Pelagic's trip from King Haakon Bay to Grytviken in support of the South Aris climbing party who arrived after a 48 hour crossing of the Island.

Feb 10 pos: 54 01 s 38 03 W Jordan Cove, Bird island Wind NE 25 to 35. Rain, no vis. 7 degrees C.

Feb 11 pos: 54 05 S 36 57 W . Antarctic Bay. Wind NW 20 knots. Good vis, partly cloudy. 10 degrees C

Feb 12 pos: 54 17 S 36 30 W. Grytviken. Wind SW 20 to 30, gusting 40. Clear.

We wasted no time in leaving King Haakon Bay. If the wind increased from the northwesterly quarter (as predicted by Bob Rice), the bay could become a trap. Once on the outside of the bay, we were relieved to find no wind, so we motored in all haste to the northwest.

Six miles from Bird Island, just on dark, the wind began to fill from the northeast and quickly strengthened to 30 knots. We could just lay into the bight below Bird Island in order to gain the lee and Jordan Cove on the south side of the island. It was now a pitch black night with driving rain and although the cove's entrance was apparent on radar, the scale made the approach tricky. We could just see the breakers on both sides of the channel with the spot light even though they were only 20 meters away. We grounded once, lifted the keel, then bumped again. Then we were safely inside the shallow pool. It was 2330 by the time we were tacked down at anchor and had lines ashore.

By next morning, the wind had swung to the northwest, so it was time to leave Bird Island and head east down the coast. Although there was a big swell running, the wind was moderate so we motorsailed the 25 miles to Rosita Harbour, arriving at 2200, again in the dark. This time we located and entered the open anchorage easily and dropped the anchor in 20 meters. The M/V Abel J was also there to rendezvous with Elena, who had to leave us early the next morning because of work commitments back home in Italy. So the next morning at 0700 we came alongside the Abel J, a well appointed motor vessel dedicated to scientific charters which is currently on contract with Woods Hole oceanographic institute for a whale survey. In a few days time, Elena will be filing a story about their activities on this site.

Pelagics next task was to check both Antarctic Bay and Fortuna Bay which were possible bail out points for the South-Aris team in case of injury or prolonged bad weather. We made Antarctic Bay by 1000 and motored to the glacier snout - no sign of them. We decided to stay there until 1200, when we had a radio sched with them on VHF. If we motored out along the coast, and they happened to be holed-up down low in this basin, we might not establish communications. At 1130 we received a radio call on 4049 kz, the South Georgia calling frequency, which informed us the team had arrived at the col above Stromness. They were in touch on VHF with the 'Oil Mariner,' a work boat from the Falkland Islands, on contract to service a buoy in the bay.

By 1700 we were alongside the jetty at Stromness shaking hands with Mike, Frank, Paddy and Jamie. It had taken them just over 48 hours to complete the trek, but they had suffered in the process. They were all extremely footsore from the plastic double mountaineering boots, which were overspec for the terrain they had to cover. Weather beaten faces, hair dishevelled and clothing filthy and somewhat in tatters, it reminded me of the walk underneath Waterloo Bridge, as the four limped and stumbled about like old men.

Their story was as follows: After we said good-bye to them on the Shackleton Gap on that first day (10 th Feb), they put in 10 hours on fairly easy going, alternating between crampon and ski. They camped at 2200 at the eastern end of the Crean Glacier.

The next morning they set off at 0530 for the more difficult passage through the Crean Glacier which is very heavily crevassed. Many detours were made both up and down, as they weaved their way through this veritable maze of gaping, bottomless pits.

They made Camp 2 at 1900 at the base of the Konig Glacier. There, the main river issuing from the glacier caused them problems. They attempted to cross it, but waist high water swept Paddy Barry off his feet. Luckily he was attached by a climbing rope and was landed back ashore as you would a trout. Realizing this was too dangerous they climbed higher to the snout of the receding ice and crossed three lesser streams that fed the one below. Four hours later they were standing on the col above Stromness - their journey was over.

Shackleton, Crean and Worsely made their historic trek in 36 hours, virtually non-stop simply because they had to. They carried no shelter, a bit of old rope, an adze for an ice axe and a primus with food for two days. They walked out of Peggoty Camp in the same clothes they had been wearing for months and were black and sooty from cooking on blubber stoves. They were hardly recognized by the whalers when they arrived in Stromness and Shackleton had to introduce himself to Mr. Sorlie, an old acquaintance and manager of the station. The full account in both Shackletons "South" and Worsely's "Shackleton's Boat Journey" is well worth reading for the details.

During this historic adventure of survival, they admit to being lucky at every turn, but also recognize a guiding hand. "When I look back at those days," said Shackleton, "I have no doubt that providence guided us, not only across those snowfields, but across the storm- white sea that separated Elephant Island from our landing-place on South Georgia. I know that during that long and racking march of 36 hours over the unnamed mountains and glaciers of South Georgia it seemed to me often that we were four, not three." Shackletons belief, shared by both Worsely and Crean of the 'fourth presence' was so strong that it inspired T S Eliot to write the lines in the Wasteland,

Who is the third who walks always beside you?
When I count, there are only you and I together
But when I look ahead up the white road
There is always another one walking beside you
Gliding wrapt in a brown mantle, hooded
I do not know whether a man or a woman
-But who is that on the other side of you?

Please note that Pelagic and the South-Aris team will be in S. Georgia for three more weeks, making an attempt to climb Mt Roots. From now on stories will be issued once weekly until the end of the voyage on March 15th.

Skip Novak