POSITION: 62 degrees 13 minutes south, 58 degrees 41 minutes west. Potter Cove, King George Island, Antarctica. It was here in the early hours of yesterday morning (Irish time) that the 23 foot lifeboat Tom Crean had its first: baptism in ice.
Capt Vitaly Repin, Russian master of the good ship Professor Molchanov, took charge of this Irish baby. Pacing around the deck in his oilskins, he loosened the lashings and dismantled the wooden cradle.
As cape petrels swarmed around the stern and a humpback whale and her calf blew their spouts to the north, the wooden craft was lowered by derrick on to a lumpy, rock strewn sea.
Jamie Young of the South Aris Irish Antarctic Adventure, who accompanied the craft on the Mokhanov from Argentina, cut a lonely figure in the tiny cockpit. He would soon be in good company, as a line was passed from the expedition's rescue yacht, Pelagic. It has been anchored in Potter Cove with the remaining South Aris crew since last weekend.
Chilean red wine, Irish whiskey, Antarctic tea and coffee - such was the hospitality on board Pelagic, as the Tom Crean's safe delivery and the Russian new year were toasted. Demurring (naturally), The Irish Times took in a grand tour of the comfortable cocoon in which the expedition has been surviving for the past 10 days.
Equipped with 10 berths, there has been no need for hot bunking. They have hardly even needed to cook. Skip Novak, round world yachtsman and the Pelagic's owner, has done much of the catering with his crew experienced sailors Elena Caputo and Patrick Cudennez. The "guests" admit that after this, life on board Tom Crean, with its single all purpose bucket and one ring stove, will come as a bit of a Novak, who co skippered the Russian entry, Fazisi, in the 1989-1990 Whitbread circumnavigation, describes his craft as a "concept", rather than simply a yacht. Built of steel in Southampton in 1987, Pelagic is ice strengthened and fitted with a retractable rudder and keel. The American sea gypsy charters it out as a mobile "base camp" for Antarctic mountaineering and filming ventures.
This Irish attempt to re create the 1916 Shackleton rescue is, he acknowledges, a little different. Equipped with satellite communications and a World Wide Web link, Novak's boat will shadow the cork sized wooden craft on its 800 mile passage from Elephant Island to South Georgia in the coming weeks.
First, though, the expedition has to reach Elephant Island, some 120 miles to the northeast. A low pressure system is expected to clear, with a light easterly yesterday suggesting a possible departure today.
In the meantime, the expedition has been passing time on "detailed" explorations of King George Island, which is 97 per cent ice covered. It is better known as Isla 25 de Mayo (national day) to its summer colony of Argentine scientists.
The six Irish crew - joint leaders Paddy Barry and Frank Nugent, of Dublin, Mike Barry and Jarlath Cunnane, of Kerry and Mayo, supported by John - Bourke and cameraman Mick O'Rourke, also of Dublin - skied around Maxwell Bay earlier this week. They were "dive bombed" by an angry skua - chick, monitored by Gentoo and Adelie penguins, and discussed their assortment of foot blisters when they returned to their mother ship.
Cunnane even recorded the first Irish ascent of Mount Florence Nunatak. No, he did not get altitude sickness. Nor did he need his climbing gear. At 922 feet, Florence is little more than a basalt mound.
The Argentine station, Jubanay, is one of several scientific bases on this unofficial "Antarctic capital". It is engaged in a range of scientific programmes, as its director explained over several liquid "welcome" visits.
Coastal fish and shellfish are sampled, and the predominant flora is lichen, which not only survives, but thrives in these sub zero climes. An international study of carbon dioxide levels in the global atmosphere has recorded a steady rise since first results were recorded in 1994.
Delighted by the temporary distraction, the Argentinians staged a friendly, dollar armed, invasion of the Professor Molchanov, even as the Tom Crean was being launched. Following intense early morning briefing sessions between South Aris members and this newspaper, the Russian ship weighed anchor and set a course for the Antarctic Sound, leaving a full Irish crew, complete with the seventh member, Jamie Young of Galway, behind.
On board the Molchanov still are this reporter and Kevin Cronin, Galway hooker sailor and chief South Aris supporter, keeping in regular radio contact with the expedition as we accompany the Australian mountaineer, Greg Mortimer, and his Sydney University tour group down to the ice edge on the Weddell Sea.
