News in this edition:

30-01. Four Peninsula Voyages Scheduled For Bark 'Europa'.
30-02. Blind Adventurer Preparing For Trek To Pole.
30-03. Proposed World Flight Includes Peninsula Visit.
30-04. Two Major Yacht Races To Cross Sub-Antarctic Waters.
30-05. CD-ROM Outlines Techniques For Adelie Colony Visits.
30-06. Largest Ever Ozone 'Hole' Observed Over Antarctica.
30-07. Coming Events Relevant to Non-Government Activities.

IN READING PLEASE NOTE: This newsletter is being produced in the interest of improved information sharing in the Antarctic community. Inclusion of information in it should not be taken to imply endorsement, by the publishers of ANAN News, of any company, program or associated activity that is listed, nor that the activity has necessarily completed all environmental impact assessments required under the legislation of the 'home' nation.

The classical three-masted, square-rigged barque 'Europa', is expected to become the largest sailing vessel to have visited Antarctic waters for many decades when she carries up to 200 tourists on four voyages to the Antarctic Peninsula during the 2000-01 austral summer. Next season's voyages follow five similar journeys conducted by the fifty metre, three-masted schooner, 'Oosterschelde' in recent years (ANAN-14/05, 2 February 2000), and that vessel's Dutch operating company is involved in planning, marketing and supporting Europa's Peninsula operations.

Current planning calls for 'Europa' to visit a number of locations popular with tourist operators in the north-western part of the Antarctic Peninsula (ANAN-23/02, 7 June 2000). The locations stretch over a distance of 350 km from the South Shetland Islands in the north to the Argentina Islands in the south. The planned voyage routine is very similar to that of the 'Oosterschelde' and reflects the experience gained by that vessel over its two seasons of operation in the Peninsula area.

All four of the 21-day voyages to the Peninsula planned in 2000-01 are to leave from and return to the southern Argentinean port of Ushuaia. Departures are scheduled for 12 December, 4 and 27 January and 19 February, one full day being allowed in port between the days of arrival and departure. Each three week voyage will cost participants $US4,940 ex Ushuaia.

Locations listed for 'Europa' visits ifweather and ice conditions allow include the Aitcho Islands, Hannah Point, Trinity Island, Enterprise Island, Paradise Harbour, the Lemaire Channel, Vernadskiy the Ukranian station in the Argentine Islands, Petermann Island and Port Lockroy. .

If the weather is suitable when 'Europa' is at Port Lockroy, passengers will be offered the chance of climbing 545 m high Jabet Peak on Wiencke Island. The peak is located some two kilometres north of the U.K. station on Goudier Island which is the most popular visitor site in the Antarctic region (ANAN-28/04, 16 August 2000). Provided ice conditions are suitable the schedule calls for 'Europa' to depart from Port Lockroy for Ushuaia via the Neumayer Channel.

Publicity for forthcoming operations says that activities will be conducted 'in accordance with the Environmental Protocol' and a number of approaches are planned for the management of passengers going ashore. These include care around wildlife, management of rubbish, bans on the removal of plants, rocks or any other item, or disturbance to huts or historic sites. No details are available as to whether an environmental impact assessment for the planned voyages has been or is being undertaken by the vessel's Dutch operators.

'Europa', whose home port is Amsterdam, was built in Germany in 1911 and served as a lightship near the mouth of the River Elbe until being purchased in the 1986 by Dutchman Harry Smit who planned to refurbish the vessel and convert her for commercial tourist operations.

Due to funding difficulties however it was not until 1988 that restoration and conversion work which eventually cost around $US3M actually got underway, and 1994 before 'Europa' carried her first paying passengers. Since then she has operated mainly in north-western Europe, although she has also travelled across the Atlantic to take part in various tall ships events along the north-eastern seaboard of North America. The vessel is owned and operated by Smit Tall Ship Limited which is wholly owned by Harry Smit.

Smit's vessel has a steel hull, an overall length of 56 m, breadth of 8 m, a draft of 3.8 m, and 27 sails with a total sail area of 1,250 square metres. She has been completely refitted internally with two, four and six berth cabins for up to 52 passengers and 10-12 crew. She is thus larger than 'Oosterschelde', being around six metres longer, drawing almost an extra metre in draft, carries thirty per cent more sail, and twice the number of passengers. Even though she has two 310 kW engines much of the vessel's work is undertaken using only its sails. The engines are normally only used for manoeuvering to anchorages or when approaching harbour, although occasionally they must also be used at sea.

Communications from the ship are undertaken via an Inmarsat C facility, high frequency and other radio equipment. She has a full set of modern navigation aids and safety equipment, and carries two inflatable dinghies and another boat for ship-shore transfers. The crew are primarily responsible for the operation of the vessel although passengers usually get involved in various aspects of the running of the ship.

'Europa' is scheduled to depart from Amsterdam on 14 September and is to travel southwards via Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, Recife and Rio de Janeiro (both Brazil), Montivideo (Uruguay) and Comodoro Rivadavia (Argentina). The return journey to Amsterdam is due to commence from Ushuaia on 14 March and will be via Rio de Janeiro and the Canary Islands. Arrival back in Amsterdam is currently scheduled for around 30 May 2001. Fare paying passengers will be carried on the various legs of both the southward and northward voyages.

The e-mail contact for the Antarctic voyages is: antarctica@oosterschelde.nl

[ANAN-30/01]

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A blind adventurer from the U.K., Miles Hilton-Barber, is preparing to undertake the 1,100 km traverse from the Patriot Hills in Ellsworth Land to the South Geographic Pole (SGP) late this year. Hilton-Barber, who will undertake the journey with sighted companion Jon Cook, says that the aim of his trek is to inspire blind and partially sighted people to view their circumstances as a challenge rather than a handicap, and to raise over $US3M for the UK's Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB).

Hilton-Barber and Cook, who are scheduled to leave the UK on 23 October, are to be supported in Antarctica by commercial air operator Adventure Network International (ANI) according to the RNIB (ANAN-28/02, 16 August 2000). An RNIB spokeswoman told ANAN yesterday that the pair have obtained some funding from private and corporate sources towards the cost of the venture and that although more money is needed "the trip will go ahead no matter what".

ANI is expected to fly the pair from Punta Arenas, Chile, to the starting point of their planned traverse in the Patriot Hills. If flights from Punta Arenas run to schedule Hilton-Barber and Cook could commence their traverse around 3 November and arrival at the SGP is nominally listed for around 5 January 2001 (ANAN-7/01, 27 October 1999). ANI will also provide search and rescue cover during the journey and fly the two trekkers back to Chile from the SGP via the Patriot Hills.

Work is currently underway to devise a range of physical and electronic guidance methods to help Miles cope with the "different geographical and weather conditions" that face the pair on their trek. Few details are available of these arrangements at this time however, nor what contingencies will apply should Cook experience problems during the journey. One problem anticipated by Hilton-Barber is that given that his hands act as his eyes and that he recognises objects by touch, the need to wear gloves much of the time will represent a particular obstacle to his handling of equipment.

The journey to the Pole is part of a package of adventure activities that the RNIB calls 'Challenging Horizons: A Blind Man's Journey to the Edges of the World'. To date the program has resulted in Hilton-Barber and Cook reaching the 5,895 m summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, getting to within 100 m of the top of 4,810 m Mont Blanc in Europe, and to within 300 m of the summit of 6,189 m Island Peak in the Himalayas. Both the latter attempts had to be abandoned due to bad weather. In addition the pair have also successfully completed the Marathon Des Sables, a 250 km race through the Sahara Desert, as well as a range of other adventure pursuits.

Apart from the SGP trek future expeditions proposed under the 'Challening Horizons' program include Hilton-Barber and Cook climbing 6,194 m Mount McKinley in North America, Mount Everest, and Vinson Massif Antarctica's highest mountain at 5,140 m. The Everest attempt is scheduled for the northern Spring of 2002, however as yet no schedule has been set for the Vinson Massif climb.

Hilton-Barber and Cook's traverse is one of a number of similar journeys that seem likely to be conducted from the general vicinity of the Patriot Hills to the SGP in 2000-01.

Others announced to date include the Danish South Pole Expedition (ANAN-26/03, 19 July 2000), the Pole to Pole trek (ANAN-19/10, 12 April 2000), the Sasquatch Expedition provided funding becomes available (ANAN-28/05, 16 August 2000), and one or more commercial traverses although no details are available these at this stage (ANAN-27/05, 2 August 2000). Despite several requests for up-dates from ANAN, nothing is currently known about the status of planning for the Trans Antarctic Expedition 2000 (TAE 2000) whose aim was to cross the continent from Berkner Island to the Ross Sea in 2000-01 (ANAN-22/02, 24 May 2000).

At least two other expeditions are expected to be engaged in treks to the Pole and beyond from Dronning Maud Land. These are the Norwegian Antarctic Expedition which involves a traverse to the Pole, and the Bancroft-Arnesen Expedition whose aim like TAE 2000 is to cross the continent (ANAN-27/06, 2 August 2000).

[ANAN-30/02]

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A four month, 200,000 km, round-the-world flight proposed by a Saudi Arabian group for later this year, includes a planned round-trip operation from Punta Arenas, Chile, to Chile's Teniente Rodolpho Marsh station on King George Island near the northern end of the Antarctic Peninsula sometime early in 2001.

Should the flight to Marsh eventuate it will be the third private flight conducted to the Peninsula region in the past twelve months, following similar operations made by U.S. and Australian pilots during the 1999-2000 austral summer to Argentina's Marambio and Chile's Marsh stations (ANAN-29/05, 30 August 2000).

The Saudi company Najaco, whose interests are said to include real estate, publishing and adventure sports, is behind the proposed venture. A single-engined Cessna Grand Caravan 208B aircraft similar to the type used by both the U.S. and Australian groups last austral summer is to be used for the world flight. The flight from Punta Arenas to King George Island is expected to take just under four hours each way, however whether plans call for the aircraft to return immediately to the southern Chilean city if weather permits or remain overnight or longer at Marsh has not been announced.

Najaco took delivery of the Caravan from Cessna's production line in mid-July and it was ferried to France in mid-August, although a variety of technical and other difficulties delayed its arrival there. Detailed preparations, including pilot training, for the proposed seven continent operation are said to now be underway in France in the lead up to the start of the world journey on 1 November.

Amer Khashoggi the Chairman of Najaco has been named as the pilot for the world flight. He is expected to be accompanied by three others, although they have yet to be named. It is not clear just where the flight will start from or end at, nor just when in the New Year the flight to King George Island will take place. Najaco originally planned to start from Riyadh, however it said last weekend that Saudi civil aviation authorities have refused permission for the Caravan to be based in Saudi Arabia. The reason for the Saudi decision and whether it will impact on planned flight operations is not known at this time.

The flight around the world, which has apparently been on the drawing board for several years, was originally set to commence on 1 August, however this was revised first to 23 September and more recently to 1 November.

[ANAN-30/03]

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Some thirty-two yachts taking part in two major round-the-world yacht races are scheduled to cross sub-Antarctic waters in 2000-01, one fleet travelling west-east with the prevailing winds and the other in the opposite direction. The first and longer race, the BT Global Challenge, got underway last Sunday, while the other the Vendee Globe is not scheduled to commence until 5 November.

Twelve identical, 24 m yachts each crewed by between 20 and 30 people make up the BT Global Challenge fleet. The 45,000 km, ten month 'wrong way around' event, which started and is to finish in the U.K. involves eight race legs, two of them involving westwards transits of sub-Antarctic waters into the prevailing westerly winds and easterly setting currents.

The first of these sees the fleet undertaking a 9,600 km, one month, journey from Buenos Aires, Argentina, around Cape Horn to Wellington, New Zealand, commencing on 10 December. One expert has estimated however that the need to work into wind during this leg is likely to add as much as 800 km to this journey. The second will involve a similar one month long journey from Sydney, Australia, south of Tasmania to the vicinity of Kerguelen in the sub-Antarctic and on to Cape Town, South Africa, commencing in the middle of March 2001. The fleet is due back in the U.K. around mid-year.

The second race, the Vendee Globe, is due to start from France on 5 November, and involves an eastwards rather than a westwards transit of the sub-Antarctic region. Twenty mono-hulled, single crewed, 15-18 m yachts are expected to take part in what is planned as a non-stop 42,000 km journey.

After departure from France the Vendee fleet is to sail down the Atlantic and into the Southern Ocean, travelling eastward on the prevailing winds between sub-Antarctic Kerguelen and Heard Islands in the south Indian Ocean then onwards to Cape Horn along Latitude 57° South. Macquarie Island is expected to be the closest they come to land between Heard Island and the Horn.

After rounding the Cape competitors will head north up the Atlantic to the finishing line in France, the winner being the first to arrive without stopping and without assistance. The current race record, which was set in the last race in 1996-97, is 105 days, 20 hours and 31 minutes; therefore the first yachts are expected to reach the finish line in France around mid-February.

If the respective timetables for both races are met the fleets should pass each be in the general south-east Pacific part of the sub-Antarctic around New Year. The BT Challenge will be the third 'wrong way round race of its kind, while this is also the Vendee Globe's third race. Crewmembers have been lost in the Southern Ocean during past races and a number of yachts damaged or lost. In addition a number of past incidents have led to some dramatic rescues of crewmembers by yachts in the same fleet and by national rescue authorities.

[ANAN-30/04]

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A CD-ROM released by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) this week provides a layperson's summary of research the Australian program has conducted into how humans can minimise disturbance when visiting breeding Adélie penguins. The CD is titled 'Giving Penguins Their Space: Viewing breeding Adélie penguins without causing disturbance', and it was principally developed as a training tool for Australian national program personnel, however its content also makes it suitable for anyone visiting Adélie colonies, including tourists.

While there are a range of views in the scientific community about the effect human visitors can have on penguin colonies, and no internationally agreed standards as yet exist, the CD is the first known attempt to provide the results of behavioural studies in such a manner. The AAD is currently examining ways in which it and other similar productions can be made available 'on line' via video streaming processes in the future.

The Adelie CD provides descriptions of the methods and outcomes of research conducted by Dr Mellisa Giese of the AAD near Davis station in Princess Elizabeth Land. Footage is included of some of the behavioural and physiological effects humans can have on penguins if they approach their nests too closely or in an inappropriate manner, and behavioural cues that provide a straightforward means of gauging if nesting birds are disturbed are described. The CD recommends a minimum viewing distance of ten metres for breeding Adélies and summarises the general behaviour should be adopted by visitors.

The CD, which runs for ten minutes, will run on both PC or MacIntosh computers provided they have a 4 time CD-ROM, can run at over 100 MHz, and that version 4 of the QuickTime program has been installed. The program is presented in English, although there are plans to produce versions in other languages, including Russian and Spanish. Copies of the CD can be obtained by contacting: tourism@aad.gov.au

In addition to the Adélie studies, Melissa has also studied the effect of helicopter noise on Emperor penguins (ANAN-5/05, 29 September 1999). Her findings led to the Australian national program increasing the minimum overflight altitude for its twin-engine helicopters over-flying emperor penguin colonies from 1,000 to 1,500 m, and for single-engined helicopters from 500 to 750 m.

Dr Giese is to commence a three-year project to study the effect various human activities have on Weddell seals next month. The work planned includes an evaluation of disturbances caused by oversnow vehicles, helicopters, pedestrians, and general noise both above and below water, and is expected to result in approach distances and other guidelines as have the Adélie and Emporer work. The Weddell studies are to take place near Davis station.

[ANAN-30/05]

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Data collected by an U.S. satellite over the past month shows that the area of ozone 'hole' over the Antarctic at the start of this year's austral spring is the largest on record. Similar measurements taken at the same time last year suggested that the area then was slightly less than in 1998, although at the time researchers warned that that improvement was not an indication of the recovery of Antarctic ozone levels (ANAN-6/08, 13 October 1999).

This year's 'hole' reached a record size of 28.3 million square kilometres, or twice the size of the Antarctic continent, on 3 September, up 1.1 million square kilometres on the previous record high measured in September 1998. Last year the area was put at 25.4 million square kilometres. The U.S. agency NASA said last week that the size of the hole or ozone depletion has now stabilised, however the low levels in its interior continue to fall. Typically the lowest readings in the ozone hole are normally observed in late September or early October, therefore it is possible that the 'hole' could increase further and become more intense over the next few weeks.

Data released last week came primarily from the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) instrument aboard NASA's Earth Probe satellite. TOMS ozone data and pictures are available on line.

[ANAN-30/06]

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YEAR 2000

4-6 October (Boulder, United States)
American Polar Society Bi-Annual Meeting.
Contact: mckie@cires.colarado.edu (Julie McKie)

11 October (Sydney, Australia)
16 October (Canberra, Australia)
19 October (Newcastle, Australia)
25 October (Brisbane, Australia)
1 November 2000 (Melbourne, Australia)
3 November 2000 (Hobart, Australia)
7 November 2000 (Adelaide, Australia)
14 November 2000 (Perth, Australia)
Presentations by Peter Treseder on his 1999-2000 cross-Antarctica attempt.
Contact: jodyh@yhansw.org.au (Jody Hoffman)

YEAR 2001

5 February (King George Island, Antarctica)
Fourth Antarctic Marathon and Half Marathon.
Contact: marathon@shore.net (Thom Gilligan)

July [Dates to be set] (Washington, D.C., United States).
IAATO year 2001 annual meeting.
Contact: iaato@iaato.org (Denise Landau)(invitation required).

20-24 August (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
COMNAP XIII (including the sub-committee on Tourism and Non-Government Operations).
Contact: jsayers@comnap.aq (Jack Sayers).

YEAR 2002

February [Date to be set](King George Island, Antarctica)
Fifth Antarctic Marathon and Half Marathon.
Contact: marathon@shore.net (Thom Gilligan)

July [Dates/location to be set] (Europe).
IAATO year 2002 annual meeting.
Contact: iaato@iaato.org (Denise Landau)(invitation required).

13-18 July (Shanghai, China)
COMNAP XIV (including the sub-committee on Tourism and Non-Government Operations).
Contact: jsayers@comnap.aq (Jack Sayers).

YEAR 2003

July [Dates to be set] (Seattle, United States).
IAATO year 2003 annual meeting.
Contact: iaato@iaato.org (Denise Landau)(invitation required).

[ANAN-30/07]

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