Station Happenings...

Hi there.  Thought I'd throw up some photos of some happenings about station that might be of interest.  To some more than others I would suspect.  I've put a little more detail into a few of the items, as I'm sure a couple of people might be looking at it with intrigue...

We're getting to the end of our meat rations... can't you tell.  This one has in the freezer from most of the winter.  Made for quite a nice Saturday dinner though.  Meat is being restocked when Voyage II arrives in about three weeks.

A few pictures of the beer making setup.  As you might expect there is a fair quantity of beer consumed on station.  The boys, and girls, are pretty good though, and don't get too untidy.  You'll notice the two main brewing drums, the two silver 44's.  There are two smaller 60 Lt. drums and then another couple of the standard 30 Lt screw tops.  Generally they stick to the standard cooper mixes for the larger quantity brews, and try a few different ones in smaller batches.  They are keen on the Draughts, Black and Tan's, Lagers and a few darker beers.  I noticed in the diary there were a couple of honey beers made over the winter... not too many to be seen on the shelves though.  They also do an apple cider, which they're not too sure of the alcohol content of, as well as a ginger beer.  Both seem to go pretty quickly.

The key to their consistency...  A couple of pictures of their bottle washing setup.  You'll see in the bottom left, there is a place unfilled.  There you can see a perforated copper rod which sprays water up inside the bottle which is placed over it...  I guess you'll get the drift.  The two drums under the stainless hopper both are hooked up to the pump.  One has your disinfectant solution, one has fresh water - both are hot.  The taps are arranged in a manner so as you can reticulate the water, or flush it straight out to the sewer.  They are run separately, but able to be interrupted and swapped over with the swing of a couple of ball valves.







Casey has a small hydroponics program.  It's setup in two insulated 20 foot containers - the white ones above.  They remain split though the middle, dividing the space up into two compartments, and a small air-lock to stop the loss of heat when a person enters.  While it falls far short of providing all the green veggies the station would consume, it does contribute a few welcome additions.  At the moment there is a selection of herbs, salad greens, some Asian vegetables, capsicum, chillies, some silver beet, and of course tomatoes.  It's something I would have been keen to be involved with.  However, being summerer, and also being part of the contingent heading to the Wilkes air field, I don't really get the chance, nor are eligible for the training.

You'll notice the small digital thermometer and humidity reader.  While the figures might not be too surprising, the humidity is interesting.  It's one thing that people living in Antarctica notice.  Waking of a morning it's not unusual to feel dry and blocked up.  You notice you drink more, and you don't seem to sweat as much.  The air is dry to start with, but when heated, the humidity drops as the volume of air increases.  And with such a difference betweet initail and final temp, this is significant.  The ac unit has a humidifier in it, but most have rigged up their own makeshift ones to add a little more comfort to their rooms.  Mine is a piece of perforated stainless folded into a 'V'.  I've upturned it in a tub of water.  A cloth is placed over the perf, and draws water from below.  It is then sat in front of a supply air vent.

Anyway, that's probably enough for one blog.

A post for Sophie and Jake

Dear Sophie and Jake,

Mum told me you visited the museum a little while ago.  I hope you enjoyed it.  Mum also told me that you were interested in seeing where I live.  So I thought I might take some photos and show you where I sleep, and some of the clothes that we wear in Antarctica.

So, this photo shows two little cabins.  My cabin is the green one.  I share my cabin with two men.  Their names are Geoff and Peter.  Geoff is a Plumber and Pete is an Electrician.  My window is the one on the top right.

Inside the cabin it is a little bit squashy too.  I’ve got the top bed, and Geoff sleeps on the bottom.  Pete’s bed is at the other end.  It’s very cold at night, and if we need to go to the toilet we need to walk in the snow.  Can you see the little bottle with the blue lid?  Geoff does his wees in this so he doesn’t have to go out in the cold.

I also thought I’d show you some of the clothes we wear.  I asked Geoff if he could dress up so I could show you.

Our layer number one is our thermals.  I haven’t got a photo of these because Geoff got embarrassed.

Layer number 2 are our work clothes.  These are normally blue.  If we are going to get wet we take these off, because they get very cold and don’t dry very quickly.

Layer number 3 is our polar fleece.  Geoff has his polar fleece jumper on, but not his pants.

Layer number 4 keeps the wind and snow out.  It’s very thin, but makes a big difference.  We also wear gloves, beanie, sunglasses…

 and big warm boots.

When it gets really cold we put on big, thick overalls which are puffy like a sleeping bag.

Now I have a question for you.  There is one thing I’ve forgotten. 

I’ll give you three clues –

1 - You put it on, but it’s not a piece of clothing.

2 – You put it on when you go to the beach.

3 – If someone has it on, you don’t always see it.

You might like to push the down button and see some other photos I've taken.  If you go down far enough you'll see a photo of a seal, and another of a penguin.  There's a photo of a big red bus too.  Have a look at how big the wheels are!

If you would like to see photos of anything else, maybe you could send  a message.

See you soon. 

Travel Training

Travel training is a required part of an expeditioner's schedule when they first hit station.  It gives those working in the field some practical experience in navigation, map reading and the use of vehicles and huts.  While some aspects are general knowledge, much is new and interesting.

  Brad and Simon putting the hard yards in...  When heading out on the sea ice, it must first be drilled to check thickness.  The ice needs to be at least 400mm thick for quads, and varying thicknesses for other other traffic - 200mm foot traffic, and I can't recall what it is for the Hags.  At this time of year the conditions can change rapidly.  The sea ice can break up and move quickly, as was the case after some recent northerlies.

From Casey, we're fortunate to have access to a number of field huts.  They vary in size and proximity to station - the closest is about a half hour quad bike ride from station, the furthest over two hours away.  The one pictured is Robbo's hut, on Robinson peninsular.  It's south of Casey, and right on the water.  Almost T-shirt and shorts weather!

This is an iceberg which has become lodged in the sea ice.  They can assist in locking the sea ice into position.  Once the ice is freed up, it disintegrates quickly...

Quad's are an easy and versatile means of transport and great fun at the same time.

Not sure exactly what sort of moss it is, but it's quite abundant about Casey.

Work... yes there's still a little of this.

Projects

There are a couple of projects on the go at Casey.  The one of greatest importance is the West Wing Extension.  This will provide a further 36 beds and is required in part to be completed by the arrival of Voyage Two on about the 10th of December.  Things have crept a little behind, but progress is still strong enough for us to achieve what we need to.  Services are all but roughed in, walls, doors and other openings are nearing completion.  The external cladding will commence in the coming couple of week, but is not critical.  Beds and other built-in furniture will commence this week, and should take the best part of three weeks.

You'll notice from the below photos the extension is made up of a stack of 40 foot containers.  A fridge panel type cladding will then enclose the structure.

View of the northern elevation

From left to right: Brad (Carpenter), Myself, Tim (Carpenter) and Pete (Building Services Supervisor)

It's very similar to a commercial ferry inside.  Those who have been on the Spirit of Tasmania will have seen something quite similar.  Narrow,  colour coded passage ways, light weight prefinished walls, and low, drop in ceilings.  It's a simple and neat setup.  Much of the internal works were done in Australia before the containers headed south.

The other main project we'll be working on is the comms building for the Wilkins Aerodrome.  This is again a stack of 40 foot containers.  This time on a sled which will be towed up to Wilkins in the coming week or so.  Most of the work is done, the final fitout still to come.  Following on from this will be an accommodation building for Wilkins.  This one will be on a sled, but constructed on site, rather than at Casey.  I'm anticipating being up at the runway for 8 to 10 day stints. 

Just to finish off, I thought I'd post a photos of the Carpenters workshop.  As with each of the workshop spaces, it's well equipped. 

I also visited a penguin colony on an island close by Casey...  I'll add a little more in a future blog.

My home at Casey

I thought I'd give you a little insight into what my new home at Casey is really like.  The "Big Red" building houses the living quarters, kitchen and dining, bar and recreation spaces.  All beds are currently filled, so on our arrival, a few more spaces needed to be rustled up.  Along with a few others, I'm in a shipping container not far from the main building.  Jokes aside, it's not a bad spot.  The worst part is the necessity to dress up each time you make a trip, whether it be to the bathroom, the mess or just to check your email.  I have a bottle by my bed which makes the trips a little less regular.

I'll have to practice the stitching of photos, but this gives a little perspective as to where I'm living.  I have my back to the sea.  My guess is it's maybe 400m or so to the water, or the edge of the sea ice.  The little green shed is my container - shared with Geoff and Peter.

Casey's Bar.  A busy place come knock-off. 

My cosy abode.

The "Wallow"... 

Lounge area at Casey.  From the lounge you look out over the bay to the north. 

The ever changing features of the surrounding landscape mean it's never a bore.

 I'm skipping back a little way, to the pressure ridges at Scott base.  The folding of the sea ice is formed seasonally, and is really quite magnificent.  We visited while killing time at McMurdo.

Part of the team amongst the pressure ridges.  We had a guided tour of the ridges and saw some spectacular sights.  It was here that we saw a Weddell Seal and pup (see the last blog for a picture), they use the openings in the ice to gain access from the water.

Take off

So the time finally came, and we headed south - be it a little later than expected.  Some poor weather followed by the sad news of a French chopper crash delayed our departure from Hobart.  Our flight from Hobart headed direct to Antarctica, a four hour flight landing at McMurdo - a large US base located east of Casey.

Our next leg was then delayed by further poor weather.  The poor weather wasn't actually at the McMurdo end though, but rather at Casey.  So being stuck at McMurdo with the Yanks ended up being quite a welcome addition to our Antarctic adventures.  We explored a few of the local attractions - the Ob Tube, down under the sea ice, the Old Scott Hut, and over the hill we went to Scotts base (NZ). 

Airbus A-319 on the air strip at McMudo.  Check out the skies!

View of McMurdo form Ob Hill

One of the Yanks Tanks.

Weddell Seal by the Pressure Cracks at Scott Base

Aboard the Herc which took us through to Casey.  First attempt was a no go, having to turn around three hours in.  Second try was a smooth flight of about four hours, landed on the Casey Skiway.