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Tuition on toxins
As I paint the hull of Widdershins with a thick coat of black antifouling paint it is worth thinking of the journey before us and the vestiges that we will leave behind us. The paint, you see, is an antifouling paint containing toxic copper compounds that prevent animals settling on the hull and slowing us down. Perhaps more importantly, the paint stops marine species from here in Norway catching a ride with us to the Arctic and ultimately even to the American continent. Having spent years as a scientist researching the types of impacts such alien hitchhikers can cause I am determined that our venture into the remote extremes of the earth will not be the vector for an invasion that will cause havoc to the natural environment. On the other hand, we will be heading north with a coat of toxic paint designed to slowly leach into the water. A bit of a conundrum. Some paints such as Tributyl-tin (TBT) have been internationally banned due to their toxic effects and though we aren’t using such strong toxins, copper paints have also been found to cause impacts in high concentrations.
Meanwhile, the University of Alberta has recently found toxic levels of mercury in the Arctic ocean http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Deadly+form+mercury+found
+Arctic+waters+researchers/4691544/story.html – and to show how unpredictable these things can be. The origin of these toxins, which reached the oceans via our industry and coal burning plants, was originally a non-toxic form that unfortunately transformed into a killer neurotoxin that will affect not only Arctic wildlife but also the Inuit people that depend upon them. Remember also that the Arctic is one of the largest sources of whitefish for the entire planet!
As for me, I’m currently liberally covered with the toxic paint myself, not being the neatest painter on earth, so I guess I’ll be the first to suffer, but it is a reminder that when we set forth into the pristine frontiers of the globe we need to pause and consider all details to make sure we leave it in the same state we found it. In our case I hope we can leave it even a little better!
Posted in Conservation
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High and dry
It’s been a while since we updated the blog as we have been away from the water getting some R&R after a long season in Antarctica. But now I’m back aboard albeit not in the water quite yet. Widdershins in launched back into the brisk spring sea of Norway on May 02 and there’s a lot to be done before then! The morning starts with a quick wash in the sink to cast away the fog of sleep – luke warm water off the diesel stove poured over my head and a quick scrub with a damp cloth and I’m ready for action … after the obligatory cup of coffee of course! The days here in southern Norway have a chill in the early hours but this is rapidly dispelled as the sun paints the deck with colour and slowly burns away the vestiges of the night. Right now I‘m installing some new equipment including a SSB radio that will provide long range communication anywhere on the globe as well as a radar to help us navigate through the ice strewn waters of the poles. Apart from electrical wiring and scaling the mast to mount various odds and ends I’m spending my days up to my elbows in grease getting the motor ready and generally maintaining the boat after a long winter away. It’s nice to be aboard again but looking forward to getting back in the water.
Into the interior
The circumference of Tenerife is fringed by beautiful beaches with grey stained sands from the eons of volcanic activity. Watching the waves lap upon these far flung shores and soaking up some sunshine is definitely worth a day or two but the island has far more to explore! Aboard our two trusty scooters we were soon buzzing around narrow winding roads through landscapesranging from arid plains populated by countless cacti to frozen fields of churned magma that spewed for El Teide thousands of years ago. Raising from sea level to over 3,000m the journey took us from the coastal hinterlands into 
the arid band of desert in the foothills before entering the greener pine-clad mountains of the interior. Finally the pines give way to bare rock and the cold war-zone of magma and volcanic bombs that crown this island in a spectacular moon-like landscape.
Posted in Canary Islands
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Tenerife – two in the blue style
Anyone who has been to Tenerife has doubtlessly cringed at the forbidding hive of condominiums and fancy hotel-resorts. These sprawling edifices crowd the beaches and transform the tranquil island landscape into a cement jungle complete with its languid population of tourists who rarely venture far from the tout-lined path from the hotel to the beach sunbathing spots. Not really our scene! So we decided to strike out for our own tailor made Tenerife adventure.
No motorbikes could be had for love or money so after a little haggling Léonie and I were soon happily straddling a pair of 150cc scooters and buzzing around the winding roads leading to the interior of the island. Not quite the power of the motorcycles that carried us across the South American continent back in 2009, but a whole load of fun none-the-less!
Posted in Canary Islands
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From the cold to the canaries
After spending four months in the cold clutches of Antarctica Léonie and I decided to take some time out in the Canary Islands. Just a week after waving good bye to Tierra del Fuego, the southern-most tip of South America, our plane touched down on the barren sandy ground of Tenerife. The vista of icebergs, jagged peaks and wide wind whipped oceans that has been my home for months was suddenly replaced by an arid volcanic landscape punctuated by cacti, strange trees and the snow clad peak of El Teide – the islands active volcano! Forget the woolly mittens and the beanie … time to break out the swimmers and try and do something about this pale Antarctic complexion of mine!
Posted in Canary Islands, Patrick in Antarctica
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Heading North
Today we spent a relaxed day with a morning landing and cruise at Port Lockroy were the passengers indulged in some Antarctic shopping before cruising amidst beautiful icebergs against a backdrop of surging glaciers. The sun just peeked through the looming grey clouds to brush the mountain-tops with colour and the wind paused to catch its breath leaving the ocean like a mirror. In a way this is time to say goodbye to Antarctica as tomorrow we leave the continent and head for the South Shetland Islands just to the north of the Antarctic Peninsula. I have a feeling that the drake will not be kind to us on our last crossing but for now I feel that Antarctica has sent me a final pleasant farewell and has sent a welcome note for two in the blue. Next time I see these towering mountains it will be from the deck of Widdershins with Leonie.
The turn of the season
This is the last trip of the season and we have reached our most southerly point at Stonington Island south of the Antarctic Circle. This means that we are now working our way slowly north up the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, and ultimately I’ll continue North all the way to Europe. I look forward to some sunshine in a way but it’s always sad saying goodbye to the Antarctic continent. This white icy land has a magnetism that is already drawing me back even though I have not yet left. Then again, there are signs all around to indicate that the season is over. The weather is shifting with strong winds and blizzards, the penguins have fled the shore leaving just a handful of miserable looking molting individuals on the barren rock now denuded of it’s white carpet of snow. The whales are still here but they are bust feeding up before they too turn North and flee the teeth of winter. It is definitely time to go, but still every moment in this wilderness is a gift and now that I will soon leave it in my wake I am relishing every moment.
Posted in Antarctic Circle, Patrick in Antarctica, Stonington Island
Tagged Gentoo Penguin, Humpback Whale
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Crossing the circle
Today we steamed across the thin dotted line, which marks the point in Antarctica where we get 24 hour sunlight in the summer. The weather was ferocious and the whales were plentiful amidst the spume and ice which made this a truly Antarctic experience. But it does make you think. Just a few days ago the yacht Beserker went misssing in the Southern Ocean south of New Zealand. I’ve met the skipper of this yacht and he is about an adventurous guy as they come and also keen to tackle any adventure he can conceive. But then again perhaps he bit off a little more than he can chew on this instance. Well, actually he certainly did. Late in the season the Antarctic can be a bitter place – you have to be prepared for the worst even at the best of times – the loss of life and ships at sea is no laughing matter, and for a couple planning a trip down to these waters it is a moment to ground your dreams. Here is a tragedy that could, should, have never happened. I’ve been in these waters for over six years and there are times when the seas of Antarctica are truly humbling. This is not a place to play games – the sea will always win. As much as we love the stories of hardship and adventure, the most important thing in the world is to return safely with a story to tell your loved ones and a lesson whispered into your ear by the wind.
Tacking across the Drake
There is quite a big swell on the Drake Passage right now – so much that even the Akademik Ioffe, which has a reputation for being on of the most stable ships in the Southern Ocean, is rolling quite a lot. We are even taking a zig-zag path towards Antarctica to avoid taking the worst of on our beam … and another two days at seas before we see land! Despite the discomfort of many aboard I have to admit the swell makes me feel alive.
Posted in Drake passage, Patrick in Antarctica
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Another trips end
Once again we are bidding farewell to Antarctica – at least for another five days until we are back again. Today greeted us with gusty winds and a high probability of no landings at all, but we managed to find a sheltered anchorage at Half Moon Island and got ashore for the morning. It’s an incredibly different place at the South Shetland Islands right now. The snow has been cast aside at the end of summer to reveal the rock of the islands. The landscape has been transformed from one of icy blues and whites to one of brown rock and rivers of red mud. Red of course because the mud is comprised of penguin guano which is, in turn, comprised of digested krill. Needless to say the whole place is a little on the nose. Definitely a feeling that the season is at its end now though as the breeding season is at an end and the only penguins onshore for the most part is molting chicks gaining their adult plumage before taking to the water. Being on land with nothing to do makes these little fellows incredibly curious and if your not paying attention you’ll be surprised by a gang of youths busily pecking at your knees and slapping your shins with their flippers. As they are in the process of shedding their your feathers they really have a disheveled look that brings to mind a gang of miscreant youths. The feathers are falling everywhere and drifts of cast aside plumage blow about your feet like the snow that was here but weeks ago.
Posted in Half Moon Island, Patrick in Antarctica, South Shetland Islands
Tagged Chinstrap Penguin
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