A year down South

The notes below apply to a series of images that in effect cover a year that I
spent on and off travelling to SA Weather Bases, Marion, Gough and also Bouvet
islands and then a year on the SANAE base on the Antarctic. The photos are
really a compendium of the two years I spent ‘down south’, with the majority
from my 1968 year. Regards all. daan joubert (Sanae 6 and 9)

1. 1955-56 English university base on Gough Island (Taken 1964)

The first proper survey of Gough island was in 1955-56 when a small group of
young students from Britain arranged an expedition to the island. Led by Martin
Holdgate (later Sir Martin) they established their base at the only place where
one can proceed inland from the beach without having to scale a cliff. At first the
SA Weather station – starting in 1956 – was housed here, but the meteorological
readings were distorted by the extreme geography and a new base was built in a
better location in1963.

2. Marion Base in 1964

My first trip on the mv RSA was to Marion in early 1964. The view is of the base
in the background and an albatross on its nest. The surface appears solid, but is
in fact so marshy that the ‘lawn’ ripples in waves when one walks on it. The new
Rmulti-million base that finally replaced the old base is like an hotel!
3. Turned turtle

This is an example of how icebergs, when they move into warmer water, melt
away underneath until they get top-heavy and then ‘turn turtle’!
4. Sanae 6 (1965)

Front LtR:

Zack Ezekowitz – Geomagnetism aurora and seismograph; (also Sanae 5)

Sewes van Wyk – Leader, also with Sanae 3
Wilfred Hodsdon – Diesel mech; serial expedition member after 1965
Nico Smit - With cup for best beard
Hennie Joubert – Senior metkassie
Jan de Wit – Doctor, Storeman and Assistant Surveyor
John Strydom - Surveyor

Back LtR:

Derek Sharwood – Rhodes University ionosonde

Dries Steyn – Metkassie
Ray Stat – Radio operator (Also spent a year on Marion)
Johan Joubert – Senior dieselmech
Daan Joubert – Cosmic rays for Potch University
Wolfgang Pollack - Geologist

5. Bouvet Island

In 1964 there was an expedition to explore Bouvet Island. Most isolated island;
lying midway between Cape Town and Antarctica, would make an excellent site
for a weather base. Spent a week there with the mv RSA and the SAS Tafelberg
and helicopters. There was only a 2-3 hour window in which the wind speed was
low enough (< about 60km/h I think) for the helicopters to make a very brief
flight. A second expedition in 1967 had more luck and a few members were lucky
enough to land on the island. The island is mostly partly obscured in cloud and
this is a rare photo that shows most of the island.
The ‘step’ on the right of the island resulted from volcanic activity, that
presumably happened after the time of the IGY (1957/8), when the Norwegians
passed the island on their way to Antarctica, but did not report seeing this
change.

6. The beach on Bouvet Island

Taken from the helicopter on the flight in to land. Not a place to wander around
in the dark! The plan to build a weather station on the island was shelved after
the expedition had taken a closer look at it.
7. Surveying Bouvet

Wilhelm Verwoerd using SA technology – the Tellurometer – to survey a grid that

would be used later to determine movement of the island’s ice cap. Large table
iceberg from Antarctica in the background (estimated having sides of about
5km).

8. Just in case!

Playing it safe. The wind was constant – see the small scoop developing around
the crate and the flag – and a storm could brew up quickly. Care was taken not
to have too many people on the island at any one time and if any were caught by
a storm, they would seek shelter in the crate and the tent. Person on the left is
Dirk Neethling of SA Geological Survey, expedition leader.
9. On Bouvet Island

We flew in helicopters of the SA Navy – flying without doors as these helicopters

showed a preference for unexpectedly descending rapidly to settle on the ocean,
but not floating for very long. There was always a small rescue boat out on the
water when a flight was expected or in progress. The photo also shows a rare
view of sunlight on the peaks around the old crater.

10. Dr Heinz Rode

Taken in 1967 during preparation for Sanae 9 – abseiling course in the Magalies
mountains.
Abseliing was considered essential so that someone could descend to assist any
expedition members who had fallen deep into a crevasse. No pleasant prospect
at all and luckily a skill that was not needed. Dr Rode, assistant leader, later
became a distinguished paediatric surgeon.

11. Off loading on bay ice

In January 1968, this was the first time that the RSA had to off-load onto bay
ice, stretching a kilometer or more up the bukta before it was possible to creep
up to the bank ice. On the way there were long cracks in the ice, about 15-20 cm
wide, with the seawater visible about 25 cm below the level of the ice. Very
tense time driving a Muskeg with two heavy sledges behind! The RSA left to
explore when we finished offloading. When we returned 2-3 days later to fetch
material that had been left on the ice bank, the whole bukta was empty of bay
ice! A close call after 8 days of off loading. The nearby blocks of ice result from
winter storms as the bukta ices over. Similar accumulated blocks on the opposite
side of the bukta can just be seen. In the distance the Cessna of the Belgian
expedition that accompanied us for the summer is being assembled.
12. De Havilland Otter on the ice

The Belgian expedition that accompanied us for the summer (1967/68) used this
dH Otter to complete surveys they had done from their old base – which was no
longer occupied - to the east of SANAE. The Cessna was for backup should there
be a problem with the Otter, leaving people stranded in the interior.

13. Spades are trumps

Snow has the unfortunate attribute that it moves along when the wind blows and
stops to accumulate when there is an obstruction.
When we had finished our off- loading on the bay ice, time pressure dictated that
we continue the take-over immediately. The people who left the coast last had
no experience of how snow behaved and left petrol drums behind – still standing
on the sledges and with the sledge cables linked. The marker poles indicate
where the sledges and also some other material lie buried under the snow. A first
initiation to the use of the spade, but definitely not the last!

14. After the storm - 1

The take over program and the work with the Belgian summer expedition was a
priority and the task of processing all the new supplies had to wait. The supplies
were at least sorted, but had to be left on the surface. Of course a storm had to
come and the photo shows some of the material intended for base maintenance
after the storm had ended.

15. After the storm – 2

The pile of supplies buried under snow in the previous photo is now safely on top
of the empty petrol drums that allow the wind – and snow – to pass freely with
little or no obstruction and accumulation. A ‘stellasie’ like this remains clear for
at least a full season. However, snow does build up along the outside, around the
construction, and a new one has to be buiilt before the snow accumulates too
high. From left to right: Daan Loubert, Jan Smith and Willem van Zyl, Sanae 9
1968
16. Fresh water for the base

Since Antarctica has a dearth of fountains, fresh water for the base has to be
‘made’ by melting snow. After the base was built aand had been covered by
snow, a hole in the roof of the ‘diesel shack’ served to dump snow into a large
drum that had double walls. The diesel exhaust was routed through this space to
melt the snow. As new snow accumulated above the base, the snow was dumped
through a chimney.
As snow in the vicinity of the chimney was depleted, it could be quite a task to
carry enough snow from further away and the ‘skivvy’ of the day wished for a
storm to come and bring fresh snow. Filling the snow smelter in a storm with
wind gusts at over 150 km/hour is however not a trivial job! Daan Joubert is the
skivvy on a nice day with enough snow to feed the smelter.

17. Winter launch of Met balloon

Every day a hydrogen balloon is launched to measure and transmit data of upper
air meteorologigcal conditions. When there is little wind, performing the launch is
easy, but when the wind is strong to very strong it requires the metkassie doing
the launch to run as fast as possible downwind to have the instrument that is at
the bottom of the string into the air without hitting the surface and be damaged.

18. Putting the hospital to use.

The base is equipped with a hospital facility – it is rudimentary, but essential for
emergencies.
It was put to use on a number of occasions during my time there for minor
medical interventions. Dr Jan de Wit ready for a rare opportunity to practise his
profession, with Daan Joubert as assistant.

19. Intense concentration

Ludo is a popular kid’s game when growing up. Ray Statt designed this larger
version that provided extended pleasure in the evenings for the six players that
regularly played as two teams of three. With members of the two teams sitting in
alternate positions, the players are Ray Statt sitting at the head of the table,
then clockwise Sewes van Wyk, Daan Joubert, Derek Sharwood, Johan Joubert,
Dries Steyn
20. Midwinter salad

One of the team members brought a mini-hydroponic setup that he then used to
cultivate lettuce and radishes, which were ready for our celebration of midwinter.
It was a good dose of nostalgia to have a salad on that occasion that was at least
in part based on fresh ingredients.

21. Midwinter dinner was as ‘formal’ as we could make it and a most

enjoyable feast it was. Clockwise from left front: Wilfred Hodsdon, Zack
Ezekowits, John Strydom, Wolfgang Pollack, Derek Sharwood, Jan de Wit,
Nico Smit, Dries Steyn, Pottie Potgieter.
22. Black and White

One year, some of us did developing of colour slides (Ektachrome) with generally
good results, but black and white photography attracted attention as well. This is
a good example of what could be achieved, showing Bryan Meyer (SANAE 9)
while intent on cleaning a lens or filter.

23. Dentistry

Dr Jan de Wit in his alternate role as dentist, putting his rather limited training in
this specialty to good effect to improve the quality of life of Zack Ezekowits - on
his second consecutive year ‘down south’ – with Hennie Joubert as assistant.
24. Dog team

In earlier times, Huskies were still being used as transport when the geologists
leave the base for an extended time to explore the mountains inland from the
base. They are taken on training runs shortly after the winter – for the dogs and
the geologists! – and a favourite destination is the coast and the buktas (like
lochs or bays in the high bank ice that are used for off-loading the RSA).

25. Ready to depart

Early after the winter the geologists and their support staff are ready to depart to
the escarp and other mountains where they can work at their profession. Another
requirement was the stocking up of depots for the end of year take-over when a
major summer program which included summer visitors was envisaged. Muskegs
pulling 3-4 sledges with marker poles on top with which to mark depots and –
very important – to mark safe routes through crevasse areas.

26. Windscoop

Around the edge of Antarctica, winds are mostly westerly; however, towards the
interior cold air flowing from the interior plateau are diverted to the west because
of the Coriolis effect. These near constant easterly winds form a ‘wind scoop’ at
major mountain outcrops – a clear and deep area between the surrounding snow
and the rock of the mountain. A scoop can be 20-25 meters deep and about 6-10
m wide. On the leeward side of the mountain two high banks of snow can stretch
for hundreds of meters on each side of a smooth valley. The tents and vehicle in
the distance provide an idea of the scale.
27. Rocks on a roll

A strange sight! Rocks continually break off from the mountains as melt water
later freezes in small cracks and the ice pressure as the water expands below 4
degrees C widens the cracks. It seems that rocks that break off a mountain off to
the left of the photo then go on a roll – well, not really, but something (perhaps
ice movement ??) carries the rocks in a narrow line (just visible) from left to
right (east to west!) and then leaves them in a large and growing pile.

28. Windmill at Pyramiden

The Sanae 6 trip into the mountains added to the stockpile at Pyramiden – which
was also used as a base point by the British-Swedish-Norwegian expedition that
had a base on the coast off to the west during the International Geophysical Year
(IGY) of 1957/8 – that later became the English base, Halley Bay, I think. This
was the first time a SANAE team had been this far south.

Johan Joubert as diesel mech had ample free time while the geologists cracked
rocks and he built a small windmill. By the time of Sanae 9 (1968) the blades
had taken off with the wind, so only its structure and the plaque were left.
29. SOUTH South Africans

At the site of the camp within the large windscoop (Photo 26) we five probably
were the southernmost South Africans in October 1968. L to R: Daan Joubert,
Anton Aucamp, Johan Grobbelaar, Clive Sinclair, Howard Williams.
Interesting is the fact that three of us were in the same school and the families
were long time friends, yet we ended up together in the Sanae 9 team with no
prior consultation with each other or any other contact.

30. Un-icing a relic

Another example of the power of the spade! A more acceptable term might be
‘unearthing’ but that does not fit the context! The Oliver tractor was inherited
from the Norwegians when Sanae 1 took over their old IGY base in 1960. It
played a role during off-loading, pulling loaded sledges at snail pace from the
bukta to the base – I am told this was often done under ‘auto-pilot’ as the driver
would set it off in the direction of the base, say 16 km away, have something to
eat and probably drink and then catch up to it walking, taking over to correct any
drift off the route and aim for the base. I wonder whether it was later returned or
whether some team simply ‘forgot’ where it was parked. L to R: Sewes van Wyk,
John Strydom, Jan de Wit, Dries Steyn
31. Christmas Tree

It is a bit far to the pine forests in the North and Pottie Potgieter and Derek
Sharwood felt strongly enough that Christmas required a tree to do something
about it. A broom stick planted ina bucket and some tinsel had to suffice.

32. A day at the beach

When the wind is still or very light and the sun is shining, it feels like a day at
the beach even if the ambient temperature is at best a little above zero, say +2
or +3 degrees. From the top: Daan Joubert, Hennie Joubert, Zac Ezekowitz,
Derek Sharwood.
33. Sanae 9 (1968)

Front LtoR:

Brian Watters - Geologist

Anton Aucamp – Geologist

Clive Sinclair – Diesel mech

Hennie Aucamp – Metkassie

Daan Joubert – Leader

Jan Smith – Geophysicist Hermanus

Back LtoR:

Howard Williams – Geophysicist Rhodes

Dr Heinz Rode – Doctor

Johan Grobbelaar – Radiotech

Fred Clements – Senior metkassie

Dawie Smith – Physiologist

Eddie Bosman – Surveyor

Gert de Beer – Metkassie

Willem van Zyl – Radio operator

Gerrie Scholtz – Geophysicist Potch

Bryan Meyer – Senior dieselmech

34. Cape of Storms

There was quite a south easter going when the RSA arrived at Cape Town. I
believe for a few days ships could not enter the harbour, but if the RSA had to
wait outside some people may have started swimming. We were allowed in when
we arrived. The RSA sailed into harbour with a pronounced list as the wind was
right on the port beam. Everyone, both on board and the people waiting on the
shore, was most pleased that we did not have to wait outsuide the harbour.

The end