21/2/08   Noon

Everyone one’s a bit subdued as we wait for the weather to ease enough to move on to Port Lockroy.  This continuous grey is getting to all of us.

17:00

We left around 13:30. We had been advised to have some one on the spreaders to look out for rocks and shallow patches so up went Steve until we cleared the channel entrance approach.  As we began to work our way around to the North East the weather deteriorated and we had a small blizzard, making visibility ridiculous and when the seabed began to shallow rapidly we decided to turn back towards Port Circumcision.  As we approached in a vigorous North Easter, it became obvious that manoeuvring in really narrow space  with a strong  cross wind wasn’t going to be easy so we decided to head for an anchorage on the northern tip of Booth Island.  This is on the Southern side of a peninsula opposite Port Charcot; another anchorage which had been recommended but also condemned as too dangerous which in this weather it certainly would be.  We are anchored stern to with nearly 100 meters of chain hanging on the two tandem anchors with three stern lines.  We are very secure.    

The net result of this afternoon’s folly is that we are 2 ½ miles North of where we were this morning and  1 ¾ miles from where we turned back, having logged 18 miles. But we are free from rocks and nasty channels and will have a clear run to Port Lockroy. This looks an interesting place if only the weather would behave.

21:00

A few minutes go the snow stopped and the sun came out and everyone rushed on deck to view the wonderfully strange light.  There was even a small patch of blue.  For the first time today the paparazzi clicks were heard in full force.  A convoy of icebergs has appeared in the head of the bay but are not threatening to us in this position. The shore looks even more inviting. The penguins are waiting for us.  Fingers crossed for tomorrow morning.

22/8/08 11:30

Believe it or not we woke to a partly sunny sky and all went ashore for a couple of hours of tramping.  We climbed a high point where the Frenchman Charcot had left a pile of rocks as a memorial to himself having spent a winter here.  Apparently he had to put up a chain to try and keep the icebergs out.

Our weather guru is suggesting an early morning start across the Drake on the 25^th.  He is looking at it in more detail and will get back to us.  We want an early AM start so we have maximum hours of daylight to get clear of any lingering Ice...  We’re off shortly for Port Lockroy.

The last of the attached pictures  shows a part of yeterday's area which we were unhappy moving through  with zero viz.