Horseshoe Island and Detaille Island (continued)
(Compiled and summarized from Journey and Base Reports).
They left Stonington with a temp of 1 C, much of the surface being salty, wet sea ice which later improved and then worsened again as they approached Cape Calmette. They decided it was prudent not to travel to the next available camping point being Camp Point, 13 miles further. While camped at Cape Calmette after a lie-up day with wind and drift, they climbed a col on the Cape and noted that the open water was less than 20 miles away, seemingly stretching up into Bigourdan Fjord.
They lay up the next day in wind, and then on the 2nd August, a cloudless calm day gave them moderate travelling surfaces. They found the ice-edge to be much nearer to Horseshoe Island than they had anticipated, too close to be able to reach Horseshoe Base by the sea ice, and so they had to traverse overland, dropping most of their loads at the landfall onto the Island, arriving at the Base at 1700 hrs, with a temperature of -12 C.
The weather was good the next day, which they spent hauling the rest of the loads from their landfall point to the Base, and getting depots ready for departure to Blaiklock (Refuge Hut) the next day, with temperatures at -18 C.
The next day, August 4th was fine and calm, with low lying fog, causing sea level visibility to be very limited. The dogs worked well, and they arrived at Blaiklock at 1600 hrs, having traveled 21.7 miles, with temps now – 20 C.
On the 5th, there was a lot of cloud, but calm, no wind. They laid a depot at the refuge hut, then travelled up Bigourdan Fjord to the Jones Ice Shelf. They had some difficulties getting up the ice cliff, but they eventually accomplished this and pitched camp half a mile from the cliff at 1500 hrs, having travelled 7 miles, with temp at -19 C.
On the 7th, the weather was generally clear except for some fog. They travelled to the opposite side of the fjord and set up a Survey station on a ridge. By the time they returned to camp, the fog had closed in, so the rest of the day was a lie-up, with temps at -18 C. The next day was a lie-up in wind and drift. On the 9th. August, they left camp later than usual at 1100, travelling to the Bucher Glacier where they set up a Survey station, and laid a depot. They returned to Horseshoe Island and Base Y, travelling almost 30 miles, with a temperature of – 23 C. The next day was beautiful and was spent at Base Y, preparing for the next trip. Temperatures now at -28.5 C.
August 11th brought continuing good weather, and the party travelled 25.7 miles to their previous campsite at NE Blaiklock, with excellent surfaces all day. They depoted most of their load. Temperature -25 C.
The “Glorious 12th” clouded in later, as they travelled up the Heim Glacier, encountering many crevasses. The Spartans dropped one dog into a crevasse, but he was recovered safely. A Survey station was established of the Heim, and they travelled until making camp at 1645 hrs, having travelled 14.6 miles in a temperature of – 27 C.
Over the next three days, they established two more survey stations, and Gardner and Rider recced the sea ice into Lallemand Fjord and reported it good. On the 16th they travelled up Lallemand to Detaille Island and Base W, including over some brash fields in the lower fjord. The base was found to be in good structural condition, but messy due to burst food cans in the loft which had dripped through the floor, and so spent the next couple of days cleaning up, and also killing a Leopard Seal which they fed to the dogs.
They awoke on the 19th to a Southerly gale, to see the sea-ice breaking up in all directions, temperatures at – 7 C. On the 20th the wind lessened, and they were able to see the damage to the ice – open water to the North, broken pack to the South. The situation looked bad to the party, but they had great hopes of the sea-ice reforming, temperature at – 2 C.
On the 21st, another gale, this time Northerly, at an estimated 60 knots, and so the day was spent establishing order in the hut, and bringing in food supplies. Temperature now – 1C. By the 22nd, most of the ice had disappeared, except for some fast ice in the bays of the island. Temperature now at +2 C. A recce of the ice on the 23rd indicated a possible strip of fast ice some 6 miles to the south. The party was hoping for colder weather, but at that point, and the next day, August 27th, the temperature was still only -4 C and there was no apparent way to reach the mainland.
On the 25th, with fine and calm weather, new ice was forming rapidly; later in the day, the barometer dropped and the wind was rising. “Is this the knell of doom for the new ice?” By the 26th, the new ice had broken up, and then started re-forming the next day. They tested the ice daily, and on the 30th, took the decision to leave the next day, but that day dawned with cloud, warm weather and heavy snow, preventing them leaving.
BAS Archives Ref: AD9/1/1996/14/27)
Overnight a Southeast gale blew up, playing havoc with the new ice. The next day, although the wind had died, the gale had opened up new leads everywhere, causing tremendous pressure in the new ice nearer shore, making for difficult sledging. They still hoped to make Johnson’s Point on the mainland on the first good day, but on the 3rd. September, the barometer dropped again, resulting first a Northern gale, then a Southern hurricane. The party were not expecting any new sea ice in those conditions.
The next day, September 4th, the wind was still blowing strongly from the South, but observations from the top of the Island showed that most of the ice had blown completely away, except for a strip attached to the mainland. The next day, there was “not a scrap of fast ice to be seen.” The Fids decided that they now seemed to be stranded permanently, or at least until a summer relief ship could reach them.
John Tait noted in his report that much conjecture arose, presumably at Stonington, as to whether they should have gone to Detaille. John stated that there was every indication of a continuation of the cold calm weather and that they saw no reason not to make the trip. That they did get “stuck”, rendering the completion of both the Spring and Summer Survey to be impossible, was due to the abnormally high temperatures accompanied by very high winds, which broke up the sea ice.
“The Further Exploits of the Stonington Castaways” follow separately – Here
John Tait was an interesting character and Fid – see Here for his Obituary.