Live From Antarctica: Wednesday December 17
Today the base camp at Utsteinen underwent a complete transformation: 10 more tents were erected and new places to put tents(?) were outlined - all in accordance with Alain's preparation plans!
The epoxying in the station is coming along. Given the number of layers that need to be put on (six in total, including the primer, the epoxy, a levelling layer and a finishing layer), it's a job that takes a lot of patience, always under the supervision of Bernard and Paul.
Today we received confirmation that the ship has arrived. Given the good weather predicted for the traverse, we should be able to get the containers here more quickly than expected. There's a lot of work to do to prepare for the traverses: the immediate return of certain passengers, transporting the empty containers to the coast, unloading the necessary material and personnel. On top of this new crew members are arriving on the 19th, while the scientists are leaving on the 20th. No time to dawdle!
Nathalie Pattyn
Picture: Base camp - © International Polar Foundation