Final view from Alan

I thought I would try and write a few lines to round off my contribution to the blog, actually, with Chris writing such a great summary I am hard pushed to add much to what he has already said. I agree with him in every point. One thought he has not expressed and one that really lingers with me but also causes me to wonder at my own mental outlook, is my general feeling about the trip. If I was to express it in a single word, incredibly, it would be disappointment. Even as I type it seems somehow wrong to have Antarctica and disappointment in the same sentence.

 

I first expressed this over the satellite phone, halfway through the trip, to my wife. I am still trying to come to terms with why I should feel this way about a trip that involved all my favourite sports i.e. sailing, climbing and skiing and travelled to a location I had always wanted to go to. I know the source of this is down to what I felt was a lack of real adventure. Again, this seems like a ridiculous statement as we climbed six unclimbed peaks and stood where no man had stood before; we sailed through ice choked channels to gain unchartered bays. So would appear to be full of adventure.

 

Chris, reminded me that before the trip, in one of our pub based planning sessions, that I had expressed a rather strange fear about the trip. Strange in that it was bi-polar; I was worried that the trip would either not be adventurous enough and be dull... or be too adventurous and I would be to scared to be able to contribute or enjoy the experience. So, it would appear that I had some premonition about this. Had I been a gambolling man though, I would have thought it would have been more likely to have been too scary not scary enough.

 

All this has caused me to question my expectations of the trip to see if this was the root of the disappointment and although it must be a large factor, the real cause was the guide-client relationship. Again, just like Chris, this is no veiled sleight at Guy, Luis or Mark but more a reflection on the way I live my life. Let me try to explain. I have a responsible job, that although is for a huge corporation, I have a very significant degree of autonomy. By and large, I make all the decisions. In my home life, I make the majority of the decisions. When I sail, I am the helm and make the all the important decisions. When I climb, we climb as a single unit and decisions are shared. As a client on this expedition I did not make any decisions. I wasn't offered the chance to make decisions. Whether they were, who to partner that day or what activity (ski or climb) to take part or what part of the island to explore. When the yacht was exploring, trying to find somewhere safe to anchor, this was true adventure for the skipper and the crew, but I remained an onlooker, not involved. So for me, this lack of contribution to any decisions meant I felt like a tourist.

 

Another element of adventure, for me, is risk and using your own skill, knowledge, and decision making to reduce the risk as much as possible is part of the fun. The guides ensured, arguably to significant a degree, that there was no risk. We all returned without even a bruise. At no point did I even feel close to being in a risky position, or that any decision made might lead to danger. Actually, quite the opposite, we backed off several peaks, close to the summit because something or other was not right. Either the snow was too soft or the crevasses were too big. I am certain that in some of these cases we could have pushed on, but most certainly increasing the risk of something unexpected happening.

 

Maybe that last line has caught it, nothing unexpected happened. As long as I heaved myself out of bed, dressed, ate breakfast and tied myself to whatever rope was chosen for me for the day then I would go somewhere, chosen for me and come back safe and well. Pretty much adventure free really.

 

Anyway, now I have that off my chest, I do have so many fantastic memories. Almost none of them are ones that I expected. Yes, I have great photos of penguins and icebergs but the memories that come to mind, again and again, are of the tales and nonsense spoken by my fellow travellers. I have a chest of anecdotes that will serve me for many years. In fact it never dawned on me that this could be such a great part of the trip. Indeed the great part of the trip. How easily it could have been so different. I can easily picture what the trip could have been like, if a less accommodating crew served poorer food, a less jolly group of people, a less tolerant couple of individuals, maybe mixed up with a bad egg, seasickness, a gastric bug and all hell would let loose. I can easily imagine mutiny taking place which would be a dangerous situation so many hundreds of miles from any civilisation. But maybe I am being overly melodramatic.

 

So my lasting memory of Antarctica won't be of Shackleton or Scott type experiences, nor will it be the incredibly amusing penguins, not even the horror of the seasickness but that of my new found boat mates;-

 

Mark: with his almost limitless supply of humorous Vet related anecdotes (none of which suitable for All Creatures Great and Small)

 

Dan the Narcoleptic: who could sleep though a volcano erupting, who suffered from some bipolar verbal disorder and is only the second American I have met who had any kind of sensible world view.

 

AJ: as solid as a mountain who had a fantastic ability to communicate without words, probably down to living with the wonderful Rewa. He always greeted you with a wide smile. A great listener.

 

Rewa: probably as insane a person I have ever met, more energy than a supernova and louder but great fun.

 

Gerry: who somehow managed only to deliver one joke a day but was always by far the funniest. Probably the funniest guy in the world. Should be on the stage Gerry.

 

Nicky: a very sane person unless mixed with a pinch of Rewa and a dash of Chloe

 

Arne: very dry and with a mountain of patience, congratulations on your engagement

 

And the incredibly attentive and amusing crew of

 

Tamsin: if only I could find a way of sharing her anecdotes, made us all laugh even in the darkest of times

 

Chloe: who can enjoy birthday's like you would never believe, try asking her about the midnight crevasse rescue through the boat hatches, but don't let her choose which movie to watch

 

Murray: who I am sure is still smiling from his Benny Hill like chases over an iceberg and who shamed us crampon, rope and ice axe clad climbers with his gum boot exploits.

 

Alison: who laughed like an eruption when "her Mark" first discovered the Tamsin Truth, and also kept a kind eye over the sick ones. Thanks.

 

Captain Kafka: laughing uncontrollably just before the punch line of his own filthy joke.

 

And last but not least to the guides

 

Mark: who was the most like climbing with a mate. Would be happy to climb or ski with Mark anywhere in the world.

 

Luis: who confided in me at the end of the trip that he had never met anyone as frank as me before. Sorry if you were the butt of too many jokes Luis but you just can't stop looking after you clients. If I was ever mad enough to want to be guided up Everest he would be the man.

 

Guy: who admitted that our group was the most base he had ever led but managed to drop to our level and still lower it from time to time.

 

So this draws my contribution to a close, other that to say that as of the end of March we have raised a fantastic £3000 for CLIC Sargent, so thanks to all of you out there in the ether that have contributed and if you haven't yet then please do so, every penny counts.

 

Chris and I will be presenting our photos and tales at a small series of talks to be announced shortly. So keep an occasional look here to see the announcement or click on the subscribe button on the left hand side to be automatically notified.

 

Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as we have writing it. Back to normal life...

 

 

 

 

Back home and final thoughts from Chris

Chris here: We are now back in Scotland with our families, which is great. A very warm and emotional welcome from our respective wives and children awaited us at Glasgow airport. Antarctica and even Ushuaia seems like a long, long time ago.

We spent the nights of 5^th, 6^th and 7^th March on board Evohe, in Ushuaia. The night of the 6^th we had dinner out with all the crew and guides to celebrate our safe arrival and all the great times we had shared together. We missed Nicky and Arne who were in Buenos Aires and would be joining the folks going to Auckland on their trip home. After dinner we all visited the Irish Bar (yes there is an Irish Bar everywhere you go!) telling jokes and stories, and dancing late into the night.

Tuesday 7^th was a low key day with all of us packing bags, arguing over which sock belonged to who, and fortunately not arguing over whose underwear was who’s. Shopping for presents to take home that would fit into our already full to bursting bags, without increasing excess baggage payments, took up most of the day. A couple of interesting museums in Ushuaia occupied us while the shops were shut during “siesta”. That evening, a lot of us sampled the Parilla, a traditional Argentinean barbeque. After the revels of the previous night this was a much quieter affair with us all enjoying the food.

Goodbyes to the crew, guides and rest of the climbers were spread out over a couple of days with some of us on the same flights to Buenos Aires and others on a later flight. Spending the last night on Evohe rather than in a hotel was a great way to finish this part of the trip. However with various people having moved to hotels the four of us remaining on board all had our own cabins – sheer luxury compared to the conditions of the past 30 days. On the morning of Wednesday 8^th March we said our emotional goodbyes to the crew and set off for a few days of sunshine in Buenos Aires.

Three days in Buenos Aires was fascinating, I found the Argentinean people welcoming and friendly. The city felt much more European than South American. I realise that it’s a long way away but based on my few days in the country would recommend Argentina as a holiday destination.

Unfortunately due to a strike by Aerolineas Argentinas our return flight was delayed by some 15 hours meaning that we missed our connection from Madrid to London, spending another night in a hotel in Madrid. In some ways this was a blessing as we discovered that had we got to London there would have been little chance of continuing to Glasgow due to heavy snow and the closure of Glasgow airport for most of the day. In fact we arrived home well rested on last Monday evening to a great welcome from our families. The welcome home was the perfect end to a fantastic trip.

So what of overall feelings about Antarctica and this sort of expedition. Quite a number of people have said that this must have been a life changing trip. For me this wasn’t the case, however it was definitely life enhancing and it has provided me with some of the most memorable experiences of my life. Perhaps I can share a few of the most enduring memories:

Seasickness.

The crossing of the Drake Passage has cured me of ever wanting to go ocean yachting again and any dream that I may join an ocean race has been dashed.

Homesickness.

I missed my wife, Fiona and children, Tom, Rosie and Cate all the time. However at various times the feeling was very strong. Not only when I was feeling a bit low (usually seasickness) but also when I had had a great day and wanted to be able to share it with Fiona and the children. The chance to speak to them on the phone from time to time was great and I think I would have felt much more homesick without this.

Guiding.

I’m not sure I would rush to join another guided expedition like this. All decisions about routes, where the yacht will go and whether it’s a climbing or skiing day are made by the guides. Their decision making is very good but the lack of control can be more frustrating for some than for others. Personally, it did not bother me too much but it may should I join this sort of expedition in future. However if I knew before the expedition what I know now I would still have gone. In case anyone is wondering this is not a veiled criticism of Guy, Luis and Mark, merely a comment on the process of being guided. I have no wish to climb 8000m Himalayan peaks but should that ever change I would have no hesitation in going with any of these individuals or Adventure Consultants as a company. Also, I think that being guided on a single objective trip (getting to the top) would be different from this sort of exploring and loose objective trip. Guy, Luis and Mark are three great guys with lots of experiences and stories to tell.

Best Memories.

Sharing an 82’ yacht with 16 other people, a 7’ x 7’ cabin with three other blokes and one chemical toilet for 30 days is a recipe for conflict and disaster or firm friendships. We settled for the latter. We all laughed at jokes, self depreciating stories, witty asides and surreal circumstances. Most of the jokes are unrepeatable, and that’s just the ones that the girls told us. Sitting here at home, I am still amazed at the harmony and friendship throughout the group.

Steve Kafka helped to make the trip worthwhile for all of us. He skippered the Evohe safely into uncharted anchorages. This was vital to the success of our climbing objectives as landing sites were few and far between. We had sailed down the Antarctic Peninsula spotting great peaks and interesting routes to them but with no safe anchorages or landing sites. Therefore, Steve’s determination and skill helped us to make those first ascents. Murray, Allison, Tamsin and Chloe mixed the serious responsibilities of watch keeping and spotting ice with excellent culinary and hospitality skills. Good food is such a morale booster on any sort of expedition or trip and our morale was kept as high as could be. Coming back from skiing or climbing in Antarctica to freshly baked cakes and steaming mugs of tea was fantastic. After about 3 weeks we began to suspect that they were growing fresh vegetables under UV lamps in the bilges and we wondered what was being used for fertilizer. This was not the case. We were just well provisioned.

Watching penguins is a great way to spend an afternoon. These creatures are funny and endearing. Sitting quietly and then just watching them waddle to the sea, swim out and back, waddle back and then feed their young was a real privilege. Much of the wildlife we saw was unafraid of us because they have been protected for a substantial time. Being ignored, or accepted, by wildlife was a real thrill.

Climbing on Chavez Island was the climbing highlight for me. Guy Cotter led Dan Jones and me to a first ascent. The final few feet involved a step around onto a short traverse and 15’ climb above a sheer drop to an ocean studded with icebergs. Exhilarating, satisfying and fun.

Our big ski day at Prospect Point (66 South) was fun. Skiing up 3 mountains and skiing down through snow which varied from corn to powder to crust was challenging and enjoyable. However, skiing across the icefield at the end of the day towards the setting sun with the ocean and icebergs as a backdrop is simply unforgettable.

This was a great trip and I have many happy memories as I am sure Al does. I hope you have enjoyed reading our diary and many thanks to those of you who have donated to CLIC Sargent, a worthwhile cause.

March 5th - Puerto Williams to Ushuaia

Location Ushuaia (s54.48,w68.18)

Chris here: We returned to the Evohe yesterday after two nights camping and
trekking in the wilds of Patagonia. Hot showers and clean clothes were most
welcome. This morning we motored from Puerto Williams to Ushuaia through
the Beagle Channel.

On Wednesday evening we had a barbecue and shared a few glasses of wine with
folk from a couple of other yachts docked alongside in Puerto Williams.
Just after midnight we all sang Happy Birthday to Tamsin, another of our
brilliant crewmembers, and the second to have a birthday on the trip. Al
and I retired to bed while the party continued as the next day we planned to
hike into the hills and camp. On Thursday morning we said goodbye to Arne
and Nicky who had decided that Buenos Aires was a bigger draw than trekking
in Patagonia. However we did not envy them the 38km minibus ride followed
by a Zodiac dinghy (yes really) ride across the Beagle Channel to Ushuaia,
particularly as Nicky had been a leader of the late night revelling.

Thursday was a warm and sunny day as we packed our rucksacks to head up into
the Patagonian wilderness. The group consisted of myself, Alan, Mark Bryan,
Gerry, Andrew and Rewa, and guides Guy, Mark Sedon and Luis. Dan was
suffering from a stomach bug so decided to stay on the Evohe. We climbed
above the town of Puerto Williams through Beech forest to a landscape of
shattered rocks with mosses, lichens, grasses and small alpine flowers
clinging precariously to small areas of soil. It reminded of us of the
Cairngorms except the rocks and boulders are not nearly as weathered. In
the valleys below us were many, many small lakes each feeding the other with
small waterfalls. The lakes are left over from retreating glaciers. As we
traversed around the mountainside we got a better view of the range of hills
called Los Dentes de Navarino, which translates as the teeth of Navarino
(the island we are on). This name is very appropriate as the range of
mountains juts up with multiple peaks rising vertically from steep scree
slopes. After 5 hours of walking we came to our campsite by the side of a
small mountain lake surrounded by bush, scree slopes and cliffs and fed by
another small waterfall. Just as we descended to the lake we met a trekker
from England who camped beside us and we compared our tales of Antarctica
with his experience aboard the Marco Polo cruise ship. As we talked it
turned out that John had been in Port Lockroy at the same time as we were
and had seen us climbing one of the peaks. Around the lake was a lot of
dead wood which was great for making a camp fire. The fallen wood is due to
beavers having gnawed the trees to get wood for their dams and lodges.
Beavers are very common in this part of Patagonia but are not indigenous and
viewed as a pest. The crew of the Evohe have told us of a restaurant in
Ushuaia where it is possible to eat beaver. Some of our party are keen to
try this when we get there!

Friday morning dawned sunny and windy. We packed day packs and set off to
climb one of the "teeth" in the mountain range. We walked past crystal
clear azure coloured lakes surrounded by scree to the base of the towering
peaks. Climbing the shattered scree and leaping from boulder to boulder
made progress slow. As we gained altitude we moved onto the ridge leading
to the summit. The last few hundred feet of climbing was a very enjoyable
scramble up a more and more exposed ridge. We enjoyed the fantastic views
from the summit especially south to Cape Horn and the Southern Ocean which
had caused Alan and I such angst voyaging south and north. A couple of
peaks away we could see a condor circling the top. We descended down steep
loose scree and then walked back to camp via a different route. As the
campsite came into view there was one tent missing!. Looking more carefully
we could see the tent upside down snagged on a rock with Gerry and Mark
Bryan's kit scattered all around the small lake. This brought a mix of
reactions from the group - some of us thankful that it wasn't our kit,
amusement, and embarrassment. Mark and Gerry (two of our most experienced
mountaineers) were particularly embarrassed because the previous evening
Luis had offered some help pitching the tent but had been rebuffed with a
sarcastic "I think we know how to pitch a tent Luis!!!" Clearly not this
particular tent.

Saturday morning we packed up a walked back to Puerto Williams. The views
over the Beagle Channel and north to the Andes were again spectacular and
the weather was pleasantly warm - remember we are on the same latitude as
the lake district in late summer down here. After hot showers, washing
clothes, airing tents and sleeping bags it was time to explore the joys of
Puerto Williams again. Strangely, the town proved much more appealing on
second viewing, a glass of beer in a friendly bar, eating empanadas. These
are a bit like small pasties or bridies and served with spine tingling spicy
chilli paste. Another barbecue on the deck of the Micalvi (the part-sunken
cargo ship) followed by a couple of Pisco Sours in the sloping bar finished
off a very pleasant stay in this part of Patagonia. We had an entertaining
evening chatting with an American lady who is training to sail single handed
around the world and a couple from England who have given up their jobs to
travel around the world. All this in a sloping bar aboard a sunken ship in
a tiny town at the very bottom of Chile. Surreal, is a word that can only
begin to describe this sort of meeting.

We arrived in Ushuaia late morning and then all had to report to the
Prefectoria (Coastguard) to fill out forms and have our passports inspected.
A wander around Ushuaia, window shopping, was in order as most shops were
closed it being a Sunday. Ushuaia bills itself as the gateway to Antarctica
and there are images of the frozen continent in most shops and restaurants.
It was therefore another surreal experience to be sipping cappuccino looking
at pictures and thinking "we were there" but at the same time not quite
believing that it had been so recently. This is just about the end of our
blog as Alan and I will be leaving for Buenos Aires in a couple of days.
Alan will be writing tomorrow and we'll both also be writing a summary of
our feelings over the past few weeks. I hope everyone has enjoyed reading
the blog. We had a chance look at our blog in an internet cafe today and
thank those of you who have added comments. Other members of group have
said (threatened?) they will be adding comments of their own blog - perhaps
giving their side of the story.

Our final guest despatch is from Luis who has been guiding us for the past
few weeks, so over to Luis to give you some insight into the guide's view of
our adventure;

Luis here: Greetings to one and all. Chris and Alan have asked me to talk a
bit about the experience from the "other side of the coin". Having these 2
Scots aboard "elevated", shall we say, the humor level of the group. A quick
wit, combined with a burning desire to get out and do it, put them at the
head of the pack for pushing the group to keep our standards high. As a
guide, sometimes on trips it is hard to know where to draw the line when it
comes to overall group safety and trusting the skill level of the
participants involved. Often you find yourself wondering if you are giving
enough direction, providing enough assistance, and simply just being aware
enough to foresee any issues that may arise. The beauty of this trip has
been that this group of people came to this expedition with a few common
things;a passion for adventure, and a similar level of skill that allowed us
to go farther and harder than we ever thought possible down here, not too
mention a stupendous sense of humor that left everyone waking up with our
sides hurting from laughing so hard, so much of the time.

There are those rare expeditions where the line between guides and
participants becomes wonderfully blurred due to the above. It becomes not so
much an issue of teacher and student, but like minded folks out enjoying
what they set out to do, have an adventure of a lifetime, and come back safe
and sound! On this trip I recall mostly the unabashed laughter and fantastic
terrain. Coming back to the boat and enjoying wonderful meals and even
better company. This has been an exercise where one and all, guides
included, are walking away richer for the experience. As guides you wonder
about your overall impact on a group, life lessons learned, accomplishments
achieved, and new goals set.After a trip like this, it will be hard I think
to go back to normal life and not strive to find the challenge in new
adventures and horizons. For this group, it is only the beginning.

March 1st - Puerto Williams, Chile

Chris here: We are now docked in Puerto Williams having survived our
second crossing of the Drake Passage. I must admit to feeling much better
than on the journey south - I could eat but reading or trying to type caused
a real sense of nausea. The final part of the voyage last night was
impressive. As Alan has already said the wind got up to 30 or even 35 knots
from the west. With not such big swells as we had seen further south and
three sails up the Evohe was fairly rattling along. It was impressive to
hear the steel hull smacking into the waves with the noise reverberating
throughout the yacht. With such a wind the Evohe was heeled over and this
made sleeping difficult. In my bunk I was either tipped down onto my head
or had to brace my feet against the bulkhead to prevent being piled up in a
heap at the foot of the bunk. Most of the other folk on board did not sleep
well either. However, once we entered the Beagle Channel the motion stopped
and we all managed a few hours of sleep before arriving in Puerto Williams.
The highlight of the passage was definitively the sight of 30 or 40 pilot
whales plus a few hourglass dolphins following the yacht for 30 minutes or
so yesterday. Even though the sea appeared grey and inhospitable we could
see the whales and dolphins quite clearly through the water. Amazing to see
these creatures in the open ocean where they are truly in their element.

Arriving here we no longer have to conserve water so once docked it was a
queue for the shower. As we were getting towards the bottom of the water
tanks, with more salinated water, the crew brought out bottled water for
everyone to drink, from you guessed it Campsie Spring in Lennoxtown, the
next village to where Alan and I live. Bizarre to be drinking water from
Scotland on a yacht from New Zealand in Chile! Everyone felt much better
after a good wash and getting into clean clothes which we have all been
saving for this occasion. Most of us also celebrated with a change of
underwear and socks. It took 4 hours after arrival for the Chilean
authorities to arrive and stamp passports. This may be due to siesta time
or the fact that they want to spare themselves the chance of being amongst
some very smelly climbers. The weather was fair this morning and soon after
docking the Evohe was decorated with sleeping bags, mattresses, freshly
rinsed thermal tops and sheets hanging from every available rope and mast.
After a three weeks in the damp confines of our cabins the bedding was glad
to see the light of day.

Puerto Williams bills itself as being the town at the end of the earth. If
you can imagine a South American town at the end of the earth, Puerto
Williams will fit all the stereotypes. Walking around town there is a
feeling of being on the set of a spaghetti western, without the sunshine.
It's not difficult to imagine tumbleweed blowing down the main street.
Despite this, there is a certain charm to the place - look closely and there
are most things you would need - internet cafe, supermarket and tourist
office. Beyond that, most of the town is a naval base for the Chilean Navy,
with a couple of gunboats tied up at the wharf and a lot of identical new
housing to contrast with the ramshackle development of the civilian part of
town All the roads are gravel and there are not many cars - all of which
are dust 4 wheel drives. It took an hour to take a couple of turns round
town and then go to the bar for a quiet beer.

We are tied up alongside yachts from New Zealand, USA and Holland. The
"yacht club" consists of a half submerged old tugboat called the McKelvie.
The superstructure functions as a bar and occasional restaurant with
intermittent opening hours. The crew seem to be well acquainted with this
from previous visits - sometimes it opens around 9pm, sometimes later and
sometimes not at all!

Our plan for the next few days is to check on the weather and then explore
some trails in the mountains to the south. If the weather is good tomorrow
we may take the tents and set up camp about 5 or 6 hours walk from here
staying and exploring for a couple of nights. It is sad to have left
Antarctica, but it was great to have experienced so much whilst there. The
scenery around here reminds me of the west coast of Scotland, with
mountains, forests and water. The weather reminiscent of Scotland as well -
we are having a barbecue tonight and it looks like rain. Fortunately there
are no midges.

We will keep you updated on our travels in South America - please stay
tuned.

March 1st: Cape Horn Rounded

Alan here: just a quick update; at 10:30 last night we rounded Cape Horn. It
is just past 10 am and we are now entering Puerto Williams, Chile, marking
the end of the Drakes Passage.

Chris and I will have tales to tell until we are old and grey of the final
parts of the passage. The winds topped 50 knots, with a confused swell the
boat rolled and heaved unpredictably. Any attempt at movement in the boat
needed full concentration and 3 points of hold. Sleeping was nearly
impossible as the boat tipped over on its side trying to throw you out of
your bunk, even with the lee cloth attempting to strap us in. The boat
creaked, squeaked, thumped, bottles clanged and rolled around. The wind
screamed through the rigging.

To non sailors hitting a top speed of 10.5 knots probably won't sound fast,
but for an 80 ton vessel purely under sail that was really moving.

Anyway, the mood has lifted enormously on the boat. Happy smiles all round
as the thought of a warm shower, and most of all stepping back on land. A
green land now as we are surrounded by tree clad hills.

Have to go, excitement to high to keep typing.