ship's log - Part 5 -
Monday, December 20 This night, there was a magnetic storm, and of course it entailed many technical disruptions. However, all worked out great, and time went quickly.
Tuesday, December 21 Although today was the first day of the austral summer, the weather did not remind us of this warm season. As Christmas was going around the corner, everyone decorated his or her own office, workshop, laboratory or station with tinsel garlands, strings of Christmas lights, little characters made of cardboard looking more or less like angels, Santa Claus or the Three Kings. Obviously there were no Christmas trees , but we erected a synthetic fur tree in our restaurant. Everyone has been relentlessly working on their gifts, hoping they will be ready in time. Everything seemed to be conspiring to bring about success for our Christmas celebration.
Wednesday, December 22 Two before D-day! Actually, I have been looking forward to the end of Christmas celebrations. The nearer the celebration, the more unhappy I have been feeling while thinking about my wife and my daughter. I know they will not be alone. I know all my family, all my loved ones will gather to celebrate this peculiar time of the year, but it will be the first time my wife and I will not be together on Christmas!
Thursday, December 23 Those who were not finished with their gifts were losing their nerves! The carpentry was assaulted! Some were welding, others were filing down, etc... Although today was Christmas Eve, our job had to be done, and in the afternoon we went back to work.
Friday, December 24 D-day has arrived! Some were finished with their gifts just a few hours before the Christmas celebration. All of the packages were gathered under the Christmas tree. Everyone gazed on the names written on them, trying to discover which gift would be his or hers. How exciting it was! Everyone was dressed up. Shiny pairs of jeans and holed sweaters were swapped for cleaner clothes. Women - there were three in the staff - stingily made up for the circumstance. The chef cooked special gourmet dishes, all washed down with vintage wines - even at the far end of the world, French people appreciate drinking good wines - and the pastry-cook baked a great deal of delicacies that made our mouths water. At 11 pm, Santa Claus showed up! The delivery of the expected gifts proceeded in a childish mood.
Saturday, December 25 Two o'clock in the morning. The party was at its height! The three girls, who probably felt alone among all of the men, kindly danced with everyone. Four o'clock in the morning. We decided to wake up those who had had the bad idea of going to sleep earlier. They reluctantly dressed and rejoined us at the restaurant, converted to a dancing room, after we had pushed tables and benches apart. Six o'clock in the morning. As the first rays of the dawn was brightening East Island's peaks, everyone went back to his or her bedroom in the hope of resting for a few hours. At midday, I settled for a frugal meal, and I flaked out in my armchair in the radio station for the rest of the day.
Sunday, December 26 I slept until 9:00 am. It has been a long time since I had such a good rest. Late in the afternoon, I went to the "Bollard" - the steep cliff overhanging the rocky beach where whale killers are used to chasing - in order to get some fresh air. After dinner, Erick and I played badminton for two hours. Later, we invested in the weight room where we exuded up to the last drop of water - or the remaining alcohol of the Christmas feast - from our bodies!
Monday, December 27 What could I tell about this day, except that it rained the whole morning! Actually, I was more preoccupied with what I am going to experiment with tomorrow. Indeed, I will help Servane - that is her name - who has been leading scientific experiments on penguins' flow of blood. It will certainly be an engaging experience, if not for the penguins, at least for me.
Tuesday, December 28 It is impossible to tell you how many pecks and wing-flaps I got today! However, what I can say is, "it is REALLY painful!" Let me tell you first how things happened: The first challenge was to catch a penguin, but as it did not want to be caught, it stood up for himself with its sharp beak and its mighty wings. Once it was immobilized between my knees, I put a cowl on its head in order to blind it - they keep quieter without seeing anything - but, as it knew what I intended to do to it afterwards, it of course fiercely pecked me! I brought it into the laboratory to be weighed and measured. Then, we regularly took blood specimens according to a well-defined experiment scheme. There were five penguins in my bag at the end of the day. To some extent, it was an exhilarating experience, but I would not do that every day. These birds are dirty and infested with parasites. In addition, they shit - no other words would better define that - each time they get annoyed. I plan someday to attend a surgery. The goal will be to implant a sensor and a transmitter into a penguin's chest. Wednesday, December 29 This day was quieter than the previous one. I felt more comfortable in my workshop than in the laboratory. Around 4pm, I left the station and went to the weight room. Later, as usual, I played badminton with Erick.
Thursday, December 30 It was difficult to focus on our work. Everybody might be thinking about the New Year that is coming around the corner. However, I kept working almost all day on a telephone line that was probably nibbled by rats that infest the island. Before dinner, we all gathered at the bar to celebrate our boss' promotion to a higher rank. I know what you are thinking about! Each occasion was good to have a drink! You are right, but it was really important to regularly organize these kinds of treats in order to help people socialize. We had to live together for a year, and we had better to live in good harmony. In fact, we just showed up and had a single drink because tomorrow will be a special day. Indeed, it is uncommon to celebrate the New Year on an island lost in the middle of nowhere.
Friday, December 31 For the last day of this year, we ended our workday at noon. We spent the afternoon decorating the base and preparing the meal for the New Year's Eve party. Everybody was excited! Festivities lasted all night with just a break at midnight to fulfil the traditional wishes ceremony.
Saturday, January 1 At 3 am, as we did at Christmas, we awoke those who had deserted earlier. They forgot that we all were on the same boat, and nobody could abandon it before the captain had ordered. At 6 am, one after the other, everyone went back to their bedrooms. I lingered outside for a while, my back up against the restaurant's wall, waiting for the first sunrise of the year. Today was a day off so we could sleep to our content until the day after.
Sunday, January 2 Axel, Adam, and I left the base for a three-day trek. We chose to go to the cabin located in US Bay, from where we will depart every day to visit different places. Once we had arrived, we had a bath in one of the windings of the Moby Dick river, which has been digging countless basins for millions of years. Although the current was quite slow in these natural basins, the temperature of the water was hovering around four degrees Celsius. Needless to say that the bath was quicker than ever. We stretched out in thick grass, safe from the wind. The sun, still high in the sky, provided us its soft heat.
Monday, January 3 Today's destination was the « Hébé » valley. To reach it, we just had to cross over a rocky scarp. A sea-lion's colony was expected to breed their young there. Unfortunately, they were scarce , and most of them were probably gathered in the isolated and inaccessible headland near by our valley. This place is named « the monks » because, from a distance, this mountain range, that ends into the ocean in a series of storm-lashed rocky scarps, looks like a procession of monks, dressed in their frocks and cowls. For lack of sea-lions, we attended, on our way back, a rare and impressive sight. Indeed, a group of killer whales were hunting a sea elephant that recklessly left the beach. They violently hurled it out of the water with their mighty flippers, as if it was a simple ball. Then, the poor animal disappeared with a bloody whirlpool. We started off on the way back, after the last killer whale left the bay. The cabin was in sight while the sun was vanishing behind the horizon.
Tuesday, January 4 As we decided to leave in early afternoon, we settled for a quick walk in the vicinity this morning. We adopted a slow pace on the way back in order to delay our arrival at the base, which means the return to a "civilized" life.
