! When the water temperature reaches 90°C, the radiators give you the feeling you're lying on a beach somewhere nice (with the top floor lighting the only thing missing is the sand! Ed), if you use your imagination a wee bit. (Of course, this is a seaside resort although the surfies may find the waves a tad lethargic, especially in winter!).

'Dances with Brooms'… Mork finishes up in the lower hallway

All the rubbish has been removed. It's spick and span waiting for the beds to arrive at Winfly. If we had the carpet we could lay it now and move in, so I guess we finished ahead of schedule!

10 out of (Hut) 10

The Telco guys over at McMurdo invited the folks of Scott Base over to Hut 10 for dinner over the last month. Having to make two nights of it (due to our Fire Crew constraints), Mitch and the boys laid on a good spread.

Smitty braved the cold windy conditions to barbecue the steak, which turned out tender and tasty... not easy at minus thirty! There was even a desert of rather good chocolate cake and people brought their preferred drinks. A relaxing evening of travel stories unfolded and we returned home having enjoyed the evening and feeling content.

Hut 10 is a stand-alone house at McMurdo, constructed for the US Navy Commander many years ago. One of the Commanders thought it excessive for one person to have such accommodation and opened the hut up to social use on a booking system. With the withdrawal of the Navy, the hut has continued in its social role, providing an ideal setting for quiet dinners and a change of scene.

The Nigel Cup

The much-anticipated Ross Island Indoor Hockey ‘Clash of the Titans’ took place some two weeks ago.

With the best wishes of those left behind to fight any fires, the current holders took the prized silverware with them to the McMurdo gym. (The cup is not actually silver, but more an off-white crockery sort of colour - probably because it's an old cracked crockery mug, mounted on a base painted in the American and New Zealand national colours). We were prepared to do anything in our power to retain this historic trophy.

Once the Kiwis had sung the National Anthem (the Americans didn't seem to know theirs) the battle began in earnest. Unfortunately our import from the American base broke his leg the week before. We think the circumstances were suspicious, but the opposition said he quite capably messed himself up! Then, thirty seconds into the first game, Helen rolled her ankle badly so we were down to six versus eight.

This was when the true Kiwi spirit came to the fore. We harassed them into mistakes, blocked their shots at goal and generally "got in their faces!" Such was the commitment, that after trailing for most of the game, we stormed back to win 10 - 8. Jubilation on our part was not reciprocated by our opponents, in fact, they were not only shocked but also surprisingly dark about it.

Playing defence: Pauline, Ray and Mork with Johno lurking

Games two and three did not go quite the way we hoped. As the effort of playing against greater numbers took its toll, fatigue wandered on in and our concentration lapsed. As valiantly as we tried, we fell behind in the scoring. Unfortunately no-one seems to remember the exact score-line (at least on this side of the hill. Ed) but we eventually had to concede defeat… Sorry!

Herm grudgingly handed the Cup over with style and grace .. NOT

The battle appears to have been more bruising for them than the tougher Kiwis. One member of their team was unable to rise from his bed the next day. Although the others apparently managed to force themselves into upright positions, none were moving too freely even a week later! As for us, apart from Helen hobbling around her workspace, we were up and into it bright and early Monday morning. Those of us available were back Tuesday night to resume our weekly games, but none of them showed!

So our reign as champs is over for the present. We have grudgingly accepted the loss, talked over where we went wrong and are now determined that when we challenge before main body, the Cup will be returned to its rightful owners.

Hydroponics

The hydroponics unit has been going well these last few months. The door has proven to be challenging at the best of times and some manpower has had to be used in order to get us in (see they do have their uses!). The floor is still collecting a lot of water, but we're confident that we don't need our swimwear just yet.

Ray, our faithful electrician, usually clears the vents on top but as he has been extremely busy of late, I thought that I might have a go myself. Well, I managed to get a ladder from the hangar and get on top of the roof. By this stage my fingers had already begun to ice up. Attacking the vents with a shovel (is there any other way to do it?), I attempted to remove all the ice build-up from around them. I finally managed to get 90% of the ice off but my fingers were numb from five minutes exposure to the elements. It was time to descend. Just as I stepped onto the top rung of the ladder it decided to move to a precarious eighty-degree angle and I'm thinking how far away the ground looks. Luckily I managed to scale down with my heart in my mouth and the thought that I'll never do that again… well, not unless someone is holding the ladder. Who thought hydroponics could be so scary?!

Harvest wise we have had plenty of lettuce for at least one or two salads a day and then some. The cucumbers which had got off to a fairly dismal start have been flourishing in recent months. Never mind that the foliage hasn't looked a hundred percent, it doesn't present a problem with fruiting at all. The second batch of tomatoes, planted three months ago, are now producing fruit. It's so great to have some bright reds and greens in the middle of winter. The zucchinis have been steady producers and every couple of weeks we are able to get enough for a serving of twelve. That about sums up hydroponics for the last couple of months. The fantastic thing about hydroponics in Antarctica… no pestilence!

Time for Play

On the closing days of the month the McMurdo Players put on a series of four short plays at the Chalet over at McMurdo.

Having spent about six weeks in preparation the cast and crew were ready to show their wares. Many a session was held at Scott Base as the cast learnt their lines. Meanwhile the folks behind the scenes (including our own Herm the Handywoman) were busy preparing programms, props and costumes. The end result testified to the skill and dedication put in by so many people.

It was quite an event, held over three nights, with one person being taken to the Theatre for her birthday (the tickets were free!). Drinks and cheese were served and during the first play nuts were showered on the front rows of the audience.

In "Unprogrammed", Pauline played a figment of a computer geek's imagination. French accent, innocent, charming ways, she played her part superbly. Alas, he found her too good to be true and her amour was no match for his armour. She was culmination of all the best

"Unprogrammed": Pauline, Garrett and Steve play their parts

female traits in his database. The counterpoint was his friend; lost without his woman at the start of the play but moving to a more balanced relationship by the end. Steve was a natural, playing the role of the love struck friend while Garrett gave an excellent performance of a man confused between bytes and affection.

The other plays covered: loony relations as a son and spouse visit his mother, what happens if you get multiple chances to start a relationship (when the bell rings indicating another clanger, you get to start that part again) and a food fashion photographer's fetish for fingers.

Back in the real world perhaps we could see a little less of Steve's character, a little more of Pauline's and Garrett? He plays a geek just a little too well!

Scott Base People

The one everybody has been waiting for, Mike Zehnpfennig's life story exclusively for The Nite Carte.

Once upon a time a stork carrying a rather big baby (60cm, over 10 pounds) in its beak was flying over the great land of Germany. The poor beast was tiring quickly and accidentally dropped its load. So it happened that I turned out to be a German. I also turned out to be an Aries and a rat according to the Chinese Zodiac. (But I am not completely sure about that). Legend has it that the stork had made a mistake before take off. I was supposed to be twins but somehow it picked up the wrong load and, since there wasn’t much weight difference between me and a pair of twins the stork never noticed.

I grew up rather shy, never liked going to Kindergarten and rather enjoyed staying at home and contemplating life, the universe and everything. I didn’t enjoy school much more, but slipped through from year to year ending with the so-called "humanistic" education (Latin and Greek were part of the curriculum). I had six years of Latin, but managed to get away from Greek. After finishing school at just 18 years, I thought that kind of education was pretty fitting for starting a career in the merchant marine. My mother must have thought the same because she was so overcome with joy she fainted.

So carrying all the nonsense of pirate stories, Captain Cook etc., I joined my first vessel in Hamburg during the winter of 1978. The fall from dream to reality was rather abrupt. After surviving that shock we sailed out in the English Channel bound for West Africa. There we encountered one of those famous "Storms of the Century". Six ships around us sank with all hands, but we made it. During that storm I discovered that coffee could lift out of its cup, hang motionless awhile, before landing all over you. In addition I discovered that seasickness is exactly what it is... Very unpleasant! We reached Africa and my first Christmas was spent on a beach in Sierra Leone with a plastic Christmas tree in the background. Ship after ship followed, taking me to various places around the globe.

Then, in time, I decided to get my engineering degree, still thinking my "humanistic" education would be a good foundation for that! After three semesters I got itchy feet and took off again for four months, thumbing my way through the US of A. Two more semesters followed and then some more time at sea, due to a lack of money. Finally, I finished college with something between a Bachelor and Masters Degree in Engineering.

I went back to sea with a company that was involved in salvage operations around the world. I did 18 months solid. I discovered: those guys on salvage were even crazier than on "normal" ships, that with 26 or 27 years you can still be the youngest by far on board and running out of an engine room that's filling up quickly with seawater is quite frightening. I could not remember how to withdraw money out of my account after spending 18 months at sea but the experience was great and the learning curve was good... not just in engineering.

Made redundant and with plenty of paid holiday on hand, it was time to do some serious travelling again. Ever tried it? Opening an atlas and poking your finger into it randomly? You might end up in New Zealand, which is what happened to me. In New Zealand I got involved with Greenpeace. I think I signed some papers during a rather wild party, but I can’t remember… I was either too drunk, stoned, or both. Anyway, the travelling with Greenpeace was even more intense, and on top of that one turned into a protector of the environment or an environmental terrorist depending on which angle you judge it. I saw action in Europe, South and North America, Asia and the Antarctic... the very place I am sitting in now. We did it all: put up banners, drove inflatables between whalers and the whale, jumped in front of ships to stop them, hurled ourselves out of helicopters and tried to unplug the nuclear bomb in Mururoa. Just your usual run of the mill stuff!

In NZ, I got involved with my great passion in life; diving. Maybe I used to be a fish or something in previous life!

After six years I needed a bit of a break from Greenpeace and looked for other activities to fulfill my destiny... whatever that might be! I worked on two ships with the rich and famous, which was a rather relaxing life, earning a lot of money with plenty of parties.

Then finally, on the second attempt, I’m doing my first winter-over in Antarctica. The year is slowly grinding to a close and I am not quite sure what comes next. But one thing is for sure... I’ll be back! Antarctica doesn’t let you go. Just look at all the ice junkies around the place. And in the immediate future? A sign I saw in a dive in Seattle comes to mind:

"Tomorrow you can be anywhere!" Michael

Auroras light up

It seems that the Aurora Australis has been holding its breath this season but it finally exhaled in July. In fact, on the last day of the month it let fair rip!

Walking back from McMurdo, I spotted some of the strongest auroras I have seen in my three winters on ice. There was a bright, rope-like aurora over Crater Hill and extending over Scott Base. To the north there was a distinct tinge of red to it, which is the first time I have seen that, normally they are a faint green colour.

The display consisted of various shapes: ropes, curtains and blobs. Walking home after the drama production on Friday I met some good friends from McMurdo who were awestruck by the intensity of the Southern Lights that night. Fortunately they had chosen that night to try to take some photos of the phenomenon.

Auroras are caused by charged particles from the sun (solar wind) interacting with the magnetic field of the earth. Because of the proximity of the magnetic pole, the magnetic field is strong in the polar regions. The particles encountering the strong magnetic field shift energy levels and a by-product of this is auroral light. Auroras are just one of the upper atmosphere physics displays played out for residents of Ross Island and as the sun returns there will be a kaleidoscope of coloured skies to watch.

Weather or Not…

July was a month of extremes on the weather front. The range of temperatures was 33.4°C, while winds would go from calm to a 'Herbie' in hours. Here's the statistics for July:

Maximum temperature: -12.1°C

Minimum temperature: -45.5°C

Average Temperature: -27.0°C

Maximum Wind Gust: 55 kts, South

Minimum Pressure: 971.7mB (Telecom Room?)

So there it is, if people ask the most common question of you when they find out you're calling from Antarctica "What's the weather like?" you no longer have to say "Cold and dark", you can be more specific. We'll be seeing the sun again about August 20, so be tolerant if you pick a time of day that should be light… old habits die hard and some of us may take a bit of time to update our responses!

What’s HOT and what’s NOT

The marinated steak at the Hut 10 dinners hosted by the McMurdo Telco guys was HOT, But not as HOT as the spicy barbecued chicken!

Watching auroras in the skies of Antarctica is HOT. The effect of the cold on cameras, fingers and cheeks while trying to record the luminous curtains in the sky is NOT.

Vehicles left unplugged on the hitching rail or left without the back seat pulled forward are NOT, because then the cab heater doesn't work, and it's really cool driving at minus forty. The vehicles at Scott Base have a heater in the engine cooling system and a fan heater in the cab which are powered off the mains at Scott Base.

The radiators in the library get HOT when turned on for only a short period, in fact sauna was a word that springs to mind. The radiators in the lower corridor were NOT… at least initially, but it seems that the water flow to them is now sufficient to keep the chill off.

The Night Carte hard copy compiled and edited by Eric

The Night Carte HTML version edited and posted on the Internet by Ray

www.geocities.com/coolrunnernz/

9-3-01