BELARE 2006/2007 - Windy days at Novo

09.01.2007

Novolazarevskaia

The outlook is grim. The wind has steadily picked up during the night, and the weather has sharply deteriorated. We will use the time to re-assemble the two skidoos that were waiting at Novo for us since last season. We also use the occasion to set up the iridium data connection (which allows us to send this e-mail). The Immarsat satellite link is proving difficult to set up, but today we finally got a GPS fix on it, which we have been trying to do for days in Cape Town without success. With a little bit of luck it should be up and running soon, and then we might be able to send pictures.

The snow has steadily increased all day, and Frank and Philippe who have been working outside come into the mess tent looking like snow-men, their blue overalls powdered with fine white snow. The television crew have been busy following the travails of the two, and are also frozen. Alain is at the airport, sorting through the cargo: this fro the Coast Camp, this for Utsteinen, this for the Coast Camp, etc. A moment of crisis looms when we realise that there may be a shortage of toilet paper. Yet another logistic nightmare to be ironed out.

It looks like another day at Novo tomorrow. For those of us secretly nursing incipient colds, this is perhaps not so bad, as we can try to recover, before anyone notices.

The good thing about this strong wind is that it will blow the ice out of Polar Hav and allow the Ivan Papanin to come closer for unloading.