Lucy Dorman: Looking back on Lockroy

19/06/2020

My first experience of Antarctica and Port Lockroy had been as part of the 2016/17 team. As is the case for many, I found a way to return the following austral summer, 2017/18, working on ships as part of an Expedition team for one of the companies operating down south. It was a very different undertaking, pretty much always on the move, I got to see a lot more of Antarctica, facilitating daily zodiac cruises and landings with guests, including a couple of visits to Port Lockroy.

A few months after my second season I received a slightly different Antarctic themed job offer, an opportunity to cover the maternity leave of UKAHT’s Operations Manager Lauren. I found myself back at a desk, in an office for what was a busy year, supporting the 2018/19 team during their season, and planning an ambitious 2019/20 season including new credit card machines, upgrades to the staff accommodation, and the logistics of a number of visitors who would need to stay on the island to complete work projects. I hadn’t anticipated a return to Port Lockroy, however UKAHT like to send a returnee every season because – despite thorough training and comprehensive manuals – it is incredibly beneficial to send someone with local knowledge. With the reassurance that Lauren would return from her maternity leave as planned, a few days before the final selection it was confirmed that I would go down as Base Leader.

Selection is, for 12 candidates, the culmination of a competitive application process and one of the more curious job interviews most will ever experience. In an intense few days we try to explain what to expect, the good and the bad, we ask and answer lots of questions, and try and come up with a consensus on who we think will be best suited to the position. Clearly for me this also had a personal dimension, these were not only going to be my workmates but allies, travel companions and housemates.

This season was a completely different experience, in part because of the added workload and responsibility that comes with the Base Leader position, particularly around health and safety and communications (with the UKAHT office and all vessels visiting Port Lockroy). But also because I saw Port Lockroy in a new light, there had been diverse landings, wonderful wildlife encounters and incredible ice forms and features all along the Antarctic Peninsula when working on the ships, but there are very few places where you get a glimpse of the human history and that, I now realise, is what makes Port Lockroy so special. The chance to imagine what life would have been like as you walk through the restored rooms of Bransfield House. In the back corner of the Ionospherics room which houses the scientific instruments the Oral History project plays during visits, hearing the men speak about their time is particularly powerful and was one of the aspects that had a greater impact on me this time around. Throughout Bransfield House I noticed the smaller things, the titles of the books shelved in the lounge, the initials engraved on a knife, provoking a deeper appreciation for the history we were working to conserve. 

I wondered how I would feel about Antarctica third time around. It was easy to recollect the anticipation of making the turn and sailing up the Neumeyer Channel back in November 2016. We had to transfer to a different ship and eventually land on neighbouring Jougla Point, walking across fast ice onto Goudier Island. This time around, after changing ships again and recently being thwarted by localised ice, I remember standing on the ridge at Damoy looking down on Goudier Island, scanning with binoculars, assessing the snow cover and whether all the doors and windows were intact, looking at how much fast ice there was in the back bay and the density of the brash ice extending out and blocking our arrival attempts. We were so close yet so far, Antarctica has a subtle way of humbling you. Due to the ever-changing ice, wind, clouds, light and shadows, even familiar places can feel special and captivating.

One of my highlights this season was the whales. I don’t remember seeing that many during my earlier stint at Port Lockroy, so I made time to look and listen, often late in the evening, when the water was calm. The sound of a whale blow is like nothing else I have ever experienced, the hollow reverberation from a huge pair of lungs. The spout of exhaled air is visible in the right conditions, or the dorsal fin as they make their way across the bay. However it is the sound that I find so enchanting. One particular experience stands out, returning from a quick shower on a ship I had my own personal zodiac shuttle, the driver had just overheard a whale sighting on the radio and asked if I would mind if we went to take a look. We saw the blows of two or three humpback whales but weren’t sure in which direction they were heading so the driver turned off the engine and we floated gently in silence for a few minutes. We had a whispered conversation about what a lovely day it was and just before we agreed we had better start moving again the humpbacks surfaced right beside the zodiac, the deep cavernous sound of their blows taking our breath away as three of them serenely glided past us. As the driver dropped me off at Port Lockroy we hugged – a shared gratitude for the intimate moment we had just experienced, in awe of the whales. 

Lucy Dorman