The Gould Saga Ends - Shackleton Style*

With much thought and even more creativity, we finally were able to have a port call with the Gould to exchange people and get supplies. This was no normal port call, however. The ship, as stated previously, could not tie-up at our pier. So instead, a grand plan was hatched and executed.

Details:
The Gould went to a hold position at a point close to our station called Gamage Point. From there, it shot off what looked like a rocket but was actually a speedline of rope towards station (as a safety measure, the Gould is required by the Coast Guard to have 4 of these on board). Due to high winds, this had to be done twice as the first speedline went awry. Once the second line was retrieved, it was used to haul over a rope system that was put through a pulley connected to our ballard on our end and then attached to the winch and to a zodiac on the Gould's end. Then, the zodiac was lowered down to sit on top of the sea ice and a clothesline approach was used to pull the zodiac back and forth from Gamage Point several times. It took almost everyone on station to help carry supplies over the somewhat treacherous terrain to and from Gamage Point. Of course, this was all going on during a storm, pelting us with snow at high winds and during darkness as we worked into the night.

Personally, it was one of the most exhausting but most satisfying nights on station. I was cold and wearing a jacket and gloves that eventually soaked through, but we were successful. I was working with great people and helping science. We had mail, milk and yummy fresh food. Also, at one point during the night, I helped assist an incoming passenger, a woman of 68, over the terrain back to station. I can't help but always admire older women who continue to make adventure a priority in their lives. That's the way I want to be when I grow up.

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Rope Rocket

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Pulley system

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Amber and Webster carrying supplies out to Gamage Point in blowing snow

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Hauling over people and supplies with the clothesline approach

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Manpower waiting to form human chains to move supplies from Gamage Point to Palmer Station

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* The Shackleton reference comes from a point in the story of Shackleton's amazing Endurance expedition where after his ship was crushed in the ice, he and his team set off across the ice dragging their lifeboat with them.