Ship's log - part 6 -
Wednesday, January 5 Today was a special day. Indeed, everybody gathered at the power plant - at least those who had some expertise in manual work - in order to fix the roof of the building, which could no longer resist the frequent and violent storms. Regarding the usual unsettled weather, we could not afford not to carry out the job before night fall. In fact, we were particularly lucky with the weather, which gratified us with mild temperatures, no wind, and no rain throughout the whole day. At 10:00 pm, we were finished with the renovation, and gathered around a good meal to recover from this exhausting workday.
Thursday, January 6 The weather was incredibly nice again! So I began an important task that would require a lot of time and good weather for a few days. The transmissions center, which was made of wood, needed to be treated in depth with a specific polish to protect the structure against steady rain and persistent moisture. On this island, wood has been decaying and metal has been getting rusty because of the high rate of moisture. We could only slow down the process by fault of stopping it. Although the task was exhausting, working outside was particularly pleasant, especially with this nice weather!
Friday, January 7 When I stepped out my door this morning, the base was still bathed in gaze. A few minutes later, as the sun dispersed it, I went to the transmissions center and carried on with my task. No cloud dimmed the sun throughout the whole day. After these three outdoor-work days, I got a lovely tan.
Saturday, January 8 The weather is changing and the temperature this morning dropped down. Nevertheless, I put my nose to the grindstone to try to finish my work. However, the task is so hard that I am afraid I have to sweat it out.
Sunday, January 9 As Sunday is a day off in France, we kept up this custom and organized a snack in our bar. In the evening, it rained a lot and a strong wind rose.
Monday, January 10 I began this new week at full speed. I worked in the transmissions center from 9 am to 3 pm without having a break. At noon, I settled for a sandwich that Erick brought me. In any case, I begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel. If the weather forecast remains good, I have a chance of being finished tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 11 I set off to work early this morning, because the weather was ideal. Unfortunately, around 11 am, it turned so bad that I had to stop working and take cover inside the center. As suddenly as it had worsened, the weather changed around 3 pm and the clouds vanished to give way to an immaculate sky. The climate in Crozet will always amaze me!
Wednesday, January 12 I am finally finished with the painting of the transmissions center. Only one antenna has to be fixed before I am definitely finished with the important repairs. Late in the afternoon, I went to the repository in order to buy some alcoholic beverages and soft drinks since our bar was empty, victim of its success.
Thursday, January 13 We had a foretaste of what the base will look like after summertime has finished. Indeed, only twenty of us remained at the base today, while a lot of scientific teams set off on hikes either for work or for pleasure. The mood at the restaurant was pretty quiet because of this poor turnout. After dinner, I tried to develop a film of views of the beach. What a shame! It was a real flop!
Friday, January 14 Erick helped me hammer out a solution to fix an antenna that had been blown down during the latest storm. This antenna was made of steel wire, tied between four poles, 25 meters high, 80 meters away from the others, erected diamond-shaped. It aimed to communicate with the ship, while sailing for her frequency of service. It was an archaic means of communication, but when the state of the art transmission systems fail - that is the satellite - it turned out to be the most efficient one. To climb the poles, we had to attach on our shoes, spur-shaped with claws, that we stuck in the wooden poles. To keep our balance, we seized up our chests, just below our armpits, with a strong rope. It was out of the question to act recklessly, however we needed to be bold enough to carry out such a risky task. Once back to the hard ground, we felt deeply relieved!
Saturday, January 15 We have to prepare for the imminent arrival of the « Marion Dufresne ». She is expected to arrive on Tuesday. I have some equipment out of order - that I could not repair by lack of spare parts – to send back to Reunion Island. I also have to gather scrap metal in a big box that will be loaded onto the ship and brought back too. They will be properly treated there because the French administration demands that we keep the wilderness untarnished with dregs of our tiny society. Eventually, I have to wrap some gifts for my family that will be conveyed by ship, which means that mail and parcels will reach their destination in roughly two months.
Sunday, January 16 As usual, Sundays are dedicated to doing the laundry, ironing, and cleaning our rooms. Consequently, I did my laundry, I ironed, and I cleaned up my room. Very original! Isn't it? After dinner, I climbed down to the beach to take pictures of the chicks that are hatching by the hundreds. On my way back, I tuned the coastal beacons in. I had to make sure they had been properly working. In broad daylight, solar panels charge batteries that provide enough power during the night for the beacons to emit their light signals. As expected, they need urgent troubleshooting .
Monday, January 17 We got a fax from the ship during the night. The arrival is delayed. She will probably moor on Friday and depart in the afternoon of the same day so that we will have only a few hours to carry out the unloading.
Tuesday, January 18 I went to the beach early this morning because I had to carry out some repairs on a telephone line. Actually, the line was in need of a major overhaul. Despite this extra work, I had plenty of time to observe the numerous chicks that were singing at the top of their voices in a quest for nurture that their parents relentlessly brought back from their constant fishing.
