Clean sheets a dream after year on the Ice

Press, 19 December 1986, Page 2

Clean sheets a dream after year on the Ice

By

ROBIN CHARTERIS

in London Clean, coloured sheets were most on the mind of the rescued Antarctic explorer, Gareth Wood, after almost a year of isolation in Antarctica. "He couldn’t stop talking about them for most of the 30-hour journey back from the Ice,” said the co-leader of the Footsteps of Scott Antarctic expedition, Robert Swan, after he and a veteran Antarctic pilot, Giles Kershaw, had flown a 10,000 km return rescue mission from Punta Arenas in Chile to Cape Evans. Speaking by telephone from Punta Arenas on Wednesday, Swan said Wood and the other two rescued members of the British Expedition, Steve Broni and Tim Lovejoy, were unable to speak to the news media. They were asleep — between clean, blue sheets — and would be “for some long time.”

The three men had elected to stay behind in January to care for equipment at Cape Evans after the Footsteps of Scott expedition ship Southern Quest had been crushed by pack ice and sunk, just hours before Swan, Wood, and another expedition member reached the South Pole on foot.

Their 11-month sojourn, much of it in darkness, ended on Tuesday when they crammed alongside Swan and Kershaw and spare fuel tanks in a small twin-engined Twin Otter aircraft and flew out for South America.

The 5000 km flight back to the relative civilisation of Punta Arenas involved two refuelling stops at fuel dumps earlier set up by the expedition for emergency use. The aircraft was forced to fly high after encountering stormy weather. At one stage,’ ice building on the wings and fuselage threatened to become a serious problem.

“Had we gone down there on ice or in the open sea, we would have been in serious trouble,” said Swan. “Full credit must go to Giles Kershaw for magnificent flying in pretty tough conditions.”

Kershaw was also asleep on Wednesday after more than 30 hours at the controls of the aircraft. The rescued men had been “ecstatic” on reach-

ing Punta Arenas, Swan said.

“It was odd to see their faces when they saw green grass and trees. They couldn’t believe they still existed.”

When they eventually awoke, the men intended to “go out and have a beer and meet the locals.” “They have been deprived of so much for the last year and more that we may have to keep them under control,” Swan laughed.

Swan himself believed the rescue mission vindicated the expedition in the eyes of the world. “We always said we would look after ourselves and we have done this.

“The next step is to pick up all our equipment that is still there. The 90degree south expedition ship Aurora will do that for us in February, weather and ice conditions permitting, and then we will have fulfilled our promise of leaving Antarctica as we found it.”

Describing the long rescue flight as an epic journey, Swan said that it had been felt necessary as ice conditions in Antarctica were predicted to be poor this summer season and there was no guarantee the men could have been uplifted by ship. “We kept quiet about it for obvious reasons. We didn't want anybody putting a spanner in the works at the last moment.” The aircraft, owned by Adventure Network International of Canada, had been flown by Kershaw from Calgary to a base the company had at Punta Arenas several days before. A full flight plan from Calgary and back to Calgary had been logged, Swan said, and the appropriate authorities notified. No special permission was needed to fly to Antarctica — "No body owns it”

— and everything had been done “by the book.” Kershaw and Swan flew from Punta Arenas, refuelling twice on the long, three-stage flight. They called in to New Zealand’s Scott Base some 40km from Cape Evans where they enjoyed “marvellous hospitality” from the base leader, Stuart Guy, and the New Zealanders. Officials at the nearby United States base at McMurdo Sound were “too busy” to see the men.

After 36 hours at Cape Evans, spent packing equipment and tidying the area, the five men began their return flight.

“It was an emotional moment for the base camp commander Gareth and the boys. That had been their home for a long time,” said Swan.

The three men were in excellent condition and none the worse for their long winter. Wood, a Canadian, will now return to Canada to spend Christmas with his parents. Lovejoy, an Englishman, will visit Sydney, and Broni, together with Swan, will return to his native Glasgow in the next few days. Kershaw, a pilot with Britannia Airways, will return to Britain after flying the Twin Otter aircraft back to Calgary.

The full cost of the rescue mission, estimated at $200,000, would be met by the Footsteps of Scott expedition, Swan said. A great deal of further fundraising remained.