Almost Time To Go...

Departure date is rapidly approaching.

I've finished all my training courses now.

On top of what I learnt at conference;
I now know to strip-down, service and maintain all the fire extinguishers on the base;
I am now familiar with the operation and controls of our base generators;
I can now strip-down, service and maintain the fire & rescue breathing apparatus;
I can train personnel how to safely wear and use the breathing apparatus;
I am conversant with the storage and use of compressed gases;
I can service and maintain the base fire alarm systems;
I can service and maintain the base refrigeration plant;
I can safely operate mobile work platforms;
I am familiar with the company internal computer system.

When I finally arrive on base I will have to do even more on-site training.

Phew!!!

Actually, all the training has been a lot of fun, mainly thanks to the following guys I've been training with;

Richard Inman, K.E.P.'s Electrician;
Rob Johnson, Halley's Electrician;
Richard Bones, Signy's Electrician;
Paul Craske, Rothera's Generator Technician.

Thanks, lads. You helped make hotel life much more tolerable. We sure had a laugh.

I won't see much of Richard, Rob and Richard for a while, as they're all going to different bases.
We'll keep in touch via phone and e-mail though. These are friendships that will last a long time.

I'll be seeing a lot of Paul. He is wintering with with me at Rothera and I am looking forward to working with him and having many-a-laugh together.
It's our joint responsibility to keep the generators running. If we get it wrong we'll have a lot of unhappy campers on our backs so we've got to look out for each other.
Huh...no pressure then!!?

I'd also like to thank all the staff at BAS, Cambridge.
They have all been so helpful and genuinely exited at what we are about to undertake.

Special thanks must go to Mandy, Denise and Sally (cos they're the ones who've had to put up with us the most). They smiled constantly, in spite of every problem that we threw at them.
It's thanks to you, girls, that we have gotten this far.
I'm gonna miss you, even though you're probably glad to see the back of me. XXX


Last Friday my wife and children threw a surprise birthday/leaving party for me.
It was good to see a lot of my friends and family one last time before I leave.
Thank you Mandy, Jessica and Sam. It was a splendid evening, and I'll remember it for a long time.
Many thanks, also, to all who were able to turn up to say happy birthday and goodbye. It meant a lot to me.
Thanks, also, to those who were unable to attend but sent warm messages.
I'm lucky to know so many special people.

This month not only saw my birthday, but also the birthdays of my two children, Sam and Jessica.
I am sad that I won't be here to celebrate next year's birthdays with them, and they won't be with me when I have my 50th next year.
They have been so very supportive of me, especially when I was having doubts. I don't think they'd forgive me if I didn't go, now.
They aren't kids any more; they've both grown into fine young adults. I'm very proud of them, and I love them dearly. I shall miss them so very much.

Mandy, too, has been unbelievably supportive. It is not easy for her to wave goodbye to me for so long.
I will miss two of her birthdays and two Christmases.
This seems to be a good time to publicly acknowledge her contribution and support for me.
It's gonna be a tough time for her, but she has never once been negative, even though I'm sure that she has often had such feelings.

Mandy, I will miss you more than you will ever know. xxx


I have my ticket. I just have to pack my case.
Then it's Santiago, here I come!!!


Still with me??

You're mad.....!!!

The Follow-up

And this was my next submission....

4th October 2008

Ok, I'm back from conference.

Cambridge was tough but fun, the field course in the Derbyshire Peak District was just...F U N !!!

The purpose of the field course is to teach the new numpties (like me!!) how to survive in the barren Antarctic wilderness, and also how to search for, and rescue, a colleague who may be in difficulty in the aforementioned wilderness; i.e. they may have fallen into an ice crevasse or be lost in a blizzard. As you can imagine, either scenario (or, even worse, both at the same time) could have potentially fatal consequences for the poor unfortunate victim.

The course started with the basics: first, how to put up a pyramid tent.

The BAS pyramid tent is based on the design of tent used by Sir Robert Falcon Scott in the early twentieth century, although it has been modified and enhanced with modern technology and materials. However, it can still be a pig to put up, especially in adverse conditions. Collapsible in two sections for (supposedly!) easy deployment, the tent should be quick and easy to assemble. We managed to make this simple task look difficult!! The polar pyramid tent, if properly pitched and well-secured, will withstand winds of up 100 km/hour in full blizzard conditions.Our first attempt didn't inspire confidence...!We got the hang of it pretty quickly, though, and soon had our "home" erected and secure.

Next up, we had to learn how to operate the paraffin-fuelled Tilley lamp and Primus stove .

The original Tilley lamp was invented in the early 1800's and a variant was also used by Scott. The lamp was so well designed and reliable that it is still used today. The stove was equally impressive, despite the ageing design. When we finally nurtured and mastered the "knack" of lighting these old relics we grew to love and respect them. They will be our greatest comfort when we are sitting-out a blizzard, miles from base.

For an excellent first-hand account of using this camping gear in the Antarctic, check out this link

http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/indepth/camping/page1.php

After that we learned about ropework and the multitude of equipment we would have to master over the coming days.

We were also taught the basics of abseiling down a cliff face and jumaring...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascender_(climbing)

...back up again.

All the climbing equipment and hardware are affectionately called "jingly-janglies". It all makes sense when they are all hanging off your climbing harness and you start to walk...

All in all, a very informative and enjoyable first day in the field.For the rest of the week we go up to some rocky (and high) Derbyshire crags to practice what we learned.

Under the expert supervision of our field instructors we get kitted-up and receive last-minute instructions…
“Nice and easy over the edge.”
“Slow, gentle movements”
“Be in control all the way down”

If you have never abseiled before (and I hadn’t), going “over the edge” is a pretty daunting, but memorable experience.
Your mouth goes dry and your body tenses up.
Thoughts of uncontrollable personal bodily functions suddenly flood your mind. Your muscles refuse to co-operate with your brain.

With Paul, my instructor, and the rest of the team offering comforting words of encouragement, I slowly ease my tensed-up body up to the edge….

“Trust your equipment, Tone” says Paul, gently.

I know he’s right, but…

Ok, deep breath…

relax…
step back…

a bit more…

oooohh, shhhhiii……….!!!!!



Hey!!..... It’s not so bad after all!!

I’m a few feet over the edge now.
Paul was right. The equipment works.
The training and instruction become second nature.
Suddenly I’m bursting with confidence.
This is FUN !!!

I get to the bottom all too quickly.
I’m buzzing with adrenaline now, so I rush back up to the top, eager to go again, but I have to wait. Someone else is at the edge, confronting their fear.
I know how she feels right now, so I offer my own words of encouragement.

The team spirit is incredibly high and with everybody’s help, we all beat our initial fears and spend the next few hours abseiling like pros, honing our skills and building our confidence.

Jumaring back up the rope is much easier, now that we have confidence in abundance.
Yet another skill quickly polished and tucked away.

Now, the trouble with confidence is that it can go to your head and you get carried away, right?

Some of us are high on adrenaline and we are starting to push a bit harder.
The “slow, gentle movements” are replaced by big bounds and long drops.
Oh, what fun we are having.

Then someone (Shaun, the chippy) had an idea.
“Let’s try doing it upside-down!”

For some unfathomable reason, this seemed like a great idea!!!

Next time around, five of us went over the edge, then flipped head first!
Then we went hands free whilst upside down!

The instructors were not amused!!!

Hmmmm…..

Chris, the chief instructor, said, slowly and firmly…
“You’re supposed to go nice and easy over the edge, using slow, gentle movements, and be in control all the way down.”
“You are NOT supposed to attack the drop like testosterone-charged commandos!!!”

We argued that their instruction was of such high calibre that we were inspired to push harder, etc, etc.

It fell on deaf ears!!

We had no option but to feast on humble pie. Serves us right….!!

For the rest of the time we did as we were told. Nice and easy, slow, gentle movements, and in control.

It was still great fun, but not as much fun as commando-style!!!

The rest of the week passed without further incident.
We learned search and rescue techniques.
We learnt how to work as a team.
We learned not just how to survive in the Antarctic, but actually how to live comfortably in that hostile environment.

All of the instructors are highly trained and experienced Antarctic field assistants.
They have a vast and invaluable knowledge of the Antarctic continent.
I cannot praise them highly enough.
Some of them I will meet again when I travel South.
I will be wintering at Rothera with Paul. We’re all gonna have such a great time down there!!!

Since coming home from conference I’ve been kept busy with some work-related training courses. They are not as interesting as the field course so I won’t bore you with the details, but it means I’m travelling all over the country, staying in hotels in Birmingham, Newcastle, Derby, and Cambridge. These courses will continue right up until I finally depart from these shores.
Living out of a suitcase is not a glamorous life.

I haven’t had any time to put my feet up or get out and have a drink with my mates, and time is running out very quickly. I really want to have a pint with as many of you guys as I can, but I’m starting to realise that, with such a busy schedule and so many good friends, I will have trouble fitting you all in.
Please forgive me if I don’t get to see you before I go.

The next report will follow when something interesting has happened.

Until then, take care.

Tony.

Please keep in touch. The further away I am, the more important your contact will be to me.

Feel free to forward this onto anyone else who may be interested in this madness.

If you’ve got this far then you really are as mad as me….


November 8th, and counting down…..

The Story So Far....

For those of you who have just joined, this is what my friends have been reading...



14th September 2008.

Hello everyone.

Well, it's started.

I'm sending this from Girton college, Cambridge, where I've just completed the first stage of my
two-week's Antarctic training, a residential course known officially as the "Antarctic Briefing Conference".

This week has consisted of lectures, demonstrations and briefings about all aspects of the organisation I'm working for (BAS), and living and working on the base. I've also met the people I'm going to be living and working with for the next 18 months.

I arrived here last Sunday, and every day has bean a relentless barrage of information lasting from 8.00 in the morning to sometimes 8 or 9 or 10.00 in the evening (with coffee and meal breaks in between).
We've covered health & safety issues; contingency plans for major incidents on base; our individual responsibilities and our duties on base. We've also had information regarding recreational opportunities in Antarctica.

The second half of the week consisted of our basic first aid training. It was the most comprehensive and intense first aid training you could imagine!!!
I now know how to administer pain-killing injections; I can put plaster casts on arms and legs; I can use an emergency heart defibrillator; I can identify and treat hypothermia and shock; I can reset broken bones, and, oh joy of joys.... I've also learnt how to administer rectal fluid re-hydration (if required)....!!!!

Phew!!!

As well as all the medical lectures we have had lots of hands-on sessions using professional actors and actresses. They recreated scenarios that we are likely to encounter when we go South. They were very realistic, with lots of blood and makeup.
We were judged on our performance by real medical consultants, and we had to sit a 1-to-1 oral exam and a test paper.
I scored a respectable 82% overall.
Now I am confident that I could keep someone alive until help arrives, and that is all anyone could ask for.
The medical training is absolutely first class, and is designed to teach thickos like me how to save and maintain someone's life. All the instruction staff are brilliant, and I can't thank them enough.

I've also done "Oil Spillage Response" training which trained us how to react to a major oil spillage. Antarctica is a unique and pristine environment with a fragile eco-system, and an oil spill of any magnitude would be a major environmental disaster!!

Next week (starting at 8.00 tomorrow) we start the "action man" part of our training, called the
"Antarctic Field Training Course".
This is where we go to the Derbyshire Peak District and live in tents for a while!
We'll learn survival and rescue stuff and how to use specialist Antarctic equipment.
I'll tell you more about the Field Course when I've completed it. I'm looking forward to it. If it's as good as this week has been (and I'm sure it will be) it will be very informative and great fun.

But it doesn't end when I finish Conference. I have more courses to go on before I leave this country. Most are work-related (i.e. generator and fire alarm training), but I am quite looking forward to the
fire-fighting and breathing apparatus training. Yup, I'm going to be a fireman, too!
Ha!!
The obvious reason for this is that Antarctica is so isolated from the rest of the world that we have to be totally self-sufficient in everything we do. As there is no fire-brigade down there we have to train our own people to do the job. (This is on top of my regular day-job as base electrician).
Some are going on a paramedic course and others are getting in-shore boating and rescue training, so we will have a full complement of emergency services.

One other thing that has happened this week involved me directly.

A condition for wintering in Antarctica is that I must have a compulsory dental check-up and x-ray by the BAS dental team, so last Friday I dutifully turned up for my appointment. The check-up showed that my teeth and gums and general dental hygiene were very good, but the x-rays showed that one of my back teeth was badly decayed deep inside. It had to come out or I wouldn't be allowed to go South!!
The dentist ("affectionately" called Ben The Butcher by some of my new colleagues) decided the offending molar was going to come out, there and then!!
So, I went into the dental surgery for a check-up with a full complement of teeth and left an hour-and-a-half later with a huge gap in my teeth and a hole in my gum!!! Nice!

I thought that that was it, sorted, but no!!
I arrived at Conference with a sore mouth, but taking the prescribed antibiotics as instructed.
As the days (and lectures) went on the antibiotics ran out but the pain didn't subside. In fact, it seemed to be getting worse. And my gum and jaw were swelling, too!
Fortunately for me, there were a lot of medical consultants and doctors attending Conference.
Earlier in the week I had met our wintering base doctor, Matt Edwards. Thoroughly nice bloke, I might add.
I told Matt about my dodgy gob, and he had a word with BAS's top dental consultant, Penny Grainger. She took me into the college dining-room, sat me in a chair and took a look.
"Oh yes," she said. "A classic case of 'dry socket'". http://www.maxfaxsho.co.uk/index_files/Page2511.htm
The plan was to get some "tools" sent to Conference and she would "sort it out" tomorrow (Friday).

Friday morning and Dr Penny found me and arranged to meet me after morning lectures.
Zero hour arrived and Dr Penny told me that Girton College didn't have a dentist's chair and, unfortunately, we couldn't get access to the medical room as no-one could find the key! In the great Antarctic tradition, we would have to improvise! Hmmm...
At this point, Dr Matt (thoroughly nice bloke) was asked if he would like to attend the procedure. All wintering base doctors undergo basic dental training and the experience could be helpful, so Dr Penny welcomed him along to assist her.

A room was found, I was sat in a chair (ordinary kitchen type), and Dr Matt (thoroughly nice bloke) located a bedside table lamp and shone it into my mouth.
Dr Penny got her "tools" (all of them wrapped in sealed, sterile packs) out of a carrier bag and proceeded to tell Dr Matt (thoroughly nice bloke) about the plan of action.
At this point I took a firm hold of the aforementioned chair and held on tight for what could be a bumpy ride!!
I no longer felt like a brave intrepid Antarctic explorer, more like a trembling, whimpering wuss. (For some reason, dentists seem to have this effect on people).
Anyway, anaesthetic was (painfully) administered and the procedure got underway.
Dr Penny explained to Dr Matt (thoroughly nice bloke) what she was doing, and why she was doing it.
I tried not to listen!
After an unpleasant rummage around in my mouth the mission was finally accomplished. I was given a supply of nasty but effective mouthwash and a week's supply of ferocious antibiotics. The antibiotics contain an ingredient that reacts badly with alcohol and makes you horribly sick, so it's no beer for me for the next ten days, but I don't mind that. It's a small price to pay for being pain and infection free.

Universal popular opinion is that being in the dentist's chair is a pretty unpleasant experience, and this was no exception. However, I have to say that in this case, and especially under these circumstances, the experience wasn't so bad. Dr Penny and Dr Matt (thoroughly nice bloke) were brilliant. They sorted out my problem efficiently and with minimum fuss. I cannot praise them highly enough. Many thanks, guys.

Well, that's the first installment of my adventures in Antarctica. Quite eventfull, and I haven't even got there yet!!
Sorry if it's taken you a while to read, but I can only type with one finger and it is a slow pricess.

There will be further updates, but I don't know how frequent they will be.
When I eventually get to Rothera the base Comms Manager (Andy) has promised to help me set up a blogg, so it should make my reports easier and more accessible. I'll let you know on that.

My provisional departure date is November 8th. I'll be flying out of London Heathrow to Madrid.
Short stop at Madrid then a long haul to Santiago, Chile.
I'll get a 12 hour stopover in Santiago, then onwards to Punta Arenas, Chile, on the southern tip of the South American Peninsular.
From Punta Arenas it's the last leg of the journey on to Rothera Research Station, Antarctica, and my home for 18 months.

That's about it for now.
I'll be in touch again soon.

Feel free to email me if you want to. I will try to respond when I get home from Conference.

Tony

If you've got this far you are clearly as mad as me!!!



To be continued................

First Time Blog

Well, this is the first time I've tried one of these blogs. Don't expect too much to begin with, but bear with me, I'm sure it'll get better as time goes by.

Right, where do I start?...............

The photo above is me. Not sure what I'll look like after 18 months down South. Probably all hairy and beardy.

Hmmm.......

At the moment I'm coming to the end of my pre-tour training. It's been interesting, fun and very informative so far, but to be honest, living in hotels has started to become a little tedious.

Still, it'll soon be over because I depart from these shores on November 8th to start my Antarctic adventure.

The purpose of this blog is to let everybody know how I'm getting on "Down South".

I'll try to keep things as interesting as I can.

I hope you'll pop back occasionally to see how I'm getting on.