This is the final sitrep from the 2022-23 build season.
Day 21–23
The science team has been asking for a few fish boxes to be carried to the bird blind to assist with the demolition. This is no small task as each one weighs nearly 200 pounds and the bird blind is approximately 1 mile away from the main camp. To aid in this endeavor Ellie sewed custom carrying straps and asked the self proclaimed “C Team,” composed of Cody, Fili, and Will and most often led by Shaggy, to test them late in the afternoon. I’ll pause the story here for a little context. It is Day 21 and things are becoming a little repetitive. The monotony of certain tasks is starting to wear on some of the construction team. Raining? Time to do cladding. Tight space? Electrical. Wind? Must be time to carry millwork packages across the job site. While a few persevere in this environment (mostly our electricians) others are starting to wander away from their responsibilities into anything new. So when Ellie’s custom carrying straps proved comfortable the testing team just kept walking. Shaggy quickly grabbed a ski pole, put 50 cent on the radio and they disappeared over the horizon. Two hours later they returned regaling us with stories of fur seals, a radio that only lasted 15 min, and a quick nap they took at the puppy pond.
Lights! Day 22 showcased the power of perseverance. Geoff and George have been the model of consistency and determination for over a week. Never wavering from their electrical duties and laser focused on getting us lights and power. No one, including the student crew in Denver has ever seen all the lights on. Today was the day we finally witnessed the spectacle and it did not disappoint. Spectacular. The exterior cladding crew recruited most of the millwork team to help finish up the cladding despite the driving rain. We also set the sink in the kitchen, finished the beautiful built-in bench that looks out over Seal TV, and continued millwork. The food highlight of the week might have been Rene's peanut butter and raspberry bars. They were novel, innovative, and delicious.
Antarctica finally gave us a nice day, at least by Antarctica standards. Geoff took some time off of electrical work to set a few Interior doors while Fili and Will started HVAC. In the afternoon the C Team took another fish box to the bird blind. This time they didn't run out of batteries and 50 cent could once again be heard throughout the cape. Today was also the day that George said he could smell himself, "yuck!"
Day 24–27
The weather was TERRIBLE today so... we decided to start working outside. There is no better time to put a deck on your house than in a sideways snowstorm. The mud became very real and the smell of earth saturated by 200,000 years of seal poop and penguin guano churned up by muck boots filled the air. The deck will connect the galley and berthing buildings, and when complete minimize the tracking of mud into the buildings. Dre and Bo took on the last of the millwork in Galley while Sam and Kristina are punching out millwork in berthing. The millwork team's continued attention to detail has turned the sometimes ill fitting prefabricated millwork into legitimate cabinetry. The HVAC installation continued with Will and Fili. They have become exceptional tinners in just a few days and are impressing Shaggy with their versatility and ingenuity.
More snow and rain, so of course… more decks. Fili joined Rick and Cody outside to help speed the decks along and by the end of the day they had it finished. Sam and Kristina decided to join the outdoor fun to fit and fix the weatherizing panels for the windows. They are looking great and the panels let lots of light in. The electrical team reports that it was a frustrating day of wiring and rewiring.
We were beginning to doubt that Livingston Island had mountains but today they finally revealed themselves on the horizon. The whole job site came to a standstill as everyone took pictures and marveled at the landscape. When work continued Dre joined the electrical team to help George and Geoff out. Will and Fili finished up mechanical while the rest sanded bunk beds and fixed small millwork issues. A small field team starts thinking about next year by surveying the new bird blind site. Shaggy started testing demolition techniques by getting the main hut deck deconstructed.
We woke up to the site of a ship on the horizon! The Nansen to take us across the Drake Passage and the end of our time here got very real, very fast. We knew this would all come to a close, but we didn’t expect the Nansen for another day even though George predicted they’d be early. The buzz of going home is palpable on the job site and the stress of a million small jobs to do infused the day with a hectic buzz. The highlight was the electrical team wrapping up wiring in the galley just in time to have light for the long awaited Fruitika Dance Party and end of season celebration.
Appetizers were served at 7PM followed by a dozen pizzas. After that the party was on and the Fruitika was flowing. For those uninitiated Fruitka is the Chilean grapefruit juice that Ellie has been rationing the last few weeks. George got the festivities started by handing out end of season awards. Each team member received a Cape Shirreff coaster and an amazing hand drawn certificate. Shaggy kept things rolling with a touching tribute song that recalled the story of the project. It was a funny and clever ballad without a chorus and full of inside jokes. It also tops out at over 6 min. long. The night concluded with a series of epic all-you-can-drink Fruitika games including beer pong and flip cup, all played with Fruitika as our substitute for alcohol.
Watch a short video of this year's accomplishment!
Crossing the Drake
10:30AM. With our tents packed up and bags in tow we head for the beach. We are quickly whisked off on Zodiacs to meet our friends on the Nansen. Hot showers all around. We leave behind four crew members (Ellie, Will, Kristina, and Cody) to finish the floors, demo the bird blind, and breakdown camp.
As we sail away the buildings disappear into the landscape.
We spent the next two days on the Drake Passage in various states of discomfort. Only a few are completely unaffected by the rough seas of the Drake, but at 7:30PM we reached the Beagle Channel and safety.
That evening and into the next day work begins reviewing drawings from Will and the students back in Denver. Preparations are already underway to do it all again next year.
After spending a month together sleeping in tents and building in challenging conditions you think we’d all be ready to say our goodbyes, but no one is really ready for it to end. These are the enduring friendships that last a lifetime. The stories you tell your grandkids. Goodbye for now Antarctica. We will miss you and look forward to seeing you again next year.
- the Cape Shirreff Construction Crew (Rick, Shaggy, (Good) Will, Sam (Soup), Fili, Cody, Bo, Kristina, Drea, Geoff, David, Ellie, and George).
