A Journey From Rothera to Detaille Island – Base W – Ric Airey and Geoff Somers – 1979
Some interesting extracts about problems involved in sledging in the area around Rothera and the value of having the refuge hut at Detaille Point.
Ric and Geoff had one team, the Picts; Yvonne, Fergy and Malky, Jason and Dingle, Helix and Boot, Lomond and Lil, with one sledge. Yvonne had been trained by Geoff and he was very proud of her.
July 24th. Very fast run to Blaiklock Island in strong Northerly winds easing towards evening.
July 25th. Half way up Heim Glacier stopped by very high winds and after 4 hours delay in a pup tent waiting for better weather we had to camp on hard glare ice in 50 knots of wind and no snow to drift over the dogs.
July 30th. (after 4 days lie up in conditions that involved remaining fully dressed) Left dogs and sledge to find route through very difficult area. Working with 150 yards of rope and a deadman we negotiated the bad area with the dogs very quiet and well behaved somehow understanding the problems.
July 31st. Snow so deep and soft that the sides of the trench made by the lead dogs kept on falling in on poor Lil at the rear
August 4th. Rain and deep soggy snow on 3 year old sea ice with bergy bits very well covered as well as large tabular bergs completely rounded off with drifts on all sides.
August 5th. Reached Orford Cliffs Refuge which had not been visited for 13 years.
August 7th to 21st. Day of very high winds reaching 100 knots Very interesting dis-interring much food, almost all useable and we enjoyed warmth and security in winds that would have been very uncomfortable if we had been camping.
August 25th. Finally reached Blaiklock after difficult 10 miles in complete whiteout.
August 27th. Left Blaiklock but forced to camp on NW corner of Pinero Island. We were joined by sledge Party Papa who arrived, (on motorised transport !) an hour after us.
August 28th. Up at 0530 and away at 0700, hoping not to wake Sledge Papa. ‘shushing’ and whispering to the dogs. The machines only caught us up a mile or so from Rothera. The dogs behaved superbly on arrival driving to the sledge store to unload and then down to the spans without a gremlin and with a very critical audience.
Great reward for Geoff who had worked so hard on Yvonne.
Ric Airey, WOM South Georgia 1975, WOM Rothera 1976, GA Rothera 1979
Yvonne was a brilliant lead dog. It was an honour to go sledging with her during my first winter in ‘84.