ANTARCTIC NON-GOVERNMENT ACTIVITY NEWS
Tourism Industry |
Brief news items on Antarctic and sub-Antarctic
non-government expedition activities.
ANAN 68
Wednesday, 13 March 2002
News in this edition:
68-01. Ship sale "temporary set-back" to company's Antarctic plans.
68-02. Successful medivacs for two Peninsula tourists.
68-03. Tour ship 'nudges' iceberg, little damage results.
68-04. Senior Malaysians enjoy Peninsula visit.
68-05. 'Three Brothers' peak climbed for the first time.
68-06. 'Alaska Eagle' completes its two Peninsula voyages.
68-07. One 'Jules Verne' attempt fails, another restarts.
68-08. Repairs made to landing stage at Almirante Brown.
68-09. Over 110 runners complete fourth KGI marathons.
68-10. Coming Events Relevant to Non-Government Activities.
SHIP SALE "TEMPORARY SET-BACK" TO COMPANY'S ANTARCTIC PLANS
[ANAN-68/01]
Australia-based tourist-adventure company Ocean Frontiers, which has conducted three voyages to the East Antarctic region over the last 14 months, is to sell its ship 'Sir Hubert Wilkins' (SHW) by mid-year. Despite the move, the company considers the need to sell the ship as "only a temporary set-back", and says that it is "determined" to conduct a range of, so far, undefined activities in the Antarctic region "sometime in the next few years".
In strict commercial terms operation of the 36-m, ice-strengthened 'SHW' over the past 14 months did not prove to be commercially viable. However, Ocean Frontiers' principal Don McIntyre told ANAN that "it was never intended to make a profit from the project" and that in his view it had been a success as "we have supported private adventurers, research and government departments and inspired many people".
McIntyre said that his previous Antarctic ventures, which include a wintering expedition and organising numerous yacht voyages to the continent (ANAN-66/08, 13 February 2002), could also be labelled "commercial failures", but that "some things are not done for money and we believe they have all [like the 'SHW' operation] been a success".
All up, around 60 paying passengers are thought to have accompanied the three Antarctic voyages made by the ship since December 2000 (ANAN-38/08, 3 January 2001, ANAN-42/04, 28 February 2001 and ANAN-66/08, 13 February 2002). A fourth voyage, to the Ross Sea area, scheduled for February this year was cancelled late last year due to lack of participants (ANAN-60/02, 21 November 2001).
Revenue generated by the voyages was probably well less than $US1m, however, the purchase, refurbishment and operation of the vessel, together with the acquisition of a Hughes 300 helicopter for the ship (which is being sold separately), is likely to have cost in excess of $US2m. The current asking price for the vessel is $US1m, although the company appears keen to sell quickly saying that if it is not purchased by 14 June it will be "sold to the highest tenderer".
Ocean Frontiers' aim in purchasing 'SHW' was to conduct commercial operations in support of "educational programs, scientific research, film expeditions, environmental monitoring and private ventures" in Australasian and Antarctic waters" (ANAN-21/01, 10 May 2000). Voyages to Antarctica each austral summer and to tropical areas in the south-west Pacific Ocean over southern winters were envisaged. While high latitude operations were the prime focus of the company's plans, the commercial success of the off-season trips was important to the overall viability of the operation.
Despite several announcements about a range of voyages to Australasian waters during the austral winter of 2001, only one such trip was actually conducted, it being a limited week-long journey to far south-eastern Australian coastal areas in November last year. Don McIntyre said in announcing the decision to sell the ship that a voyage to Australia's Great Barrier Reef planned for the coming southern winter had attracted "insufficient support", and its cancellation eventually led to the decision to cut losses and sell the ship.
McIntyre told ANAN last week that in setting up Ocean Frontiers the aim had been to move ahead systematically, with three 3-year plans being prepared to guide the company. The first three years had, he said, been earmarked to "prove the basic operational concept" for 'SHW' and "sufficient monies had been set aside for that initial phase". According to him, "we factored in an income stream from paying passengers and charterers as well as sponsors and volunteers" and "it was always planned to proceed to this point [and then to] assess whether the [long-term] project aims and objectives could be achieved".
Despite his "great disappointment" in having to sell 'Sir Hubert Wilkins', McIntyre, who has been visiting Antarctica for over a decade and wintered on the continent in 1995 with his wife Margie, told ANAN that he was still "very keen" to continue organising Antarctic ventures and that he planned to return there again "sometime in the near future". Ocean Frontiers says that it hopes to remain a member of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators even though it does not currently expect to operate in Antarctica in 2002-03.
In a separate operation, Ocean Frontiers yacht 'Arctos' is currently undertaking a circumnavigation of Antarctica via sub-Antarctic waters (see ANAN-68/06 following). The yacht, which was built for Ocean Frontiers' since-cancelled 2000-01 'Together Alone' race (ANAN-47/05, 23 May 2001), is also to be sold later this year.
Details of the 'Sir Hubert Wilkins' and the sale are available on line at: http://www.oceanfrontiers.com.au/index.htm.
Two seriously ill tourists were evacuated from the Antarctic Peninsula region by air in separate exercises over a three-week period in January-February. Coincidently, both the medivacs, which involved support from both the government and non-government sectors, involved passengers from the German company Hapag-Lloyd's tour ship 'Hanseatic'.
'Hanseatic' was at Brown Bluff near the north-eastern tip of the Peninsula on 22 January when one of its passengers, who is believed to have had a history of brain tumours, was diagnosed as having 'cranial oedema' or brain swelling.
As his condition was deteriorating rapidly the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators' medical evacuation plan for the Peninsula region was initiated and the ship headed for King George Island (KGI) 150 km to the north. The patient's insurance company was contacted and air operator Adventure Network International(ANI) made arrangements for an aircraft to fly from Punta Arenas, Chile, to Chile's Tenente Marsh airfield on KGI to evacuate the ill man and his wife.
The ship was waiting off KGI on 23 January when the aircraft flew from Punta Arenas, however, bad weather prevented the flight from landing and weather conditions were forecast to be unsuitable for flying there again the next day.
As a result it was decided that the patient and his wife should be transferred to Hapag-Lloyd's other tour ship in the region, the 'Bremen', as it was scheduled to return to Ushuaia, Argentina, within a couple of days and could have transported the man there if a flight from KGI had not been possible. Such a back-up sea-transfer has been used in the past when weather prevented flights into KGI (ANAN-64/10, 16 January 2002).
'Hanseatic' subsequently rendezvoused with 'Bremen' off Deception Island on 24 January and the transfer proceeded smoothly, the 'Bremen' heading for KGI. Fortunately, the weather improved the next day and a Chilean Air Force 'Hercules' aircraft was able to fly the pair to Punta Arenas from KGI.
The second incident, which occurred on 14 February when the ship was en route from Port Lockroy to Neko Harbour, involved a tourist who was diagnosed as having a detached retina, an assessment confirmed by a fellow passenger who was an ophthalmologist.
As the patient's condition was worsening, arrangements were again put in place with an insurer and ANI for another medivac and 'Hanseatic' immediately changed course for KGI. The ship arrived off the island early the following afternoon and the passenger was quickly transferred to a waiting plane which left for Punta Arenas a few minutes later.
Reports indicate that the passenger with the oedema received immediate medical attention on arrival in Punta Arenas and was then flown to the United States for further treatment. He was later operated on in Miami and what was called "an aggressive brain" tumour was removed. After arriving in Punta Arenas, the second tourist was flown to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he underwent an operation, flying home to Hawaii just a few days later.
Christine Lampe, Expedition Leader on the 'Hanseatic', told ANAN last week that the operations to evacuate both passengers were a success thanks to the "terrific cooperation and expertise" of ANI, personnel at Chilean national program, and the Captains of both the 'Bremen' and Hanseatic'.
The tourist ship 'Professor Molchanov' provided its passengers with an unexpected experience in the south-west Scotia Sea on 18 January when it nudged a large iceberg during a photographic session. Damage to the ship was reported to have been minimal and the ship's schedule for the season was not affected by the incident.
The large iceberg, which is believed to have been around 25 km in length, was sighted from 'Molchanov' while it was en route from South Georgia to the Antarctic Peninsula on the fourth of the nine voyages it conducted during the 2001-02 austral summer. Passengers were advised of the sighting on the ship's public address system and encouraged to go to the bridge so that they could see and photograph it, weather conditions on deck at the time being less than ideal.
It was while 'Molchanov' was manoeuvring at relatively low speed close to the iceberg for the photographers that she struck a face of the berg with her bow. Reports indicate that the vessel quickly backed off from the berg and that it was never in danger, damage sustained being limited to the bow bulwark. Crew members quickly made temporary repairs and when the ship returned to Ushuaia, Argentina, a week later, the work was checked by marine surveyors and the vessel was able to proceed as previously scheduled.
'Molchanov', which is chartered from its Russian owners by the Dutch company Oceanwide Expeditions, was at the time of the incident under sub-charter to US company Quark Expeditions. The ship and Oceanwide's other vessel 'Grigory Mikheev' are both due to leave Ushuaia this week on the last tourist voyages to the Antarctic Peninsula and South Georgia of the 2001-02 season, after which they will head north to Europe for 2002 northern summer operations in the Arctic.
Senior members of the Malaysian government "thoroughly enjoyed" their visit to the Antarctic Peninsula last month on the tour ship 'Kapitan Dranitsyn" according to the country's Science, Technology and Environment Minister, Datuk Seri Law Hieng Ding. Minister Law provided details of the Peninsula voyage in an interview with Malaysia's 'New Straits Times' newspaper after his return home late last month.
A total of 67 Malaysian nationals, by far the highest number of people from that country to have ever visited Antarctica, travelled south on 'Dranitsyn'. Just over half were government officials and their staffs, and the rest came from the private sector.
Apart from the Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, his Foreign, Defence, Finance and Environment Ministers, many other influential Malayasians were on board. They included the country's Ambassador to Argentina, a former Ambassador to Brazil, the current Ambassador to the United Nations and one of his predecessors, the President of the University of Malaysia, the country's Chief National Scientist, plus what were described as "legal consul" and their respective families.
Also travelling on the 'Dranitsyn' were three Malaysian scientists who have worked in Antarctica with a number of national programs (ANAN-66/01, 27 February 2002) and Azahar Mansor who sailed solo around the world in 1999-2000 and was dismasted some 1,000 km from Cape Horn.
During the voyage from 5-13 February, landings are believed to have been made at the unmanned Argentine national station Almirante Brown in Paradise Bay, on sea-ice in the Grandidier Channel area, and at Cuverville Island. Cruises were conducted in inflatable rubber boats in Neko Harbour and near Pleneau Island, while "helicopter flight-seeing" was provided as the ship worked her way through heavy sea ice south of the Lemaire Channel. Overall, the voyage appears to have been similar to most tourist operations conducted by ships in the Peninsula region.
What were described as "thrice-daily lectures on Antarctica" were presented during the voyage by staff from US-based tour company Quark, operators of the 'Kapitan Dranitsyn', and by some of the Malaysians on board, including the three scientists and Azahar Mansor. Malaysian newspaper reports state that Dr Mahathir attended 'all the lectures" and took a great interest in their content.
Minister Law said that those on board "enjoyed walks on ice, visiting glaciers and watching the antics of penguins and seals and sighting of humpback whales", and that despite what he claimed were at times "six-metre high seas and 60-knot winds which made the vessel roll 45 degrees from sided to side", the nine-day voyage to the Peninsula was "an entirely different experience from any other place I've been to in my life".
Most on board appear to have enjoyed the voyage and they were, like most people who visit the continent for the first time, very enthusiastic about the experience.
One member of a three-man climbing party from the yacht 'Pelagic' made the first ascent of the highest of the Three Brothers peaks on South Georgia on 25 January as part of a combined climbing and filming expedition to the island.
The 'Three Brothers' is a series of peaks in the north central section of the Allardyce Range, a line of mountains that include all but one of the island's highest peaks. The Brothers, which had been the highest unclimbed peak in the northern half of South Georgia, actually consist of four peaks whose summits are 1,466, 1,783, 1,837 and 2,008m above sea level; it was the highest that was climbed by the 'Pelgaic' expedition.
The three climbers involved were Caradoc Jones, cameraman Al Hughes and Pelagic's owner Skip Novak. Jones and Novak have climbed on South Georgia and in the Antarctic Peninsula region previously, while Hughes worked as a 'climbing cameraman' on a 1997 Peninsula voyage on 'Pelagic' (ANAN-58/09, 7 November 2001).
'Pelagic' had left Stanley in the Falkland Islands for South Georgia on 29 December and the three climbers went ashore at Husvik from the yacht on 11 January, basing themselves in the former manager's villa at the old whaling station there.
Over the next four days the three men ferried equipment and supplies, including skis and pulks (sledges), from Husvik over the pass that leads into Gulbrandsen Lake and then on to the Neumayeur Glacier, up which they ascended before establishing an interim camp. That trek was made particularly difficult by the presence of pressure ridges, crevasses, and lack of snow on the glacier, which meant that the pulks could only be used for a short period.
Shortly after they set up camp the weather deteriorated and they were forced to wait there for two days. Once conditions improved, and after caching the skis and pulks, two heavy carries of equipment from the first camp were made on successive days, at the end of which they had established themselves in the glacial valley on the north-west side of the highest Brothers peak. Again, bad weather brought about by a succession of quick moving low pressure systems intervened and, except for a short period when one false start was made, they were kept tent-bound for five days.
Finally on 25 January, the last day before 'Pelagic' was scheduled to pick them up from Husvik, the trio left the tent at 0300 in a white out, the forecast indicating that a short clearing spell could be expected later that morning. At the base of the mountain, however, Novak and Hughes decided not to proceed as the weather had not abated; Jones went on with the climb alone.
Fortunately, the weather cleared later in the morning as predicted and by mid-day Jones had reached the summit of the top pyramid via its north-east ridge. He had first tried to ascend via it's south-west ridge but that route was unsuitable and he was forced to traverse across hard ice and some wind slab snow below the pyramidal summit, before making the final successful climb from the north-east. By 1700 that day he had returned to the field camp, the weather breaking again a short time later when high winds and rain were experienced.
Observations conducted during the climbing program indicate that the second and third highest of the Brothers' peaks were technically difficult to climb, particularly in the conditions that existed, as the lack of snow exposed large areas of loose rock in the higher areas.
On 26 January the trio made a single heavy-carry back to Husvik, time and the lack of winter and spring snow (the snowline was reported to have been around 800 m above sea level), forcing them to abandon an earlier plan to conduct a ski traverse from the Three Brothers area to Possession Bay via the Kohl Larsen Plateau and the Briggs Glacier.
While climbing activities were under way, the sailing team on 'Pelgaic' travelled around the island filming both wildlife and historical sites. Footage obtained by both the yacht and climbing groups is to be used to produce four half-hour television programs for the Welsh language broadcaster S4C that are expected to be aired later this year.
'Pelagic' returned to Stanley on 8 February as planned. The group disembarked there and the yacht then sailed to Ushuaia, Argentina, where a Dutch party embarked to film in the Antarctic Peninsula region.
The US-registered yacht 'Alaska Eagle' earlier this week completed the second of the two voyages scheduled for it to the Antarctic Peninsula (ANAN-54/03, 29 August 2001). During the voyages, which ran from 20 January to 13 February and 17 February to 13 March, the 22-m yacht managed to travel down the Lemaire Channel twice, although points further south were inaccessible due to pack-ice (ANAN-64/07, 16 January 2002).
'Alaska Eagle' made two attempts to travel through the Lemaire Channel on the first voyage. On 31 January it reached the southern end of the channel to find what was described as a "grounded berg" and close pack-ice blocking the way. This led to planned visits to Petermann Island and Ukrainia's Vernadsky station being cancelled and the yacht was forced to head north back up the Channel. After visiting Paradise Bay, Danco Island and, for the second time in that voyage, Port Lockroy, they returned to the Lemaire three days later, this time making it through, although ice conditions meant that they could only reach Port Charcot.
Despite considerable ice on the second voyage, 'Alaska Eagle' managed to pass through the Channel on 28 February and was able to eventually circumnavigate Booth Island, even though it was late in the season. It was not possible, however, to travel further south to Petermann Island and the Argentine Islands as hoped.
On the first voyage from Ushuaia, Argentina, the yacht made visits to Deception, Trinity and Enterprise Islands, before it arrived at Port Lockroy in late January. After its second trip up the Lemaire Channel, Enterprise Island was visited again before the yacht left for Ushuaia via the Melchior Islands.
After a three-day break in Ushuaia, the second voyage got underway on 17 February. The first landing in the Peninsula area was again made at Deception Island where the yacht accidentally went aground in Whalers Bay for 12 hours. Enterprise and Danco Islands were visited before 'Alaska Eagle' spent a few days tied up at the unmanned Chilean national program station Gonzales Videla on Waterboat Point in Paradise Bay. Port Lockroy was visited, the Lemaire Channel passage made, then the US national program station Palmer on Anvers Island was reached where, according to the yacht's web site, the crew were invited ashore for lunch. Cape Horn was spotted on 7 March and after spending time in that area the yacht headed for Ushuaia.
A total of 24 people is believed to have taken part in the two voyages. Apart from a professional crew of three, made up of a fully licensed skipper, a licensed mate and a cook. The other participants are "fully active passengers" who were classed as students who paid $US6,000 to take part in each Peninsula voyage. 'Alaska Eagle' is operated as a sail-training vessel by the Orange Coast College's School of Sailing and Seamanship from its headquarters on the south-west coast of the US. Reports from the yacht indicate that the majority of the passengers who travelled on 'Alaska Eagle' this season had previous sailing experience on the yacht in other parts of the world.
Meanwhile, Australian company Ocean Frontiers' yacht 'Arctos' is expected to arrive in Cape Town, South Africa, on 13 March and is due to leave there in the next week or so for a visit to sub-Antarctic Kerguelen Islands late this month. From there it may pass Heard Island, en route to Hobart, Australia, where it is to expected to complete a five month circumnavigation of the Southern Ocean sometime next month (ANAN-58/10, 7 November 2001 and ANAN-68/01 preceding). 'Arctos' visited South Georgia early in January, visiting the Stromness and Husvik Whaling Stations, and Grytviken where walking and climbing activities were conducted.
The Australian yacht 'Tooluka', which has conducted commercial tour operations in the Antarctic Peninsula, Scotia Arc region over the last two seasons, recently arrived in Cape Town from the South Atlantic. Over the next month 'Tooluka' is to travel to Australia via sub-Antarctic waters. She will be sold on her return home and replaced in Peninsula waters in 2002-03 by the 19-m yacht 'Spirit of Sydney' (ANAN-51/10, 18 July 2001).
A replica of British explorer James Cook's historic Bark 'Endeavour' left Bluff, New Zealand on 9 March for Cape Horn (ANAN-67/06, 27 February 2002). She plans to visit Stanley in the Falkland Islands in mid April en route to Rio de Janero, Brazil.
Serious steering problems forced trimaran 'Geronimo' to abandon its 'Jules Verne' around-the-world trophy attempt on 1 March (ANAN-67/08, 27 February 2002). This year's attempt on the 71-day record is, however, being continued by the catamaran 'Orange' which started, for the second time, from the south-east English Channel early on 2 March after repairs to her mast. If all goes well, she is expected to reach sub-Antarctic waters some time in the next week.
'Geronimo' crossed the Equator on 28 February and, while it was slowed by near-calm conditions as it approached the divide between the hemispheres, it reached there in just 9 days 7 hours, some 43 hours quicker than current record holder 'Sport Elec' in 1997 (ANAN-66/10, 13 February 2002). Less than a day later, when in latitude10 degrees south, the steering problem developed. As it was not possible to make repairs at sea the decision was taken to retire and to return to Brest, France.
Like 'Geronimo', 'Orange' made a quick passage down the Atlantic Ocean from the start line only to be slowed by fickle winds as she neared the Equator. She eventually crossed into the southern hemisphere on 10 March, taking 7 days 22 hours for that leg of the journey. That time was quicker than both 'Geronimo' and 'Sport Elec', but still some 17 hours slower than the time set by the then Jules Verne record holder 'ENZA' in 1994, skippered by the late Sir Peter Blake (ANAN-41/09, 14 February 2001).
'Orange' is now heading south some 650 km east of Brazil on the western side of a high pressure system centred near the island of St Helena. Once around the High 'Orange' is expected to head southeast, somewhere around latitudes 27-30 degrees south. From there, it should pass well south of the Cape of Good Hope and is likely to head eastwards into the Southern Ocean (on its eventual way to Cape Horn) anywhere between latitudes 50-60 degrees south, depending on weather patterns that prevail at the time.
The yacht is currently some 1,700 km ahead of where 'Sport Elec' was at the same time on her voyage in 1997 and appears well-set to challenge for the trophy. However, the yacht and her crew face difficult conditions in the Southern Ocean, particularly as the hours of darkness increase as the equinox approaches.
If the catamaran is to claim the record she must cross the finishing line at the south-eastern end of the English Channel by 12 May.
Crew members from the tour ship 'Hanseatic' repaired the small landing wharf at the Argentinian national program station Almirante Brown in Paradise Bay on 19 January. The wharf, which is thought to have been damaged by sea ice sometime last year, had been missing a support post, joists and part of its wooden decking and could not be used for landings over the first half of the 2001-02 tourist season.
During two of Hanseatic's three previous visits to Paradise Bay this austral summer, passengers were landed a short distance away at Chile's unmanned Gonzales Videla station on Waterboat Point. Off-shore cruises in the ship's inflatable rubber boats were also provided in the Bay area.
On the ship's third visit on 10 January an assessment was made to determine what materials were required to repair the landing. Nine days later Hanseatic's Chief Officer, Peter Rößler and a carpenter and four deck hands took two-and-a-half hours to refurbish the wharf and remove snow and ice from the steps leading to the station. This allowed passengers to make the much-valued 'continental landing' at Almirante Brown.
'Hanseatic', which can carry up to 180 passengers, completed its 2001-02 Antarctic season last week when it arrived in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. During three-and-a-half months of operations the ship made six voyages to the Antarctic Peninsula from Ushuaia, Argentina, and Stanley in the Falkland Islands, carrying close to a total of 1,000 passengers during that time. Four of the voyages included visits to South Georgia.
Argentina did not conduct a summer program at Almirante Brown this year.
Over 110 runners from 16 nations took part in the fourth marathon and half-marathon races run on King George Island (KGI) on 2 March. The events, which were again organised by US-based Marathon Tours, were conducted in snow showers and strong winds, the temperature being close to 0° C.
Both races were run on Fildes Peninsula, the south-western extremity of KGI, with the start and finishing lines being at Russia's Bellingshausen station. The route used crossed a variety of surfaces, including rocks, mud, snow and ice.
From Bellingshausen the course followed the road to and through Artigas the Uruguayan station, ran some 400 m along a stony beach, then ascended the Collins Glacier for just over a kilometre. There, 5.6 km from the start, the runners turned around and took the same route down the glacier and back to Bellingshausen to reach the 11.2 km point. They then continued on through Chile's Frei station along the road to China's Great Wall facility (the 16 km mark), then retraced that leg back to Bellingshausen, the finishing point for the half marathon. Those undertaking the full marathon repeated that overall route a second time.
Three quarters, or 84, of the runners completed the full marathon, the fastest time being 4 hours, 9 minutes and 31 seconds and the slowest 8 hours, 1 minute and 51 seconds. Due to a pre-exisiting leg injury only one entrant did not complete the 42-km race, although 27 of the 84 finishers took longer than Marathon Tours' 6 hours-30-minutes cut-off time (ANAN-67/05, 27 February 2002). Marathon Tours' President, Thom Gilligan, told ANAN that the finishing time for the slower runners was extended as "the temperature was mild and personnel at Belligshausen were very cooperative".
Of the 30 who started the half marathon, all but one finished, their times ranging from 1 hour, 56 minutes and 35 seconds to just one second under five hours.
The winning times for both races were slow due to the high winds and slightly longer course than that used in the past.
Those who took part were from: Australia (2 in the full marathon/ 2 in the half-marathon); Austria (1/0); Canada (2/0); Chile (0/4); China (1/0); Germany (1/0); Japan (1/1); Mexico (1/2); The Netherlands (1/0); New Zealand (3/1); Russia (3/3); South Africa (1/0); the United Kingdom (9/1); United States (58/11); Uruguay (0/3); and Venezuela (0/1). The majority of the runners were men, although sixteen women ran the full marathon and eight the half marathon.
Apart from Marathon Tours' commercial clients who travelled to KGI on the tour ship 'Akademic Ioffe' for the event, four Chilean, three Russian and four Uruguayan national program personnel ran in the half marathon, while two Russians from Bellingshausen ran in the marathon. In addition, a Chinese national program member reportedly ran between Bellingshausen to Great Wall stations "just for fun".
Gilligan said that running of the marathons had not conflicted with activities at Bellingshausen and that vehicles from some of the stations were "roved around to cheer on the runners". He said that many national program personnel in the area now "seem to look forward to this annual diversion".
After the marathon was completed 'Ioffe' left KGI and the runners are believed to have made tourist landings at Deception Island, Paradise Bay, Roberts Island and Neko Harbour before returning to Ushuaia on 7 March. Marathon Tours has scheduled similar events on KGI for 3 March next year and is again expected to use 'Akademic Ioffe' to support the operation.
A picture of runners on the Collins Glacier and full lists of those who participated in this month's races are currently available on line at: http://www.marathontour.com/antarctica/.
COMING EVENTS RELEVANT TO NON-GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES
[ANAN-68/10]
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.asp as soon as new information comes to hand.
YEAR 2002
21 March (London, U.K.)
Lecture on the Shackleton Memorial Expedition (ANAN-46/05, 9 May 2001).
Contact: +44-1291-690 305 for tickets (entry fee UK10 pounds).
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).
10-20 September (Warsaw, Poland)
Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting XXV
YEAR 2003
4-11 January (South Geographic Pole)
High Plateau Marathon (ANAN-65/02, 30 January 2002).
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).
Next edition issued on Wednesday, 27 March 2002 @ 0600 UTC.
Deadline for items: Sunday, 24 Month 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
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