Relaxation for ship’s crew

Press, 13 March 1985, Page 8

Relaxation for ship’s crew

The Southern Quest sailed quietly into Lyttelton yesterday after completing the first stage of the “In the Footsteps of Scott” expedition to the South Pole. The 361-ton Icelandic trawler has returned from the Ice after setting up a base for the expedition leaders, Robert Swan and Roger Mear. Sixty tonnes of support equipment and provisions were left with the expedition team who will winter over at Cape Evans before retracing Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s 191012 journey to the South Pole. The master of the Southern Quest, Captain Graham Phippen, said the voyage south went without a hitch.

“There were no problems with the boat, and no problems with the weather.”

Captain Phippen said the ship called at Scott Base and McMurdo Station in Antarctica and was well received.

The predominantly English crew looked tired when

the vessel berthed yesterday and Captain Phippen said they were looking forward to some relaxation.

“It will be the first time we have been together when there has been no pressure of time on us. We will be able to get to know one another as we have not been able to before,” he said.

The Southern Quest would be in port for two weeks. The public were welcome to inspect the ship, Captain Phippen said. Crew members will give slide shows and talks while in Christchurch and T-shirts would be sold to raise money for the expedition, which was estimated to cost more than $2 million.

Captain Phippen said he would like to visit other New Zealand ports but no itinerary had been prepared. The ship would eventually sail to Australia for an overhaul and return to the Ice in January, 1986, to pick up Messrs Swan and Mear.