Photos from the Antarctic
Photo above: Just another day in the office, Hamish skippering the CTD vessel, (collecting longest standing continuous water data in Antarctica, measuring temperature salinity of the sea water column).
My Hamish’s Antarctic Gansey pattern follows a traditional Eriskay sweater construction from the Outer Hebrides. These ganseys were knitted by Eriskay women for their menfolk, with the individual motifs on the sweaters identifying them as a fishing crew associated with a particular family. In a similar manner to these Eriskay women, I designed this sweater for my son Hamish to wear on his first deployment with the British Antarctic Survey stationed at Rothera Field Station. As ever wool being the best material to wear in such conditions insulating, breathable and resilient, it is also fun to think of my Hebridean yarn so very far south in the Antarctic.
Photo: Here is Hamish just a day or so before he stepped on a plane to the Antarctic via Punta Arenas in Chile in August 2023 with the adventure all ahead of him.
After 16 months working in the freezing south, Hamish has now left the Antarctic and is exploring and diving his way through South American via Peru, Columbia, Panama and Costa Rica … we think?!! At some point he will dump his bags on our doorstep and it will be great to have him home 🙂
He kindly shared some photos of his time in the Antarctic before he took off on his travels and here they are …
Photo: Successful completion of first Antarctic ice dive.Hamish was a Marine Operator at Rothera Field Station working as a boat operator and part of the dive team (latterly dive officer) while supporting marine scientists. He was part of the over wintering team of around 35 staff who remained to run the base through the dark winter with no planes or boats in or out for four months. He was very glad when the RRS Sir David Attenborough vessel returned bringing fresh fruit and veg as well as a few other people!!
His route to this was via a degree in Marine Science with Arctic Studies from the Scottish Association for Marine Science in Oban, Scotland plus having all the required boat and diving qualifications. Growing up on a small Hebridean island with a population of only 130 people may also have contributed to his sense of self sufficiency and survival skills through the long, dark, Antarctic winter months.
If you or anyone you know would be interested in working for British Antarctic Survey they are currently recruiting for deployment in Ocotober/November this year across many different types of jobs: catering, construction, air traffic controllers as well as divers, scientist etc.
You can find careers information on their website: https://www.bas.ac.uk/
Photo: View from below ice hole. Divers are attached to umbilical lines which allows them to find their way back to hole more easily.
Photo: Ice diving helping with specimen collections.
Photo: Co-pilot run to fossil bluff, wearing the famous jumper.
Photo: Red taxi making ready for deployment into the field.
Photo: Deployment to Fossil bluff for 2 weeks with 3 other people where next closest other humans were on the international space station orbiting above.
Photo: No boating today, large iceberg blocking the wharf and access to the water.
Photo: Helping garage team with push to get runway cleared at the end of winter with planes expected in the next few days.
Photo: Sunday afternoon spent zipping around on snowmobiles.
