Summary

For all those adventurous type people out there, Antarctica is undoubtedly one destination you have to visit, some determination will be required but the rewards are worth it.

Its such a beautiful yet inhospitable place, weather can change in a breath, you have to take care and be aware of your surroundings.  It is difficult to image a world without this unspoiled corner, a place that needs to be cherished for future generations.

For me there were a lot of firsts, sleeping on Antarctica, swimming in the Antarctic sea, seeing whales and many more things that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

There is a responsibility for us all to be aware of the choices we make and how those choices effect our community and environment.  This was a journey of discovery and learning, discovering new horizons and learning new skills in leadership, increased knowledge of our environment and climate.  All these different segments came together in one expedition, an expedition of a lifetime.

I'd like to thank all those who have helped and supported me on this journey.  Thank you.

Deception Island and Whalers Bay

We are in a volcano, wierd but true, Deception Island is an arctic coldera, which is a volcano collapsed upon itself.  Its still active and you can feel the warm sand on the beach where hot springs warm it up.  Last errupted back in 1970, it has small crators around its edge and further evidence of those recent erruptions.
Deception Island is so called due to access to the centre of the caldera is a narrow opening, difficult to spot, even in good conditions.

We had two walks today, a walk around one of the craters described to us by ne of the Quark team, about the erruption and effect on the surrounding glacier.

A visit to the Whaling Station in a seperate bay was our next destination, an old whaling station where the oil was extracted and stored before shipping around the world for lighting and heating homes.

There is alot of history in Antarctica and acts as a reminder for future generations.

Our second walk took us up 400m from the beach to the rim of the caldera, giving us magnificent panoramic views of Deception Island, a straight forward walk, windy at times with the need to rope up on our descent.

Tableau Iceberg Ahead

We were woken early this morning to get our feet onto deck 7, normally reserved for crew only, this was the top deck of the ship.  What greated us just 200m away was a huge tableau iceberg 1km in length, 70m high and approximately 250 billion tons.

Today was a day of special events, first the iceberg, then later a pod of Orca whales graced us with their presence, around 30 including large males and calfs with their mothers.  I never thought i'd get to see killer whales like this only 20m away from the ship at times.

We headed for Browns Bluff but were unable to land due to the sea ice building up, it is the end of the summer down here, so the team had more exciting things for us instead.  A first for 2041 and the team, a landing on an iceberg, just a little one, but still an exciting event, imagine walking on an iceberg!

Camping on Ice

A highlight for me I've been looking forward to this event ever since I herd we had a chance to sleep on the ice. To sleep on the ice you have to protect yourself from the cold as much as possible that means thick down sleeping bag, plenty of thermal underwear and a bivvi bag, a robust outer sleeping bag to protect you from the elements.  In addition we dug a pit in the snow and ice, about 6inches deep, enough to build a surrounding wall used as a wind break, essential.

-7 degrees with occasional snow flurries and clear skies, ideal, slept well and saw the 'southern cross' and parts of the Milky Way a very fulfilling experience for me, one that everyone should do once in there lives.

Flag Day

So the flag day is all about having your picture taken with Robert Swan OBE holding one side of your country or company or product flag that you have.  Speaking to Robert later he shared with me how demanding the day was with over 80 participants from 29 countries having several photos each, one very important time for most as there is always a moment of pride when the flags come out.

We walked up to a point called MeditationTravelling through the night the ship reached Neko Harbour a natural bay surrounded by huge glaciers.
 Rock where people could reflect and view this magnificent bay from a vantage and watch the light change as the clouds moved effortlessly in the sky. The wind caused a small windchill of -10 which cooled us down and reminded us of where we were.

A huge leapord seal followed our zodiac back to the ship, the water here is crystal clear so we could track his movements under water as it darted from one side to the other, these animals are big, they have a huge head muscly and full of razor sharp teeth. It's agile beyond it's size, its at least 7ft long and looks about 200lb (I'm guessing).

First landing

Booth island, my first steps onto the finest continent of them all! That's just my opinion but it makes me smile to write that.

We had our first "mountaineering" day, this enabled Jason to assess people's ability and provide rope training for the crevasse riddled walk over a glacier programmed in a few days. It went well some basic knots, everyone did well as we headed up the snow slope to "The Port Charcot" memorial. For some people on this expedition it was their first time seeing snow, a strange concept to our wintry isles but fascinating all the same. Needless to say everyone enjoyed themselves and a friendly multi national snowball fight broke out. A joyous day.

Lamaire Channel

Early morning start before breakfast we were out on the bow watching the ship steer carefully through the Lamaire Channel a narrow passage between mountains rising 900m vertically out of the sea on both sides with only 400m between them.  The weather is cold and gloomy but this just adds to the very tense dramatic feel of what's happening around us. Since we arrived in Antarctica there is a reel feeling of danger, Antarctica is beautiful and quiet and prestine and inviting like siren beckoning you to reach out and touch her, only you somehow know not to because if you do, she will grab you and pull you into the icy water where there is only one outcome! Calling for your mummy isn't going to help.

Our first cruise in the zodiacs, nikki our driver manoeuvres our boat with precision carving her way through a myriad of stranded icebergs these are beautiful the light enhances the depth of colour, blues like you have never seen before.  A bunch of wildlife too, Gentoo penguins porpoising through the water only feet away, fur seals and crab eater seals (which don't actually eat crabs) lazing around on the odd iceberg here and there.  Spotted and carefully approached by our skilled driver from Team Quark.

Leadership 101

We have had several discussions about leader and what it means to us, it is very subjective in that each person will have their own style of leadership that should play to that individuals strengths.

here are some points made during the lecture;

• Leaders drive positive change
• leaders by choice, not admission
• leaders learn and we can all improve as leaders
• our power as leaders comes primarily from our experience, our life story

These are just a few discussion points, it is our decisions and chioces as leaders that define us, best taken from a position of strength, so you must understand your strength and consider our choices with care.

Land...Antarctica

It was a flurry of wildlife today with sightings of whale spouts in the distance, more Albatross, Petrals and Sheerwater birds staying close to the ship.
It feels strange for me to be in the middle of an ocean, this is the longest voyage I've ever been on, over 600n miles.
We had zodiac training today and boot issue. A zodiac is a small ribbed inflatable boat with an outboard motor, designed for short fast excursions and landings away from the ship. These would prove to be an essential piece of equipment over the next few days of the expedition without these we wouldn't have access to Antarctica.
We spotted our first iceberg today, some distance on the horizon estimated at 70m high and 2km wide this was an exciting moment for all, this really was Antarctic waters with snow peppering our faces.

Later today around 15:00 we spotted land.....Antarctica, this feels amazing, I'm excited to be here, it feels cold as the temperature has dropped to just 2 deg and Humpback Whales are now approaching the ship, I feel privaliged to see these animals in there own environment.

The Crossing

We started our voyage across the Drake Passage with 5-6m swells, needless to say this has the effect of me pretty much staying in bed doing my best not to throw up, even with seasick pills. It did calm down to a barmy 2m which for some was calm but really didn't change much for me.
With nowhere to go the schedule was full of lectures and getting to know individuals on the expedition. Presentations on wildlife, climate change and Antarctic history, I didn't make them all. I did begin to get to know people and discover why they were there.? With varied stories of inspiration it was obvious to me that talking was going to take up a lot of our time together.
Our first sighting of a wondering Albatross wetted our appetite for what was to come later in the trip.

No Internet

We've all been told to expect no Internet for the duration of the expedition...........sorry it looks like I'll be unable to update as often as I wanted but as soon as I can on the return journey, I will.

Please please please follow www.2041.com they will be updating their blog on a regular basis with pictures and information as they have a special agreement with the ship to use their satellite communications.

So now we have had our safety briefs and are ready to go.......

Departure Day

Just a few words before I start the program, I do feel a little apprehensive about the crossing of Drake Passage.  All versions of every story and experience has the word 'sick' in it and I don't mean sick good I mean sick messy!

We board around 3pm and sail approx 6pm for a passage through the night, we are taken from the port through the Beagle Passage by a pilot who steers the ship safely out to sea where the captain takes over for the journey to Antarctica.

There is a series of lectures and briefing (mostly about sickness) prior to our departure from the hotel, then a couple of hours to ourselves before boarding 'Sea Spirit'.

Communication to the rest of the world is limited with all of us fighting for whatever bandwidth is available.  I will of course update as soon as I can but that may be a day or two away.

Martial Glacier

We had a hike today, 8km just a small walk but it was so good to get out in the fresh crisp cool air.  Freeing ourselves from chains of the lecture hall, several interesting and provoking lectures on leadership, 2041 history and climate change........this is why I'm here but being a mountaineer, I just wanted to get out in those hills.

Martial Glacier is melting at a phenomenal rate it has receded some 150m in just 7yrs, its worrying the locals in Ushuaia because its there only source of fresh water and could disappear within the next 10yrs.
As we walked up the trail group took it at there own pace and I'm pleased to say we all made it to our destination close to the glacier.  We had four seasons in about 4mins, weather here changes really quickly without much warning, cloudy to hail to windy to sunshine.  Really enjoyed the day and looking forward to doing more......we sail tomorrow for Antarctica.

Arrival In Ushuaia

A long journey but I have arrived safely and as you can imagine with an expedition like this, its hectic, lots of people to meet and things to be registered and checked.  So this will be quick, hopefully i'll have more time later.

Ive met Rob Swan and most of his team. I'll update again later.

South America

Officially in South America, however I've only seen the inside of airport terminals and a brief taxi ride.

The weather here is hot, a steamy 28C when we landed and that's at 10pm in the evening, things will cool down tomorrow when we reach the southern most city in the world Ushuaia.  The temperature further down south is much colder at 4C so jumpers will be going back on.

The taxi ride between airports was a white knuckle ride with 120km/ph on the speedo and only 4ft from the bumper in front, with crazy motorcyclists weaving in between cars with the smallest of gaps.  Stuart and I have safely travelled some 8000miles and have been awake for 22hrs, we are feeling tired, ready for a sleep on our next flight which will take nearly 4hrs.

I have visited Argentina before, when I caught a flight to Punta Arenas on my backpacking travels to Chile, that was 20yrs ago but I still have vivid memories. It's good to be back and so close to my goal of standing on Antarctica.

One more flight and the scariest sea crossing to go!

The Journey Begins

"the journey of 10,182 miles starts with a single step"

3 flights London/Madrid - Madrid/Buenos Aires - Buenos Aires/Usuaia

A total of nearly 30hrs travelling with a 600+ Nautical Mile voyage through Drakes Passage in the Soutern Ocean, that journey is over 10,000 miles or 16,400 Km.

Although i'm used to travelling by air having visited many countries around the world on 6 different continents, its the ocean voyage that I'm most excited about, not being a sailor I'm both apprehensive and eager to experience it.  I have been told its the most feared journey amongst yachtsmen and women across the globe, reporting high rough seas of 6m swells.  That just makes me feel queasy, I can only image my view will be 'sky-sea sky-sea sky-sea' as the ships bow rises and dips pushing fearlessly towards our destination, the Antarctic Peninsula.

Current weather conditions at the South Pole are very cold, -47 with snow flurries and a light/moderate wind from the north.  Luckily we are only going to the peninsula currently snowing and a tropical -3 with southerly winds.

 http://www.timeanddate.com/weather/antarctica/carlini-base

Of course weather will have a major part in how our itinerary plays out, being flexible and adaptable will be key during our stay in the Antarctic region.

Not long now!

With less than 2 days left before I fly out to Antactica it is time to pack!

I'm fortunate i've alot of equipment from my mountaineering efforts and previous expeditions, although I did seem to spend rather alot at Cotswolds outdoor shop the other day.  Best to have too much than not enough, i'm sure i'll forget something and be clambering towards an outlet in Ushuiai when I finally arrive.

I've not looked at the weather forecast, pack for rain hope for sunshine........

If you havn't already, please checkout the expedition website http://www.2041.com/
it has a fantastic amount of information.

Also don't forget to pass on the blog details to anyone interested, if you have schools or youth organisations that may want me to visit and do a short presentation on my return please let me know, i'll be more than happy to arrange something.

Pre Exped Lakes Trip

A fine weekend for walking and talking, its been breathtaking..........literally, take a look at the video later.

Its always good to meet up with friends, especially close friends, they are always very pleased to see you and are quick to ask what you have been up to and eager to share their stories and gossip.

Of course all I want to talk about is Antarctica but for some this isn't on their agenda so care is needed not to overwhelm or bore them; I quickly learnt to allow them to lead the conversation.  Not having seen them for such a long time, they too had their stories and gossip they wanted to share with me.

The weather was reasonable to us whilst out walking, Friday we summited Skiddaw in the North part of the Lake District, a tall hulk of a mountain over looking the popular town of Keswick.  In terms of mountaineering Skiddaw isn't technical, there are no scrambles or climbs to reach the summit and it has a well defined path. Though some navigation skills are required it is most accessible.  Having said that you need to be determined to reach the summit, it takes some effort, it has a moderate/steep incline which is long and arduous, not to be attempted lightly and weather conditions always have to be taken into account.

Our group have a good level of fitness and some have extensive mountaineering experience so our assault on the slopes of Skiddaw were well planned, well equipped and well within our capabilities however the weather played a major part in the day.  Forecast for the day was low cloud, high winds gusting 65mph! but thankfully there was no rain forecast, this element was the saving grace as if it had rained it would have completely changed the whole day.

Take a look !!

I'm so lucky to have such good friends, they were excited and very helpful with good sound advice for the Antarctic Expedition.  Thanks to all who took the time to talk to me and listen to me, I am very grateful as time is the most precious of gifts.

Official Logo of IAE Expedition.

pre exped meetings

Great day today meeting key people who have made this opportunity happen.

There is definitely an air of excitement and expectation from all my colleagues and fellow workers, with no time to pause, emails, phone calls, meetings and discussions, not to mention blogging.  Its already having a positive influence on me, my goal now is to ensure all of those people, friends and family are touched by my experiences through the coming weeks.

To help me achieve that, this is where you come in, I would like you to think about some questions you have about the expedition, whether its about wildlife the environment or leadership, anything that springs to mind, please ask.

 I'm asking you all to participate and send me questions through the comments box in this blog. Then each day I will answer as many as I can, or inspire me to write a section in my blog about it.  So for those who come up with the best most imaginative questions, you my friends will get a mention.

Its been an exhilarating day so get those thinking caps on and I'll update tomorrow.


"An auspicious start with Andrew Mackintosh getting a puncture on the way to the hotel last night, lets pray that's the only 'hiccup' we have!"

Expedition Introduction

An Expedition of Adventure, Discovery and Learning to the vast ice sheets of Antarctica.

• It is considered the coldest place on Earth with temperatures plummeting to -89C and with hardly any rain (falling as snow) is classed as a desert.
• About 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice that averages 1.9km in thickness, that's over a mile deep and holds 70% of the Worlds fresh water.
• It has an active volcano Mount Erebus, the high almost vertical cliffs of the Vinson Massif, an impressive and almost unassailable range of mountains reaching towards the sky over 4800m.

Its as diverse as it is extreme.

This isn't a place for the average person, in fact nobody lives there, only hardy scientists spend any length of time there and they are well equipped, protected in specially fabricated buildings.

In 1986 Robert Swan walked to the South Pole, a herculean effort by any standards.  Since then Robert has had an affinity with Antarctica and has set up a yearly expedition to highlight the delicate struggle of this precious place on Earth.  That expedition is simply called 2041, a reference to the year when the Antarctic Treaty System is re-visited by leaders around the world, a very important time for the future of this continent.

The Antarctic Treaty System prohibits military activities, mineral mining, nuclear explosions and nuclear waste disposal, supports scientific research and protects the continents ecozone.

I'm very privileged to have been selected to attend this years 2041 expedition which leaves in just a few days.  The expedition explains, through lectures and teaching, how this fragile environment is unique and susceptible to global warming and pollution.  The very things the Treaty is designed to prevent.  My role during the expedition will be to experience the wonder of this white, very cold continent, observing wildlife and assisting with gathering vital information.

Antarctica has a vibrant array of widlife; birds that fill the shoreline and sweep the skies above include, Skuas, Terns, Adelei Penguins and that most enchanting of sea birds the magnificent Albertross.  Lurking in the cold icy waters are playful, inquisitive Antarctic Fur Seals but beware of the infamous Leopard Seal a feroceous predator!  If i'm lucky I may see Humpback Whales and Dolphins.

Stay posted for frequent updates and pictures over the next 3 weeks.