23 November 2010

Posted on November 23, 2010 by

We are finally in the peninsula! Well at least we are in theory, but unfortunately the dense fog around us means that there is not much to see. On second look however there are rafts of brash ice stretched over the water and an occasional snow petrel drifting like a white ghost through the fog. The air is brisk and the deck is covered with a fine powder of snow. The sunlight reaches late into the night and as I go to sleep tonight I look forward to an early start on zodiacs cruising around Orne Harbour. Itching to get out on the boats but also weary after three long days at sea…so to bed early for me and 4:30 start on the ice!

Posted in Orne Harbour, Patrick in Antarctica | Tagged | Leave a comment

Monday 22 November

Posted on November 22, 2010 by

Another sea day, but today the ship pushed over the Antarctic convergence and entered the waters of Antarctica. It is a phenomenal change with the temperature dropping from 7 degree to 1 degree in a matter of 5 miles and a sudden shift in birdlife. This morning I spent an hour on the back deck watching the albatross wheel in my wake. This afternoon there are no albatross in sight and we areinstead surrounded by cape petrels and small prions that are buzzing around the boat and dipping between the crests of the wave. A lovely part of the ocean but I’m constantly scanning the horizon for our first iceberg and the rocks of Antarctcia … it is still a long wait.

Posted in Drake passage, Patrick in Antarctica | Tagged | Leave a comment

Sunday 21 November

Posted on November 21, 2010 by

I woke up this morning at 6:00, stepped outside and watched two peale’s dolphins cruise by. This has been followed by a day of sealife with albatross, petrels and terns wheeling around the ship … the bad news is we have not gotten far towards our final destination.

The weather system we were trying to avoid yesterday ended up turning rather nasty and we had to hold off today just outside of the beagle channel. We didn’t actually get underway until 5:00 in the afternoon which puts us a long way behind schedule. Still the sea is heaving outside, our bow is pointed towards Antarctica and we are on our way.

Posted in Drake passage, Patrick in Antarctica | Tagged | Leave a comment

Saturday 20 November

Posted on November 20, 2010 by

The first day of the season onboard the Russian vessel Ioffe and the day is spent carting boxes from the warf and storing ship for the next passage. The vessel is a typical russian ice-class ship with winding coridors, hidden stairs and six decks which takes a lot of getting used to. It also has massive decks which will get interesting when we hit the bis seas of the drake and have guest just developing thier sealegs and being hurled around on a slippery deck. The air has the slight hint of diesel and the smell of adventure clings to everything.

Right now we are holding off departure for a couple of hours while we wait for a huge weather system to pass through. But we are promed to go and already there are black browed albatross and kelp gull wheeling aroud in the wind over the deck. The Albatross will be our companions as we set later tonight and point our bows towards Antarctica.

Posted in Patrick in Antarctica | Leave a comment

Lazy Sunday

Posted on May 16, 2010 by

I woke early again and thought I’d check through the electrical system for any faults that might be contributing to my engine problem. So while I charged the old batteries from the shore I dove into the engine compartment and stripped down all the wiring to clean the contact points for the starting system. Thirty minutes later a flick of the ignition key prompted the engine to roar into life. After a moment of hesitation I decided to snub my dodgy wharf rat and pointed the bow to the open water and waved a cheery good bye to Horten and it ferries.

One of the reasons I decided to head off early was that I was supposed to meet an Indian Chief from Alberta, Francois Paulett, who was making a documentary on indigenous perspectives on oil and gas. I had a long way to go to the rendezvous point in Drøbak where I was supposed to meet him at 11:00, so the motor was put to the test as I charged north.

It rained. In fact it never stopped raining from the moment I left the harbor so I hunkered down in the shelter of the cockpit and braced myself for a miserable few hours of motoring which finally saw my tying up to the wharf at 12:00.

Despite the poor weather Francois was welcomed aboard with his film tech and a couple of WWF staff. Unfortunately there was not anything particularly nice to film unless you like grey mist and rain, so after some brief introductions on film, the guests retired below to have a lunch of buffalo jerky (brought by the chief) and several Norwegian courses. A very odd mix of cuisines, but all seemed to enjoy and then the chief had a nap while I stayed above in the rain and headed for home with no remarkable events en route.
——————
I am now tied up at the KNS yacht harbor on the Bygdøy peninsula and am settling into life aboard the yacht. It is a lovely setting here that while close to the city, is renowned for its bathing beaches and winding bike tracks through the woods which are fresh and green with spring growth at the moment. Unfortunately I took a tumble on one of those tracks while carrying gear to the boat. As a result I broke a finger which forces me to type with two fingers. Since I normally type with two fingers that is not such a problem but it still hurts!

I seem to constantly couple great times with minor disasters but either way I am looking forward to the next few months living on the water and exploring the fjord. Despite all the various catastrophes en route I wore a smile for at least 80% of the time. Life is good

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Saturday

Posted on May 15, 2010 by
I woke at 4:30 the next morning as the wind swung and placed me uncomfortably close to the afore-mentioned break-wall. I proceeded to spend a nervous number of hours pacing up and down the deck alternating my time between checking the anchor and reflecting upon Da’s funeral which was happening simultaneously, wishing repeatedly that Da was around to fix my engine trouble!

At 8:30 I rowed to shore in partially deflated rubber boat (not holding air – another thing to fix!) only to find that the chandlery and boat store has been replaced by an automated diesel pump…. Back out to the yacht and after struggling with getting the anchor up while sailing forward to keep me off the rocks. I finally managed to limp out of the harbor and set sail for the next major port of Horten …. I practiced my Norwegian curses again.

A light breeze of 5-10 knots blew from the north which is exactly where I was heading. Modern sails are marvelous things and allow you to sail into just about any angle of the wind …except a 45 degree slice directly into the wind. Thus I was forced to zig-zag back and forward up the fjord making marginal progress on each short trip across the width of fjord. Given the light breeze progress was pretty slow, so after getting off at about 9:00 I didn’t actually manage to make it to Horton till 3:00, which given that the distance is only about 10 km, is very slow going indeed!

And arriving at Horten my troubles were not over! It seems that Horton is the hub of all ferry traffic across the fjord so as I carefully tacked backwards and forwards across the harbor entrance I was continually forced to turn tail and urgently run downwind to avoid being run down by one of the massive car ferries which seem to arrive in a constant stream. The wind was still from the north which meant a difficult entry under sail and due to a dog leg in the harbor entrance I would have to tack across the wind while I came in …a process that requires a shift of sails from one side to another. This is not so easy when you are all alone, entering a strange harbor, have no motor as back up and are constantly looking over your shoulder looking for a massive ferry bearing down on you. Also remember I wasn’t exactly sure what I would see in the harbor after I made my turn and were I would be able to finally tie up and rest.

Given the problems above, I was feeling exceedingly proud when I pulled the nose of the boat through the wind and, upon viewing a suitable stretch of pier gently nosed up along-side, dropped the sail to slow my passage, and then tied up and breathed. Then some ratbag Norwegian decided now would be a good time to tell me that a ferry was about to arrive at the same section of wharf and I had better get out of the way. That is easier said than done when you have no power. Pretty much the only option would be to sail down wind out of the harbor which would put me head on into any approaching ferry!
After trying to wave down some passing boats to ask for a tow, I figured the befuddled looks were not going to get me out of there anytime soon. Not wanting to sail the gauntlet again I decided to pull the boat to the furthest corner of the wharf and hope the ferry could fit. After securing the boat I asked about the ferry at local store and was told that the guy was wrong and that no ferries used that wharf. After some of the adrenalin left my system I practiced my Norwegian curses again and thought about sinking the yacht of the guy who yelled out the warning.

Of course by this time the stores were all closing but I managed to find an off duty wharf rat who promised to “hook me up” with a deal on a new battery at 9:00 the next morning. Looking forward to some relaxation I found the nearest pub and settled down with a beer and some pork ribs. Even Norwegian beer tasted good!

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Widdershins on the water

Posted on May 14, 2010 by

I arrived in Oslo in one piece after an eventful maiden voyage up the Oslo Fjord (about 130 km). Unfortunately Léonie couldn’t make it to Oslo so it was single handed most of the way followed by a final leg with an Indian chief from Alberta and a film crew making a documentary.

Friday
I left on Friday morning and after a few hours of sailing to get used to the new yacht, the wind died down so I decided to turn on the motor to make some speed. Of course it wouldn’t start. So after practicing some newly learned Norwegian curses I resolved to sail slowly up the fjord until I reached the town of Åsgårdstrasse which according to my sailing guide had a chandlery where I could get a new battery (I suspected this was the problem). I finally made it to the town only to find that a new breakwater makes it impossible to enter under sail when the wind blows Westerly. The wind blew westerly. Anchored for the night outside the harbor entrance and hoped the anchor would hold.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment