Today is December 1st; on the 5th or 6th I will
get on a ship and leave South Georgia!
I am not sure I can
describe how that feels. It will be exactly 13 months since I first set foot on
this magical isle. 13 months in which I have experienced soaring highs and
plummeting lows (far far less lows than highs); where I have been able to
experience some of the most amazing scenery and surroundings; live in a BBC
wildlife series every day; work with dedicated people, make incredible friends
and discover a resilience (mainly for dealing with engines) within myself that
I was pretty sure was there but I now have had confirmed repeatedly.
When I woke last Monday with the realisation that this was
my last full week here, I decided to make the most of it. Nearly every evening
I have been going out for walks and when I was in the office I was mainly just
looking out of the window.
I spent most of the week completing the handover for my new
guys. This involved more training, showing them how to do maintenance and
mostly a lot of talking. I don’t know how they feel but I was tired of the
sound of my own voice by about Smoko on Monday. The poor guys had to endure my
explanations of things but so far, all credit to them, they haven’t asked me to
shut up or go away. The funniest bit of the handover was the dry run of
slipping a jetboat. We couldn’t do it properly since 1. There was a ship tied
up and we can’t slip a boat when there is a ship in the way and 2. The tide
wasn’t right. When I said “we’ll do a dry run” I could see them rolling their
eyes and asking themselves why on earth we were bothering. When we had hitched
the JCB up to the trailer and then spent 15 mins trying to manoeuvre it around
a pile of wood and a seal they began to see the point. In the end we had to
move the wood because we couldn’t get the trailer to do what a normal trailer
should. After half an hour more of my careful explanations and demonstrations
(well, more me saying something then adding “Oh I forgot to say...”) they
looked both frazzled and worried and we decided that I would leave them my
number so if ever they got the boat stuck half way on the trailer they could
call me and ask for advice. Perhaps not the best way to leave things but
without actually slipping the boat it was the best I could do. It took about 2
hours to go through the whole thing and I think they had more respect for the
system and the boats after that. I just hope that the first time they do it, it
goes smoothly.
I was very good on Thursday and didn’t get out of bed and
allowed them to deal with taking people out to a ship early in the morning by
themselves. It was tough though. Those boats have been my babies for 13 months
and for 13 months I have nearly always been the one on the water so to leave
them to it took a certain amount of self control. I was very proud of myself. Later
on that day we tried to get round to West Cumberland Bay to do the last bit of
local knowledge stuff but the wind and swell combined to outwit us at Sappho
Point and we had to turn round. It was a good experience because they got to
see what conditions we would go home in and I was able to introduce them to the
most glamorous of the boaties’ duties: food scraps. Lovely, at least it feeds
the birds.
On Tuesday Julie and I walked round to Susa Point along the
beach. We found the first fur seal pups over this side of the bay and spent a
fair amount of time cooing at them (well Julie did, I acted like a big bad,
experienced winterer and remained cool on the outside while inside all I was
doing was saying: “so cute, so cute, I want one”). We walked past one very
pregnant female and then when we turned back almost immediately she had a new
pup. It was literally 3.5 mins old and was lovely. Well no, it was slimy and
squeaking but lovely none the less. We also came across a pup that was about 3
days old and so full of attitude it bounced towards us on its flips trying to scare
us off. However, what it didn’t know was that pup growls are very endearing so
it didn’t have quite the desired effect.
Brand spanking new pup |
Lunch time |
Pint sized attitude |
On Friday we finally had a break in the wind and we went
round to West Cumberland Bay while we could. Rod asked us to take some wood to
Sealers cave for a possible ex winterers last night away. This meant we took
Dotty, the 2.5m tender (and pride of the fleet) with us. We dropped the wood at
Sealers cave at Maiviken and then proceeded up West Cumberland Bay. I got
Matthew to drive close to the shore when we got near Carr Valley so I could see
if I could find the entrance to Curlew Cave. It was small wonder that we
couldn’t see it before when we weren’t sure where it was. It is perfectly
hidden. As we drove on the sun came out and twinkled on the glaciers at the end
of the bay. It also highlighted the Sooties soaring around the boat and cliffs.
It was at that point that I started to really think about the fact that I may
never come back here again or if I do it won’t be for a long time. I had to
leave the cabin and go outside so the chaps wouldn’t see the tears start to
course down my cheeks. When we got back to the jetty I was greatly cheered by
the snottiest seal I have ever seen. He really was very special.
Dotty, rather full of new boatmen |
Launch from Sealers Cave |
Entrance to Curlew Cave from the sea |
Snotty |
The weekend dawned snowy and nasty. It was really rather
unpleasant. Julie, Tim and I had said we would help Daniel count Penguin nests
so we duly trudged over to Maiviken in the snow. I was wearing my waterproofs
which I never normally wear so that was an odd feeling. My boots are no longer
waterproof at all. I am not surprised. I have battered them and tramped them
through most of our travel area for 13 months, over some of the least forgiving
terrain there is: scree and acidic bog. I have come to love those boots and
have never had a bad time in them.
The penguins were very unimpressed with the snow, as were
we. I nearly had to put on my snow goggles just to be able to see to count
them. Once we had finished we went down to have a look at Tortula and then
Daniel continued on his rounds while we retreated to the hut for tea and lunch.
Tim and Julie said they could see why Daniel eats quite so much if he has to do
that every other day and were incredibly impressed with Hazel’s record of the Maiviken
run of 47mins – an amazing achievement.
Unimpressed by the weather |
Ugly chick ....... |
......but look who grew up all beautiful |
On Sunday it was no longer snowing... it was raining, even
worse. Deciding that I need to make the most of this place no matter what, I
determined to go out anyway but not to Papua beach which I had been planning on,
rather to Penguin River for a short walk and then back. Valiantly Micky and
Julie decided to accompany me. Fortified by several cups of coffee and pancakes
(we were mainly waiting for the rain to stop which it didn’t) we headed round.
We decided to go via the beach. Although it means having to deal with more
Furries than going along Brown Flats, it allowed us to see more pups. It was a
most enjoyable walk, the only thing that caused a small flutter was when a
‘psycho seal’ came charging towards us.
Micky put out his aluminium walking pole in prescribed seal fending off
fashion at which point this large male bit the walking pole in two, shook it
and took it off with him into the tussock. I am not sure about Micky but my
heart rate definitely rose slightly. It is so easy to become blasé about the
seals but it takes an episode like that to just remind one that they can be
vicious. All’s well that ends well though and we continued and finished a very
nice walk, avoiding that part of the beach on the return.
I am now about to go and eat dinner with the builders for
the last time and then spend another evening contemplating packing and mainly
drinking tea.
I will write another blog when I leave but I will not be
able to post it till I arrive back in Stanley. So for now, from South Georgia,
I will sign off.
Out
Planet in the night sky |
A last rainbow |
God speed, but not too speedily, eh? But what are we going to read now, I'd like to know? x N
ReplyDeleteIt sounds as though leaving will be almost unbearably sad for you, but I get the feeling Antarctica is going to be a moveable feast; you'll take it with you everywhere you go.
ReplyDeleteBut what about us, your students? You've been our instructor on this Introduction to Wilderness course for the last 13 months. How can you abandon us now? While you're back home (and no doubt busy arranging Ella Up North or Ella Out West), won't you continue the blog? Maybe less frequently? I know there won't be much scree surfing, cooing at seal cubs or gallivanting in ice caves back home, but perhaps there will be other things worth writing about.
Anyway, take care, and thanks for sharing your incredible adventure with us.
Oz