December 27, 1999

Detail of an iceberg near Shortcut Island

With winds hovering at about 20 knots, boating operations were shut down today. Most of the icebergs have been blown out by strong northerlies, leaving only shoals of brash ice trailing across Arthur Harbor. The water is a lead grey with stretches of slate blue and muted green. I spent the morning sifting through the many photographs I have taken since coming down here in November. A selection of iceberg pictures have been posted in the Antarctica 2000 Gallery.

Elephant seals hauled out by the Bio Lab.

For most of the afternoon, I worked on writing the programs for National Public Radio and Westdeutscher Rundfunk which will air this weekend as part of the Millennium festivities. It is an odd feeling, being at once part of a "global village" experience and to be at such a physical remove from most centers of civilization. Our world consists of 40 people and a host of other creatures who inhabit Arthur Harbor and the neighbouring islands. A small group of elephant seals have hauled out just below my studio office in the Bio Lab. They lie alongside one another on the rocks sleeping and molting. One of the animals is a small male pup whose voice sounds like a barking dog.

A couple of days ago, Steve battened down the Satlink B antenna and covered it with a sheet of plastic. We ran a test to see how the connection would hold in a stiff wind. Amazingly, in gusts of up to 50 knots, the unit managed to aquire and keep a lock on a stationary satellite! This bodes well for the broadcasts we have coming up. I have been impressed by the small size and power of this technology from Commercial Satellite Systems.