Being part of a self supported team of 10 members in an inhospitable continent like Antarctica is what we signed up for. Although we have become familiar with our base and surroundings and do not talk or consciously think about this point very often, in the back of our minds we realise that we are on our own. We are the fire brigade, the ambulance service, the emergency plumbers, garbage collectors, the water treatment operators, the water melters, the breakdown mechanics, the cargo handlers etc. On top of that we live in an environment that will not be possible without this base, similar to living on Mars or on a boat. Without the vessel life is not possible. This fact becomes very pronounced during storms where it becomes life threatening to be outside this base.
A few days ago we had quite a memorable storm and our "familiarity" was disrupted slightly. The wind averaged around 90 knots and the whole base was shaking and trembling with the force, something we have become accustomed to. I walked to the Wet Lab to ensure that the glass lab equipment is safely packed away. As I neared the lab the doors of some offices were shaking violently in their frames. I went into the leaders office to investigate only to find the wind howling through the window and the blind flapping loudly in the wind. It was bit of a shock and it took me some time to compute what happened and what needs to be done. The window wasn't left open, simply because it cannot be opened. Living in South Africa the thought of a burglary crossed my mind but there is no one here. As it turned out some of the antennas broke in the strong winds and one of the connectors of an antenna, which was attached to the stay rope, crashed through our triple layered window.
Luckily Stef was nearby, as I went looking for timber to make a temporary shutter, she spread the word and everyone jumped into action. After some 30 minutes of flying glass and freezing temperatures we succeeded in closing off the base's breached hull.
(This post is also published in our coming newsletter)
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