This October the museum team has been busy getting the museum ready for the busy season ahead. We arrived in late September and greeted their first ship the next day!
Bodil, Livvie and Dee on the Pharos outside the Nordenskjöld glacier in Cumberland Bay. The Pharos kindly took the team past the glacier on the morning before their arrival at King Edward Point.
It’s been an incredibly snowy spring in Grytviken. The first weeks of October, the track between King Edward Point and Grytviken was closed to vehicles until snow could be cleared. This meant that all shifting of both people and cargo had to be done by foot or boat for the first few weeks of October. The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) team kindly offered to ferry our bags on arrival while we walked across the track. We continued to brave the walk daily for the following weeks with crampons and great care.
Snowy and icy conditions on the track when the team first arrived.
Same spot on the track under less snowy conditions.
First step in setting up for the summer was bio-securing cargo for museum operations and the shop.
Bodil (on the right) in the biosecurity shed bio securing cargo with Post Officer Laura (left) and BAS Dr Tom.
Livvie building a pallet of whisky for transport to Grytviken
We bio-secured over two containers worth of cargo in between attending BAS training.
Livvie and Post Officer Laura at tilly training led by BAS Boating Officer AJ.
Bodil and Livvie at avalanche training. Not a normal part of summer training but avalanche conditions continued longer than expected this spring.
Next step after biosecurity was shifting the cargo from KEP to Grytviken. With the track still closed to vehicles we moved cargo by jetboat across to Tijuca jetty in Grytviken. Here we loaded the boxes onto pulks and sledged it through the still very snowy whaling station. This was hard work. Thankfully supported by both post officers and BAS team members.
Jet boat loaded with cargo to be taken across to Grytviken. Kindly operated by BAS Dr Tom and BAS Boating Officer Louis.
Unloading the jet boat and loading pulks/sleds at Tijuca Jetty in Grytviken. Despite the drastically different weather, this was the same day as the boat was loaded.
Later in October, we welcomed the South Georgia Government Build Team and our fourth team member Lauren. The Build Team set to clearing the track straight away so we were soon able to transport the rest of our cargo by JCB trailer.
Bodil and Livvie enjoying a lift in the JCB trailer after the first of two runs between King Edward Point and Grytviken
There was much to be done in Grytviken as well. The first ship visit at the end of September involved lots of trudging through snow so clearing paths to buildings and around the site was high on our to-do list.
Our Carr Maritime Gallery before snow clearance
Livvie hard at work clearing snow to allow access to the gallery from the front
We also worked on moving objects and benches from winter storage to their rightful places in and around the museum.
Bodil and BAS Tech Chris moving the rivet forge from winter storage to its summer location at the front of the museum
During time off, we wasted no time to get away into the hills with a trip to Maiviken hut. Conditions were still decidedly wintery. Though we bivvied outside at first, we were happy to have the hut to retreat to for a warm drink in the morning.
Maiviken hut the morning after our bivvie/hut night. It is hard to tell but the vast flat expanse is the frozen-over Maivatn (Maiviken Lake).
Since we arrived we have been expecting weather to heat up for summer but snow still lingers in the hills with no sign of shifting. Frequent freezing temperatures are not helping. Our Director Dee has been working on a crocheted temperature blanket where the colour of each line represents the temperature of a day. Unfortunately, the unexpectedly cold weather has meant that she is rapidly running out of colours to represent the 0-4.9-degree temperatures. At least the blanket is now big enough to cover Dee while she crochets.
With some time without ships there was time to get other important tasks for the season done. Our Director, Dee, and two members of the Government Build Team, Mike and Bob, travelled to Stromness Whaling Station to collect rivets for our Whale Memorial project. The Stromness site has not been cleared of asbestos so the team was in full PPE during their time in the station.
The team in full PPE
Collecting rivets at Stromness Whaling Station
With October finished, the cold still lingers in Grytviken but the team are all set up and ready for the busy November and Christmas season coming up.
Dee and Bodil raising the museum and South Georgia flags for the season. The ship Sea Spirit ready to land in the background.