ANTARCTIC NON-GOVERNMENT ACTIVITY NEWS
Tourism Industry |
Brief news items on Antarctic and sub-Antarctic
non-government expedition activities.
ANAN 66
Wednesday, 13 February 2002
News in this edition:
66-01. Malaysian PM, senior officials, visit Peninsula on tourist vessel.
66-02 Pole-stranding visit confirmed as a private venture.
66-03. Fees add new dimension to management of tourist, adventure, ops.
66-04. Deception Island evaluation includes consideration of tourist zones.
66-05. Race fleet rounds Cape Horn after difficult Pacific crossing.
66-06. KGI waste, rubbish, delivered to Montevideo.
66-07. First tourist visit made to Leningradskaya.
66-08. Private hut removed from George V Land.
66-09. Elephant Island ascent ends expedition program.
66-10. 'Jules Verne' record attempts to involve rapid high-latitude passages.
66-11. Coming events relevant to non-government activities.
MALAYSIAN PM, SENIOR OFFICIALS VISIT PENINSULA ON TOURIST VESSEL
[ANAN-66/01]
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad visited the Antarctic Peninsula on the tourist vessel 'Kapitan Dranitsyn' last week, becoming one of the few heads of government to have visited the continent. Dr Mahathir's visit was, however, unique in that it was the first time such a high-ranking official has utilised non-government resources for such a trip.
Senior members of the Malaysian government, including Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Science, Technology and Environment Minister Datuk Law Hieng Ding, together with some 70 other Malaysian nationals, accompanied the PM on the voyage. One Malaysian media commentator described Dr Mahathir's trip in his newspaper column as a "six-day working visit [that is] part of a month-long holiday".
Arrangements for the Malaysian group to travel on 'Dranitsyn' appear to have been made only within the last month. While only broad details are available, it is understood that the trip was only possible because another tour group that had previously arranged to sub-charter 'Dranitsyn' in early February from its US-based operators Quark Expeditions, cancelled that booking in early January.
Dr Mahathir left Ushuaia, Argentina, on 5 February on a voyage similar to that taken by many tourists to the Peninsula region. Initial reports suggest that landings may have been made at such places as Neko Harbour, Paradise Bay, Petermann Island and the Ukranian station Vernadskiy, although that information is yet to be confirmed. 'Kapitan Dranitsyn' returned to Ushuaia on 13 February.
Malaysia's interest in Antarctica has grown in recent years. The Malaysian Academy of Sciences, which was established by Mahathir, held a special meeting in 1999 to discuss a range of Antarctic issues, including the potential for its scientists to conduct research in the region. ATS nations were invited to send representatives to the gathering and four researchers from the national programs of Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the US are believed to have attended.
That and other contacts, some which pre-dated the meeting, have resulted in a handful of scientists from the south-east Asian nation visiting the continent to conduct research projects in recent years. Three of those who have visited Antarctica with the national programs of Australia, New Zealand and UK were on board 'Dranitsyn' and are understood to have briefed Mahathir about their experiences.
Dr Mahathir had for many years argued for the management of the Antarctic region to come under the auspices of the United Nations and was a vocalcritic of what he perceived was the "exclusive nature" of the Antarctic Treaty System. At the time of distribution of ANAN, there had not been anyofficial announcement by Malaysia on the outcomes of Dr Mahathir's visit and what impact his visit may have on the south-east Asian nation's approach to Antarctic matters. The Prime Minister is expected to return to work in Kuala Lumpur at the end of this month.
The fourteen people who were stranded at the South Geographic Pole (SGP) last month when their aircraft developed engine problems were taking part in a privately financed venture, not a government operation, according to Circumpolar Expeditions (CERPOLEX), the France-based company that coordinated the activity (ANAN-64/01, 16 January 2002).
CERPOLEX's Nicolas Mingasson told ANAN that all funds for the operation came from a "Swedish citizen and his six friends [all of whom are] passionate about polar regions". Mingasson said that the group and Dr Arthur Chilingarov, who is currently the Deputy Chair of the Russian Parliament, became friends as a result of their involvement in an attempt to make the first flight by helicopter to the North Geographic Pole. That attempt, in September 1999, had to be aborted some 400 km from the Pole because "the ice at that time was not thick enough", but a second in April 2000 reached its goal.
Following that success, the group of enthusiasts decided to try and visit the SGP and asked CERPOLEX to examine ways in which this might be achieved. As a result the company is understood to have looked at a number of options for the visit and, according to Mingasson, Dr Chilingarov, who worked in both north and south polar areas over many years before entering politics, was asked to "advise on the aviation side" of the operation and how best to proceed with the venture.
Dr Chilingarov subsequently recommended that the group fly into the Patriot Hills in Ellsworth Land from Punta Arenas, Chile, using a heavy-lift Ilyushin-76 (IL-76). That intercontinental operation has been well-proven by US-owned tour operator Adventure Network International (ANAN-28/02, 16 August 2000), the Chilean national program, and the Russian-organised 'Millennium Expedition' (ANAN-14/02, 2 February 2000).
In addition to the IL-76 a smaller Antonov-3 (An-3), an up-graded version of the long-proven Soviet-era An-2 bi-plane, was recommended for the 2,200-km round-trip flight to the Pole from the Patriot Hills. The An-3 consists of a standard AN-2 airframe fitted with a modern turboprop engine and all-new avionics. Personnel from the AN-3's 'Paliot' design office and factory in Omsk subsequently became involved in the project and one of the aims of the venture became "to demonstrate that the An-3 can be useful for scientific polar expeditions".
As part of the package, CERPOLEX says that Dr Chilingarov also asked Chile to allow the group to use its small summer station in the Patriot Hills, and for US authorities to provide fuel for the An-3's expected return flight from the Pole.
Media reports in Russia in recent weeks indicate that following the visit to the US's Amundsen-Scott station, the An-3's engine could only be started "after several attempts". When it finally turned over, however, "a strong engine vibration" developed, and as a result the two pilots quickly shut it down. The reports speculated that the problem could have resulted because the aircraft had stood for four hours in temperatures between -25° and -28°C or that the "real amount of oxygen in the air [at] the Pole is [equivalent to] 5000 m above the sea level" affected engine systems.
Mr Mingasson said last week that the exact cause is not know but that the aircraft's "black box" is currently at the Russian Department of Civil Aviation and that an attempt is being made to determine the nature of the problem. CERPOLEX says that it is "in detailed discussions" with the Russian government to try and find an appropriate way of returning the aircraft from the Pole next season.
While no decision appears to have been taken yet on the return of the aircraft, a recent Russian newspaper report suggested that one plan being considered was for a "new engine and four technicians", at least two of whom would presumably be pilots, to be flown to the Pole next austral summer. Once there they would change the engine and if all went well the aircraft would be flown from Antarctica "via the Patriot Hills".
Just how those involved would travel to the Pole and how fuel would be provided for the An-3 flight, either at the Pole or on the flight route to southern South America, was not discussed.
French government legislation that requires vessels conducting tourist and adventure activities in Adelie Land to pay an anchorage fee and a personal tax when visiting the region has added a new dimension to the management of non-government activities in Antarctica. While a number of nations charge fees for recreational visits to their sub-Antarctic islands, this is believed to be the first time a general visit charge has been levied in the Antarctic region proper.
US tour operator Quark Expeditions is thought to have been the first non-government operator to have to be charged a fee when its ship 'Kapitan Khlebnikov' visited France's Dumont d'Urville station on the Adelie Land coast in February last year. At that time, few details emerged about the levy, however, the matter was given a public airing late last month when the Australian-based tour company Ocean Frontiers complained vigorously when it was requested to pay anchorage and visitor fees for a visit by its Vanuatu-registered vessel, 'Sir Hubert Wilkins' (SHW). Both 'Khlebnikov' and 'SHW' had visited the area prior to those visits without being required to pay a visit fee.
The French rulings, which are believed to have been in place for at least several years prior to their revision and reissuing in June last year, cover Terre Adelie and the French sub-Antarctic islands administered by the Terre Australes et Antarctiques Francaises (TAAF).
The TAAF region, which is administered from Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean, is made up of five discreet districts that include Crozet, Kerguelen, Saint Paul and Amsterdam Islands, as well as Adelie Land, the sector France claims on the Antarctic continent. France's sovereignty over the islands is not disputed internationally, however, its continental claim is recognised by only a few other nations and the application of anchorage and visitor fees there has caused disquiet in some non-government circles.
In general, the two rulings, which are numbered 2001-19 and 2001-20, apply equally to each TAAF district and appear to apply primarily to visitors to the French Antarctic Territories who are conducting tourist or adventure-type activities. A scale of charges, which is based on vessel size, is imposed in the first instance, ranging from the equivalent of around $U130 for a craft up to19 m in length, to close to $US6,700 for a ship of 101 m or more. On top of that, a per person/per day fee equivalent to just under $US10 also applies. TAAF has indicated, however, that the fees are significantly less than the "real cost" of such visits to French Antarctic research activities.
Ocean Frontier's principal, Don McIntyre, who was also expedition leader during SHW's January visit, says that he was only told of the requirement to pay a fee, equivalent to around $US1,700, a few days prior to his ship's arrival at Dumont d'Urville (see ANAN-66/08 following). He was quoted by the Australian media at the time as saying that while he personally accepted the right of French authorities to charge a fee to visit Dumont d'Urville to cover any costs involved, the rules for visits to Adelie Land appeared "inconsistent and hard to interpret". Although SHW anchored off the station, only a small group from the ship went ashore there, and McIntyre said he made it clear that he was not prepared to pay the charges as requested.
McIntyre was also quoted in the on-line newsletter 'The Antarctican' (http://www.antarctican.com) as saying that "very important issues are at stake" for non-government operators and that he was planning to contact TAAF authorities in Reunion to seek clarification of the matter, as is allowed in the rulings. He also indicated that his company, which is a Provisional member of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, had contacted the association about the situation and asked that it look at the matter at the earliest opportunity. Ocean Frontier's yacht 'National Investment Institute', which is currently undertaking a seven-month circumnavigation of Antarctica, is scheduled to visit another TAAF territory, Kerguelen, late next month (ANAN-58/10, 7 November 2001).
Antarctic policy researchers who have attempted to clarify the situation with TAAF officials have told ANAN that they too have as yet been unable to clarify all the arrangements that apply, but they hoped that further information may be available in the next few weeks. The Chief-of-Staff to the administrator of TAAF, Mr Thierry Perillo, could not be contacted for comment.
A group of researchers, environmental managers and others from both the government and non-government sectors is currently working on Deception Island off the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula as part of an international project to develop a 'whole-of-use' management plan for the island. Part of the evaluation involves activities that could lead to the formal designation of tourist visit zones there, and the project may eventually serve as a model for establishing integrated land management arrangements for similar areas in other parts of Antarctica.
Deception Island consists of a large flooded volcanic caldera, called Port Foster, which is open to the sea through a narrow but navigable entrance. Humans have been visiting the island for close to 180 years, initially using it as a base for sealing and whaling operations and exploration of the surrounding region, but nowadays using it for scientific research.
In recent decades Deception has been popular with tourists with Whalers Bay, the site of a former whaling station, being the most visited place in Antarctica in 2000-01;over 7,000 people went ashore there (ANAN-59/02, 14 November 2001). Other sites around the island such as Pendulum Cove, Telefon and Fumerole Bays, which like Whalers Bay are inside the caldera, and Baily Head on the more exposed, outer, south-east coast of the island, are also visited by tourists.
According to data collected by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO), which are collated by the US National Science Foundation, in the ten seasons from 1990-91, tourist vessels conducted 1,090 visits to the island from which some 91,706 landings by passengers were made (ANAN-23/02, 7 June 2000).
For many years tourists stayed within a few hundred metres of where they were landed. More recently though, passengers on some tour ships have been offered the opportunity to walk much longer distances during their time ashore.
A popular walk provided by some companies, when weather conditions are suitable, involves landing tourists at Baily Head for a walk up over the crater rim to Whalers Bay, a distance of 3-4 kilometres. During their hike, the ship travels into Port Foster and waits at Whalers Bay for the walkers to arrive. Although such visits are normally closely supervised by tour operators, an increasing number of people are visiting the area by yacht or other small craft, and such groups may not be as well briefed.
Over the past thirty years the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) has established two Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) at Deception, one in the waters of the caldera, and the other on land adjacent to the whaling station. In addition, three places in the Whalers Bay area, including the whaling station itself, have been included on the ATS list of Historic Sites and Monuments in order to commemorate significant aspects of human activity there during the early 20th century.
The need to introduce an integrated management plan for the island, which takes into account its values, multiple uses, and ways in which people could be evacuated from there in the event of a major volcanic eruption, has been discussed internationally for several years.
Talks at the Special Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in The Netherlands in September 2000 led to a workshop being organised to consider the issues in detail. That meeting, which was held in Santiago, Chile, in March last year, produced the skeleton of a draft management plan and concluded that in order to develop it further a coordinated ground survey of the island was needed. That led to the current field program, its aim being to study in detail the island's intrinsic values, including biological, geomorphological and cultural aspects, as a means to integrate the needs of science, conservation, and tourism.
The 15 to16-person group that is currently at Deception is understood to consist of representatives of the national programs of Argentina, Chile, Norway, Spain, the UK and the US, plus members of non-government bodies IAATO and the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition. Those involved arrived on the island by varying modes of transport during the first week of this month, some travelling on the Argentinian national program icebreaker 'Irizar' and others landing from tourist and other vessels.
The group is understood to be using part of Argentina's Decepción station at Fumarole Bay at the western-end of the caldera as its main base during the stay. An eight-person, tent-based camp was also to be established at Whalers Bay six kilometres away to the east, while the setting-up of a light-weight two-person camp at Baily Head was apparently also under consideration. Small inflatable rubber boats were to be used for transport between Fumarole and Whalers Bays. Vulcanologists based at Spain's Gabriel de Castilla station near Fumerole Bay are also taking part in the project.
Survey group members are expected to stay on the island for periods varying from a few weeks to just over a month. Some will leave the island on tour ships while others may be there until the 'Irizar' returns in mid-March.
The Santiago workshop is understood to have suggested that the best option for an integrated management plan would be development of an Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASMA) for the island, a framework that would incorporate sub-areas of different kinds within it. Following the current evaluation on the island, a new report is expected to be prepared by those involved that may provide recommendations on how best to move forward with the development of a management plan.
That report is likely to be presented to the Twenty-Fifth Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM-XXV) for consideration. ATCM-XXV is scheduled to be held in Warsaw, Poland, from 3-14 September this year (ANAN-52/01, 1 August 2001).
Seven of the eight yachts in the 'Volvo Ocean Race' rounded Cape Horn over the last few days after a difficult, incident-packed crossing of sub-Antarctic waters from Auckland, New Zealand, during which one craft struck a growler and another was dismasted. The bulk of the fleet has now passed the Falkland Islands on the way to Rio de Janerio, Brazil, where the fourth leg of the around-the-world race is to end, while SEB, the yacht that lost its mast, is headed for Punta Arenas, Chile.
The fleet of 20-m yachts frequently reported seeing icebergs and large growlers during the first few days of February as they made their way eastwards in close proximity to latitude 60° south, at times travelling at speeds in excess of 25 knots (ANAN-65/07, 30 January 2002).
'News Corp' subsequently struck a growler while travelling at over 20 knots on 5 February and was forced to alter course for a period so that the boat could be checked and repairs made to the mast and sails that were damaged in stormy conditions. At the time of that incident the yacht was just over half way between Auckland and the Horn in one of the remotest parts of the South Ocean.
Two days later another competitor, the yacht 'SEB', was dismasted some 2,000 km west of Cape Horn, its 28-m rig being broken just above the boom. The mast was cut away so that it did not inflict further damage to 'SEB' and the boat is currently using a jury rig and its engine to head slowly for Punta Arenas where it is expected to arrive early this coming weekend. Once there, current plans call for the yacht to be loaded on the frieghter 'BBC Anglia' for transport to Rio where a new mast is to be installed for leg 5 of the race to Miami in the US. Two yachts lost their masts during the same leg of the race four years ago.
Six members of the fleet, 'illbruck', 'Amer Sports One', 'Tyco', 'djuice', 'News Corp' and 'Assa Abloy', rounded the Horn in close proximity to one another early this week, but on approaching the Falkland Islands they split into two groups, four going west of the islands and two, 'Amer Sports One' and 'djuice', electing to go to the east to try and pick-up the best sailing conditions. 'Amer Sports Too' is currently behind the main bunch and could pass the Falklands in the next few days.
The fleet left Auckland on 27 January and the leading boats are expected to arrive in Rio early next week. Race details, including six-hourly updates of yacht positions, are available at: http://www.volvooceanrace.com/.
Waste materials removed from King George Island (KGI) by the non-government group 'Mission Antarctica' (MA) were delivered to the Uruguan capital of Montivideo for recycling early in February. The bulk of the 1,000 tonnes of scrap metal, oils and other items that were removed in a month-long operation over the new year came from Russia's Bellingshausen station, although several tonnes were also returned from Chilean and Uruguayan stations on the island, following requests from station personnel.
MA's web site says that its ship 'Anne Boye' had to wait at anchor off Montivideo for nine days for clearance from customs to land its cargo, and it was delayed from entering the harbour there for a further day by high winds. Unloading of the scrap and other materials into trucks for delivery to a recycling plant finally began on 1 February and was completed a few days later, the disjointed nature of the cargo slowing discharged operations.
'Anne Boye' had left KGI on 9 January, four days earlier than reported previously by this newsletter (ANAN-65/01, 30 January 2002), and travelled to Uruguay via Stanley in the Falkland Islands where a workboat and other equipment was discharged for shipment back to the UK by another vessel. MA's KGI team leader during the clean-up operation, Gerry Brennan, accompanied 'Anne Boye' to the Falkland Islands, whilst the other five members of his group left KGI on a Chilean Air Force 'Hercules' aircraft.
Meanwhile, MA's yacht '2041' commenced its fourth voyage of the season from KGI with sponsored passengers on 9 February. It left KGI over a week later than planned as first a prolonged period of bad weather, and then other aircraft operations into Chile's Tenente Marsh airfield, delayed the flight on which Voyage 4 personnel arrived from, and Voyage 3 participants left for, Punta Arenas. 2041's fourth voyage is believed to be operating with only seven sponsored passengers as one passenger returned immediately from KGI on the aircraft on which they arrived "due to a medical problem", the details of which were not disclosed.
Full details of Mission Antarctica's activities, reports from the field, and sponsorship details, can be obtained on line at: http://www.missionantarctica.com/.
Ninety-four people from the tourist vessel 'Kapitan Khlebnikov' visited the disused Russian year-round station Leningradskaya in Oates Land on 3 February, the first such landing ever made by a non-government group anywhere along that remote ice-bound coast.
Plans for the Leningradskaya visit were added to Khlebnikov's itinerary in late January after satellite and other data received during tour operations in the nearby Ross Sea suggested that ice conditions north of the station might allow the ship to get within helicopter range of it. Tourist voyage leaders continually review and adjust their landing plans to suit the prevailing conditions and, as a result, environmental impact assessments prepared for such operations allow for opportunistic landings like that at Leningradskaya, provided no undue impact might result.
Additional time available to the voyage, and the presence of a direct lead north from Cape Adare, led to the decision to attempt the visit to Leningradskaya. The vessel subsequently left the Ross Sea and turned westwards to the north of Cape Adare, rather than heading directly for sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island as had previously been anticipated.
Leningradskaya consists of some half-a-dozen buildings located at the top of a coastal nunatak 20 km to the west of longitude 160 degrees east, its high position affording visitors spectacular views of the surrounding icescape. The nunatak is orientated west-east and the station stretches out along it, the seaward side of the rock outcrop featuring a 220-m high cliff that drops vertically to the sea just a short distance north of the building line.
The approach towards the station from the north took 'Khlebnikov' 14 hours, the transit being made through large floes of broken, multi-year fast ice, with the assistance of helicopter reconnaissance flights. The ship, which is a true ice-breaker rather than just ice-strengthened, was eventually able to get within 20 km of the station and that, together with good weather conditions on the day, allowed the unscheduled visit to proceed.
During a seven-hour fly-off operation, 57 passengers, 15 expedition and catering staff, and 22 of the ship's crew, were flown to Leningradskaya. While there, the living quarters and mess areas were visited. A report from the ship emphasised that "no items found were handled or removed and that all doors were securely locked prior to departure". As the 'Khlebnikov' operation may also have been the first by anyone to the deserted station since it was closed ten years ago, a detailed report on the condition of buildings has been prepared for the information of Russian national program authorities.
Leningradskaya was one of eight year-round stations operated around the continent in the 1980s by the former Soviet Union. The establishment and on-going running of it, and another now-closed Soviet station Russkaya, on the coast of Marie Byrd Land to the east of the Ross Sea, proved very difficult due to persistent heavy sea-ice well off-shore. Not only did ships have to penetrate the heavy pack ice zone, but all supplies had to be flown a considerable distance to shore by helicopter, an operation that was often delayed for days or sometimes weeks at a time by bad weather.
On several occasions in the 1980s, and despite the fact that resupply activities were scheduled for the March-April period when pack ice conditions were in theory at their minimum, even icebreaking vessels became beset for months at a time north of both stations, causing major disruptions to expedition operations. Such problems, and funding shortfalls that resulted following the collapse of the Soviet Union, led to the two stations eventually being closed early in 1993.
'Khlebnikov' landed tourists at Russkaya for the first time three years ago this month during a 'semi-circumnavigation' voyage from Lyttleton, New Zealand, to Ushuaia, Argentina, via both the Ross and Amundsen Seas.
A small privately-owned hut that was set up at Cape Denison, George V Land, in 1995, and which housed three wintering ventures over a five-year period, was dismantled last month and has since been returned to Australia on the tourist vessel 'Sir Hubert Wilkins'. Removal of the hut had originally been scheduled for early last year, however, poor weather conditions prevented removal work being carried out at that time (ANAN-41/16, 14 February 2001).
'Gadget' hut was erected by Australians Don and Margie McIntyre and they used it to spend the austral winter of 1995 at Cape Denison. It was also occupied by Alfred Winklemeyer, who wintered alone in 1997, and Yvonne and Jim Claypole in 1999 (ANAN-8/05, 10 November 1999). The McIntyres, who are now the principles of Ocean Frontiers the Australian-based company that operates 'Sir Hubert Wilkins', and the Claypoles, were on board the ship for the dismantling operation last month.
Removal of the hut took place during 'Sir Hubert Wilkins' lone voyage to Antarctica this austral summer. The vessel arrived off Cape Denison with 33 on board on 12 January after a six-day journey from Hobart, Australia, on a voyage whose start had been delayed for three weeks due to an accident which injured the ship's then Chief Engineer (ANAN-62/04, 19 December 2001). It took just two days to dismantle the hut and ferry it to the ship, good weather aiding the work involved, although the lack of snow due to a particularly heavy thaw made carriage of the materials across the rocks to boats at the waters' edge more difficult than expected.
In addition to work on the hut a range of other activities were conducted over the six days the ship stood off Cape Denison. These included: filming for a planned television documentary on Frank Hurley, the Australian photographer who is most famous his images of Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship 'Endurance' in 1915 and who wintered with Sir Douglas Mawson at Cape Denison in 1912; a search for anchors lost from Mawson's ship the 'Aurora' that same year (ANAN-21/06, 10 May 2000); ground-truthing for mapping programs; and work associated with the conservation of Mawson's expedition huts. All projects, except the search for the anchors, were completed successfully according to Ocean Frontiers.
'Sir Hubert Wilkins' visited the former French national program station Port Martin in Adelie Land to the west on 20 January, then returned to Cape Denison before leaving there for the last time on the 21st. It then spent two days near France's present-day station, Dumont d'Urville, although only three people, including expedition leader Don McIntyre, went ashore there for discussions with the station leader about concerns over the payment of an anchorage tax (see ANAN-66/03 preceding). The other passengers took part in small-boat cruises from the ship to observe icebergs and wildlife areas close by, but apparently did not land.
The ship visited sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island on 27-28 January and arrived back in Hobart on 2 February. Detailed day-to-day reports of the voyage are currently available on line at: http://www.oceanfrontiers.com.au/iceship/iceshipframe.htm.
Members of the British Army Antarctic Expedition (BAAE) climbed 974-m Mount Pendragon, the highest point on Elephant Island, on 31 January to end their two-month program of activities in the Antarctic Peninsula and adjacent regions (ANAN-65/05, 30 January 2002). The group, which says that it completed all of its objectives during the three days spent at the island, returned to the Falkland Islands in its yacht 'John Laing' on 4 February.
Elephant Island was sighted by the group on 30 January after a passage from Charcot Bay on the north-west coast of the Peninsula during which the yacht's engine was used for most of the time as there was little wind. Two four-man parties were quickly deployed on the island, one to make the attempt on Mount Pendragon, and the other a 15-km traverse from Hut Bluff to the vicinity of Stinker Point over an 800-m high plateau.
The Pendragon group was landed at Cape Lookout and established a camp at an elevation just over 100 m above sea level. Late on the 31st they left there and climbed upwards through cloud, carrying only day-packs and climbing equipment, and reached Pendragon's two adjacent summit peaks some six hours later. A very rapid descent from there to their camp was made in the early morning of 1 February.
The traverse from Hut Bluff went well until on the descent towards Stinker Point a large crevasse field was encountered which slowed progress, the 15-km trek in the end taking 12 hours. A night was spent in the Brazilian national program hut near Stinker Point before a search of the coastline was made in the vicinity to try and determine if any survivors of a ship that may have been wrecked there sometime in the sailing era had established a shelter nearby. No sign of any shelter was found, however.
While the two field parties were ashore, 'John Laing' conducted a circumnavigation of the island, collecting geological samples along the way. After the two field parties embarked, the 24-metre steel-hulled ketch departed for Stanley on 1 February.
Full details of the expedition's activities are available on line at: http://www.baae.org.uk/.
'JULES VERNE' RECORD ATTEMPTS TO INVOLVE RAPID HIGH-LATITUDE PASSAGES
[ANAN-66/10]
Attempts by the catamaran 'Orange' and trimaran 'Geronimo' to break the current 71-day 'Jules Verne' record for an around-the-world passage by sea are expected to see both craft make rapid high-latitude passages of the Southern Ocean in March and early April. Both 'Orange', which is waiting in northern France for favourable weather so that it can start its attempt, and 'Geronimo' which is currently hoping to get underway sometime next week, could break the existing record by up to ten days.
The 'Jules Verne' trophy rules are simple in that vessels must circumnavigate the globe via the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn, starting and finishing at the western entrance to the English Channel at a line drawn between Lizard Point in south-west England and the island of Ushant in north-west France.
The shortest theoretical distance between both Capes takes surface vessels to within a few hundred kilometres of the coast of the Antarctic continent where ice is frequently found, although the actual track taken will depend on the weather systems and other conditions that prevail from day-to-day.
Both yachts, each which has crews of 12-13 people, are capable of travelling at speeds of 40 knots or more during the passage eastwards towards the Horn. Their speed, the cold conditions and often very rough seas, combined with the presence of growlers, icebergs and the increasing length of darkness each day as autumn approaches in the southern hemisphere, will present major challenges to both crews. Last week one of the yachts in the 'Volvo' around-the-world race hit a growler and another dis-masted in waters south-west of Cape Horn (see ANAN-66/05 preceding).
'Orange' traversed southern-waters early last year as 'Innovation Explorer' in 'The Race', an around-the-world event for large multi-hulls. It finished second to the winner 'Club Med' (ANAN-40/07, 31 January 2001).
'Club Med' won that race in just over 62 days, which is well under the current 'Jules Verne' record, but as that event started off Barcelona, Spain, and finished near Marseilles, France, it did not qualify for record consideration under 'Jules Verne' rules. However, the fact that participants in 'The Race' had to sail through Cook Strait, New Zealand, on their way around the world from the Mediterranean, a much longer distance than 'Orange' or 'Geronimo' are expected to have to sail, suggests that if conditions are favourable both craft are capable of lowering the 'Jules Verne' record to sixty days or less.
The current 71-day record was set in 1997 by a crew on the trimaram 'Port-Elec' which was skippered by Frenchman Olivier de Kersauson. Olivier is also skippering 'Geronimo' for the current attempt, while another French national, Bruno Peyron, is in charge of 'Orange'. Both craft have very experienced crews, each person having participated in numerous major ocean races, and many being involved in previous around-the-world events and 'Jules Verne' record attempts.
Near-daily up-dates of Orange's progress can be accessed on line at http://www.nickmoloney.com and weekly reports at http://www.madsforsailing.com. Images of 'Orange' taken prior to its departure on the 'Jules Verne' attempt are currently on line at: http://www.martin-raget.com/eng/actu/detail.cfm?numero=295.
COMING EVENTS RELEVANT TO NON-GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES
[ANAN-66/11]
Please forward notice of events via e-mail to: tourism@aad.gov.au. Up-dates are made to ANAN's web site at: http://www.antdiv.gov.au/goingsouth/tourism/Research/BibConf/Confer/default as soon as new information comes to hand.
YEAR 2002
2 March (King George Island, Antarctica)
Fifth Antarctic Marathon and Half Marathon (ANAN-53/04, 15 August 2001).
Contact: marathon@shore.net (Thom Gilligan).
1-5 July (Cambridge, U.K.)
IAATO year 2002 annual meeting.
Contact: iaato@iaato.org (Denise Landau)(invitation required).
15-19 July (Shanghai, China)
COMNAP XIV (including the sub-committee on Tourism and Non-Government Operations).
Contact: jsayers@comnap.aq (Jack Sayers).
15-26 July (Shanghai, China).
XXVII SCAR (Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research).
3-14 September (Warsaw, Poland)
Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting XXV
YEAR 200
4-11 January (South Geographic Pole)
High Plateau Marathon (ANAN-65/02 preceding).
Contact: general@adventure-network.com
July [Dates to be set] (Seattle, United States).
IAATO year 2003 annual meeting.
Contact: iaato@iaato.org (Denise Landau)(invitation required).
24 November (Queen Mary and Dronning Maud Land regions).
Total solar eclipse (See ANAN-61/09, 5 December 2001).
[A] 1997-98 Hubert-Dansercoer trans-Antarctic crossing (ANAN-61/11, 5 December 2001):
The pair on one occasion made 271 km in a single day with the help of parasails during their trek, not 250 km as stated in the original article.
[B] 'Millennium' expedition exhibition (ANAN-62/12, 19 December 2001):
On-going work on the exhibition does not just involve the 'Russian Robinson [ham radio] Club' as suggested by the original article. The Russia-based 'Arctica' expedition centre, which organised the 'Millennium' expedition, is also playing a leading part in promoting the exhibition and the developing its display program. The centre is led by Vladimir Chukov, a veteran of expeditions to both Poles.
Next edition issued on Wednesday, 27 February 2002 @ 0600 UTC.
Deadline for items: Sunday, 24 February 2002 @ 2359 UTC.
ANTARCTIC NON-GOVERNMENT ACTIVITY NEWS (ANAN)
IN READING PLEASE NOTE: This newsletter is produced in the interest of improved information sharing in the Antarctic and sub-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 concerned.
Links provided in ANAN stories are working at the time of first publication.
AVAILABLE ON LINE TWENTY-FOUR HOURS A DAY:
ANAN archive (including this issue with its built in links):
http://www.antdiv.gov.au/goingsouth/tourism/News/default.asp
Coming events related to non-governmental activity:
http://www.antdiv.gov.au/goingsouth/tourism/Research/BibConf/Confer/default.asp
Links to tourist industry web sites:
http://www.antdiv.gov.au/goingsouth/tourism/Industry/default.asp
EDITOR: Dave Moser (David.Moser@aad.gov.au).
POSTAL: Australian Antarctic Division, Kingston, Tasmania, Australia 7054
TELEPHONE: +61-3-6232-3347 (2200-0600 UTC).
FACSIMILE: +61-3-6232-3357.
RESEARCH/WRITING: Martin Betts (Martin.Betts@aad.gov.au)
TELEPHONE/FACSIMILE: +61-3-6267-4790 (2200-1100 UTC).
FACSIMILE: +61-3-6232-3500.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2002
All images, text and downloadable files in ANAN are copyright ©Commonwealth of Australia 2002 or respective authors where indicated. You may down load, display, print and reproduce this material in unaltered form only (retaining this notice) for your personal, non-commercial use or use within your organisation. Source credit must be given as follows: © 2002 Australian Antarctic Division, Kingston Tasmania 7050
Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, all other rights are reserved.
Requests for further authorisation should be directed to:
The Editor, ANAN
Antarctic Treaty and Government Section
Australian Antarctic Division
KINGSTON TAS 7050
AUSTRALIA
or by email to tourism@aad.gov.au