May 2005

Pete's Post from Antarctica - May 2005

In my spare time I've been ice climbing in the nearby icefalls with members of the SAR team. (and dressing in women's clothes. Contact me if you want the photo. I take bribes - Ed) Other than that my time has been busy with work. The days are getting very short, and by the time this is published our last sunset will have occurred. Temperatures are moderately cold, with minus 25 being normal. The coldest I've seen so far is minus 37, but it will get much colder once we lose the sun.

We have to create our own entertainment down here (Hence the women's clothing. He has been waiting years for the chance - Ed). This is something that happened two weeks ago:

Every Friday night we hold a darts tournament. On this particular evening, South Pole Station (USA) joined us via HF radio. Americans came over to Scott Base from McMurdo Station. Other bases around Antarctica were invited, but many of them operate in different time-zones and were unable to participate via radio.

The Italian station at Terranova Bay is closed for the winter. The departing Italians normally stay a night at Scott Base as they head home.

The person looking after the HF radio temporarily installed in the Scott Base bar heard the following signal:

Scott-a Base-a, Scott-a Base-a this is Terranova, Terranova. Can you hear-a
us-a. Over

REPLY Terranova, this is Scott Base receiving. Go ahead, over.

Scott-a Base-a this is Terranova, can-a we join-a your darts-a please-a.

REPLY Terranova, this is Scott Base. Sure. We'd be delighted for you to
join us. Please advise the names of those playing. Over.

Scott-a Base-a this is Terranova. Our names-a are Guiseppie, Mario and-a
Roberto, over.

REPLY Terranova, this is Scott Base. Standby while we make sure everybody
else is ready, over.

South Pole, South Pole this is Scott Base. We are being joined tonight by
the Italians at Mario Zuchelli Station at Terranova Bay, over.

The darts competition proceeded over the next hour or so, with the Italians just managing to stay ahead of the others. Each team announced their scores from every throw to the radio operator at Scott Base, who was keeping the totals on a spreadsheet. Whenever the South Pole threw their darts well, the lucky Italians managed slightly better. Eventually the Italians won. South Pole were only slightly behind, and Scott Base came last.

At that point we thought we should confess that we were actually two New Zealanders, not three Italians. We were in my office at Scott Base talking on a ham radio. We reminded them that Mario Zuchelli Station at Terranova Bay was closed for the winter, and that people should have remembered farewelling the Italians when they stayed at Scott Base on the way out.

It was very funny, and was hard to carry off without laughing on the radio.

Pete de Joux from Antarctic

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