π¦πΆ 22.06.2023
Accepted a Station Support Assistant (SSA) role with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).
π¬π§ 01.08.2023
Final month before Cambridge training. Paperwork and medical completed, BAS kit bag packed, to-do list growing. Career break approved by work.
π‘ 16.08.2023
Family dinner: Roast chicken and homegrown vegetables. Slowly packing London life away. Primrose Hill sunset with an old friend.
π 20.08.2023
Weekend at Dad's: Played with the dogs in the sea, swam, watched seals from the shore.
π¦ 21.08.2023
Returned to London for work. Took the afternoon off. Friends moved my things to storage in their van. Feeling grateful.
π 30.08.2023
Last day at The Royal Household for a year.
π² 02.09.2023
Sold my bike.
π 03.09.2023
Pre-deployment training: Goodbye, London. King's Cross to Cambridge. Hot, busy train. Arrived at Girton College ~17:00. Dinner in Grand Hall; met colleagues going to Bird Island, South Georgia, Halley VI, and my station: Rothera. Good atmosphere.
π¦οΈ 11.09.2023
Rainy Suffolk day. At Mum's with three-year-old niece napping on my shoulder.
Training was comprehensive: Sea survival, emergency first aid, fire, mental health, physio, communication, a Foreign Office talk, and food safety. Heard a saying re Antarctic dating: 'The odds are good, but the goods are odd!'
ποΈ 14.09.2023
Travel:
21 Oct 2023 - Heathrow, UK > Punta Arenas, Chile. Via SΓ£o Paulo, Brazil, and Santiago, Chile.
26 Oct 2023 - Punta Arenas, Chile > Rothera Research Station, Adelaide Island, Antarctica on a Dash 7.
14 May 2024 - Rothera Research Station, Adelaide Island, Antarctica > Stanley, Falkland Islands on RRS Sir David Attenborough.
22 May 2024 - RAF Mount Pleasant, Falkland Islands > RAF Brize Norton, UK on a Voyager.
βοΈ 26.09.2023
Address:
Name
Rothera Research Station
British Antarctic Survey
Port Stanley
Falkland Islands
FIQQ 1ZZ
South Atlantic
No items >2 kg, plants, seeds, or alcohol.
πΊπΈ 04.10.2023
Five days visiting a friend in New York: Walks, beer, pizza!
𧳠12.10.2023
Nine days to go. Kit bag collected.
π¨π± 19.10.2023
Travel dates changed: Left on Tues 17. Now in Punta Arenas, Chile. Flew via SΓ£o Paulo and Santiago. Flying to Rothera on Saturday, weather permitting. Gracias a la vida!
π¬οΈ 22.10.2023
Delayed in Punta Arenas due to weather (~50 kt gusts). Next try for Rothera: Thurs 26.
Took a dip in the 6Β°C Strait of Magellan. Two six hour walks around the Magallanes National Reserve earlier this week. Some snow left on the hills. Nice seeing greenery before Antarctica. Enjoying Patagonian spring.
Beard lichen, Magallanes National Reserve, 21.10.2023
π« 27.10.2023
Rothera flight confirmed for tomorrow morning. Was delayed due to aircraft maintenance and 65 kt gusts. Currently prepping clothes for biosecurity and unpacking cold weather clothing. Excited!
Punta Arenas: Three national park walks, daily sea dips. Food highlights: Eel, salmon, llama, tripe, good coffee, and a very hot chilli. Team seems great. Genuine, interesting, friendly characters.
π 28.10.2023
Rothera: Arrived. Full moon above a sea of icebergs. Beautiful. Bit chilly though!
π§ 01.11.2023
Followed tracks in the snow to two AdΓ©lie penguins by the water. Icebergs and mountains behind them.
Started cleaning the station. My mentor is great. Night watch and kitchen training tomorrow.
π₯ 02.11.2023
Saw snow petrels, and an elephant seal.
Night duty training was thorough: Generators, plumbing, lab checks, cleaning, food storage, and emergency communications.
Learnt how to make yoghurt, coffee, and powdered milk: 'The art and philosophy of Nido making!'
First traverse walk cut short by weather. Ran down the glacier back to the station. Good fun.
π· 03.11.2023
14 km skidoo ride beside Reptile Ridge to the bothy (caboose). Great fun, good company, and the most beautiful views so far.
Lots of laundry to do.
πββοΈ 04.11.2023
First snowball fight! 35 kt wind; snow piling high.
Butchered beef for ~80 people this morning. Afternoon of washing up, view of penguins, Weddell seals, icebergs, sea, and glacier from the sink window.
First treadmill run: 5 km, 24:20.
πͺ 06.11.2023
~1 m icicles outside my window.
Treadmill: 5,000 icicles, 24:04.
π§Ή 14.11.2023
Night shifts: Checking the RO system and generators is nerve-wracking. Opened one door and it was snowed in to the top. Hard walking through deep snow. No issues so far.
Lots of cleaning; I wonder how many other people have danced with a mop in Antarctica. Nice having some time alone. The light at night is beautiful.
π 18.11.2023
Night shift finished: Final checks, then off to bed. Station busy, ~120 people. Deep snow cleared: Gravel roads and paths now open.
π 19.11.2023
Three Guinnesses last night (the maximum amount allowed). Slept well. Starting kitchen work for two weeks, baking bread and prepping. Excited!
πͺ 21.11.2023
Made 210 cookies, 34 bread loaves. Walked 8 km to the caboose last night with the doctor; got a cold nose. Started morning runway jogs.
π₯₯ 22.11.2023
100 buns and many coconut macaroons!
π₯ 26.11.2023
RRS Sir David Attenborough (SDA) visit: Prosecco at the ship's bar, a quick tour, and saw the bridge.
Enjoying kitchen work, getting better at baking. Excited for fresh(ish)/new ingredients delivered by the SDA.
βοΈ 28.11.2023
Co-piloting a Twin Otter to Sky Blu via Fossil Bluff for a fuel delivery tomorrow.
π 29.11.2023
Change of plan: Instead of co-piloting, spent the day baking 130 buns, chopping steak, making salad (with actual lettuce!), and skinning ~100 haddock fillets. Flight to Fossil Bluff rescheduled for tomorrow, weather permitting. Despite water usage restrictions I have taken two showers, but still smell of haddock.
π§ 04.12.2023
Back to cleaning: Toilets, sinks, mopped, hoovered. Nice being solo after kitchen fun.
Flight plans cancelled again: A broken down vehicle, a TAWS error, and the ever-changing weather. Came close, though; sat in the cockpit, watching the pilot's checks. Still waiting for the actual takeoff.
Heard awe-inspiring Weddell seal vocalisations during a late night 'point walk'.
On a boat trip, pulled a big piece of glacier ice from the sea, later used for drinks at the bar.
5 km, 23:09.
π· 07.12.2023
Decided to stop eating meat.
π 10.12.2023
Saw three Type B orcas.
βοΈ 14.12.2023
Late shift (14:00-22:00): Kitchen duty. The most washing up I have ever seen!
Chess vs Station Doctor: 3-3.
π 15.12.2023
Video call with the palace attendants for their Buckingham Palace Christmas party. Nice seeing everyone!
Night shifts start tomorrow.
ROV boat trip: Spotted a leopard seal and a crabeater seal. A moment of peace and quiet as it snowed on the water. Drove the ROV for a while.
Took station Christmas decorations down from the loft.
Afternoon snowmobile ride up the hill. Snowboarded for the first time in nearly two decades. Fun!
π 25.12.2023
Merry Christmas!
Solstice night shifts: 24 hours of sunlight, snow, no moon. Woke engineer at 03:30 (hydrogen alert), electrician at 23:30 (freezer query), IT at midnight (server issue). Back to days now, enjoying Christmas break. Refreshing early run to the caboose yesterday.
Finished night shifts (22:00-07:00). Woken at 01:00. Roommate had a note from Chief Pilot on our door:
'Dan, LET'S GO CHRISTMAS FLYING!! See you at 7.45 or else I'm waking you up. David.'
Co-piloting a plane in Antarctica for Christmas!
Approaching Fossil Bluff, 25.12.2023
π΄ 31.12.2023
Christmas: Co-piloted to Fossil Bluff. Amazing. Descended from 10,000 ft; pilot took over due to pilot induced oscillation, but overall, it was great. Despite wind, poor visibility, and ice on the wings and windshield, flew for ~2 hours.
Judged door decorations, enjoyed cheese board. Fat bike to Skiway Col (lots of pushing), first caboose run. Early shifts (07:00-15:00); cleaning and washing up. We are low on/out of a few things (shower gel, non-bio). SDA arrives on Thursday with supplies.
Fat biking, 29.12.2023
π« 01.01.2024
Happy New Year!
π 02.01.2024
Started eating meat again.
𧦠09.01.2024
Post arrived last Thursday: Slowly reading/opening it. Mug and knitted socks from Mum.
π¦ 14.01.2024
SDA replaced by HMS Protector, both gone now. Runway resurfacing, loud; no planes, using skiway for occasional flights. Roommate at Sky Blu.
Watched Navy vs Rothera football outside the hangar, light snow, AdΓ©lie penguins near the sideline; won 3-2.
Competed in the sixth annual Rothera Quidditch Match. In Muggle quidditch, the golden snitch is played by a person. Our snitch was wearing a lycra Elvis costume.
Today: Ran to caboose, sauna, walk. Saw a distant humpback whale. More crabeater seals, less snow, fewer AdΓ©lie penguins, Weddell seals.
Recently, an elephant seal cow visited the station, attracted by the sewage treatment plant's warmth and smell, totally immobile, sighing as people passed.
π² 15.01.2024
Fat bike: Cycled full flagline, ~40 km/h downhill on untouched snow. Great company. Not a cloud in sight.
π³οΈ 21.01.2024
Night shifts: Broke a Henry vacuum; created a trip hazard cleaning drains; had a migraine. The Head Chef stayed up with me. In the morning, cycled the flagline with Lead SSA. Feeling appreciative for new friends.
π 04.02.2024
Midway through my Antarctic season. Time moves fast, but the days are long.
π 07.02.2024
First time using snowshoes.
π¦ 11.02.2024
Seeing some fur seals around.
π 14.02.2024
Arctic terns and the sea, 11.02.2024
π 23.02.2024
35th birthday: Spoke with family. Enjoyed a windy, solo walk. Evening: Two beers; attended logistics talk. Double 'Happy Birthday' singalong (at presentation start, then later with chocolate raspberry cake). Heartfelt messages from colleagues; feeling content. Walking home, saw the moon for the first time in months.
π§ 09.03.2024
Mum asked for a new post: Helped in the lab and aquarium twice this week. Moved Glyptonotus antarcticus, Odontaster meridionalis, Heterocucumis, and Sterechinus for tank cleaning. Set up equipment and tested sea water samples for plankton analysis.
Season's end nears; colleagues leaving (I'm here for months more!). 'The sledge of dreams' fills up with their unwanted belongings, providing me with several new outfits.
π 08.04.2024
Four of us on a boat, retrieving a glider. The Boating Officer said: 'They say if you look a whale in the eye it changes you forever.' Saw six humpback whales; two playing around, and directly beneath the boat, nearly touchable.
π‘ 17.04.2024
Lagoon Island, 11.04.2024
ποΈ 21.05.2024
Last minute change of plan: Signed winter contract; informed Royal Household I will not return.
Watched SDA leave last week, fired a flare as they cast off. Last chance out for about six months. Now an Estates Support Assistant. Work so far has involved plumbing, roofing, casting off the SDA, mooring the SDA, and assisting generator mechanics. Days are getting very short; we will lose the sun for over a month soon. When not snowing and extremely windy (literal 'hold on to your hats' weather), the skies are faintly hallucinatory, featuring lenticular clouds, nacreous clouds, a beautiful peach colour, and a vivid blue. Night sky is crystal clear. The moon is bright. Doorways and windows are getting snowed in quickly; lots of digging needed.
Only 35 people on station now, and fewer than 2,000 on the entire continent, which means I get a bedroom to myself!
βοΈ 18.06.2024
Sea ice is 30 cm deep, ready for divers to chainsaw a hole. Excited to go out on the ice to help them.
Start of midwinter week: Bar crawl to different buildings; first real hangover since October '23. Winter Olympics: Wore hi-vis hoodie, hopped on a deflated space hopper with a tennis ball on a spoon down the runway, threw wellies. Won overall!
Learning station plumbing: Grease trap (smelly, scraped often), RO plant, boilers, tanks, pump house. Know which valves, buttons, and gauges to use in a power down.
Using today's light to cross-country ski to the caboose (a small hut in the local travel area) and stay there for the night as a small holiday. Every sunrise and sunset is amazing. Walks around 'the point' are now free from the ~150 angsty fur seals, and instead, there are a handful of elephant seals cuddled up.
The other day I took a dip in a sea water tank in the aquarium, which was -0.6Β°C. Brrrr!
βοΈ 22.06.2024
Nacreous clouds, 22.06.2024
π€ 02.07.2024
Mild polar insomnia. Making the most of limited light, stocktaking during dark hours.
πͺ 10.08.2024
Light is back, but temps dropped to -25Β°C. Frozen pipes. Quick Antarctic plumbing lessons. Huge mirages over sea ice. Little snuffling seal noses poking out of tide cracks. Crevasse training complete. Freezing beard weather!
Climbed North Stork. Snow petrels circled. Three overnight trips. Cross-country skiing improving.
Sun-up ceremony (19.07.2024) was brief, and delayed by two days because of a distinct lack of sun. Youngest resident played bagpipes.
Provisional departure: 04.11.2024. I am currently the only passenger booked on a Dash 7 across Drake Passage to Punta Arenas, Chile.
Bagpipes at the sun-up ceremony, 19.07.2024
π 14.08.2024
Sea ice, 13.08.2024
π· 07.09.2024
Back from three days in the caboose. Skidoos bogged, sledges rolled, plans cancelled, terrible at knots. Climbed North Stork, Middle Stork, Reptile Ridge. Tired but it was fun. Always unpredictable here.
π 21.10.2024
Planes have returned, signalling the end of winter, and bringing fresh fruit and veg!
Snow and ice are melting. A Weddell seal and pup near the point.
About 50 people on station, plus transiting crews. Winterers are very pale compared with new arrivals. I leave in two weeks.
Dreaming of warmth, trees, and swimming.
Weddell seal and pup, 19.10.2024
π 29.10.2024
One year in Antarctica yesterday.
Four nights at Lagoon Island (extra night due to sea ice). Arrived to five elephant seal pups, seven by the time we left. Saw two AdΓ©lie penguins, and a snowy sheathbill.
Sporting a strong forehead tanline from my hat.
π¨π± 03.11.2024
Arrived in Punta Arenas, Chile. Rain, grass, trees, dogs, cats, cars, and people! Fresh food. Said goodbye to some friends and colleagues. Overwhelmed by freedom and choice.
π 05.11.2024
Santiago. 25-30Β°C. Snow-capped Andes backdrop. Saw a rose tarantula. Walked ~35 km up Cerro San CristΓ³bal, through Santiago Metropolitan Park to Cerro El CarbΓ³n and back along the Mapocho River. Double bed, bath. Luxury!
π 10.12.2024
Home. Walked Dad's dogs. Watched a murmuration of starlings. Chinese with Mum and sister.
Took Mum's Christmas decorations down from the loft.
π₯ Winter team 2023/24
Left to right: Alex (Facilities), Steve (IT), Dan (Vehicle Mech), Jim (Mechanical Engineer), Jacob (Chef), Esme (Chef), Katie (Infrastructure Modernisation), Campbell (Vehicle Operator), Lyss (Ocean Scientist, now my girlfriend of nearly three years), Katie (Doctor), Adam (Chippy), Scott (Electrician), Neil (Field Guide), Yasser (General Assistant), Craig (Electrician), me (Estates General Assistant), Ben (Field Guide), Ciara (Electrical Engineer), Henry (Gen Mech), Louis (Gen Mech), Jono (Dive Officer), Hamish (Marine Operator), Billy (Head of Construction), Bex (Field Guide), George (Electrician), Rob (Vehicle Operator), Neil (Vehicle Operator), George (Chippy), Bart (Fitter), Victor (Meteorologist), Alex (Station Leader), Alan (Electrician), Andy (Boating Officer), Cheesecake (Vehicle Mech)