Breaking The Ice - Segel-Expedition 2004 Eine Friedensinitiative besonderer Art 1.Januar 2004 bis... zur Übersicht www.breaking-the-ice.de 05.01.2004 - Tagebuch Scaling a volcano Torsten - torsten@breaking-the-ice.de @ 22:22:58 At Deception Island, in a sea-filled volcano crater, Pelagic Australis tied its mooring line to the rotting reindexs of an old wooden boat, the remnant of an abandoned Chilean whaling station that operated here from 1910 to 1931. Several hours later, our sister ship Pelagic, carrying the expedition's team of mountain guides and its physician, Arik Shechter, pulled into the same shore. After days of rocking and rolling on the rough seas of the Darwin Passage, the teams on both boats were happy at the prospect of getting a peaceful night's sleep, uninterrupted by all-night watches on deck. Before turning in for the night, Dr. Shechter came aboard Pelagic Australis to look in on Olfat Haider, the Israeli-Arab physical education teacher from Haifa, who was injured in a fall during the ocean storm that rocked the boat on Saturday night. Suffering from either a bruised or cracked pelvis, Olfat was in tremendous pain but good spirits, doing her best to believe that within a few days she'll be fit enough to continue with our trekking and climbing mission to the peak of an unnamed mountain on the Antarctic Peninsula. Ankunft auf Deception Island Einer muß aufs Vordeck After a quiet night and a late wake-up call, we gathered on the shore for an inland trek, meant to help prepare everyone for the physical challenges we'll face in the days ahead. At the team's training camp in Chamonix, France in early November, several of us had come to realize that we had to get in better shape in order to succeed in our Antarctic Mission. Today's walk clearly demonstrated that there had been a lot of improvement. Nasser Quass, the Palestinian from the walled Old City of Jerusalem, had dropped five kilograms since Chamonix. Palestinian team member Suleiman al-Khatib had made a New Year's resolution to give up smoking ? and was sticking to it. Palestinian journalist Ziad Darwish showed no signs of the injured knee that had given him so much trouble in the French Alps. On the Israeli side, however, Avihu Shoshani was having problems with his right leg and limping noticeably. While nursing his injury he decided to go ahead with the day's plans. With expedition leader Doron Erel in the lead we set off for the slopes near our mooring point. As soon as we gained some altitude, fantastic land and ocean vistas came into view, revealing expanses of dark brown hills composed of volcanic ash, along with blue-tinted icebergs hovering off Deception Island's shores. At various points along those shores the hot lava trapped underground produces hot sulphur springs that heat the freezing waters to temperatures warm enough to lure in bathers for a dip. By the standards of experienced mountain climbers, today's trek wasn't much of a challenge. In fact, the professionals called it a recreational walk. But, for the expedition team members, the 6 kilometer walk, with a 200 meter vertical climb over snow and volcanic ash was no easy matter. Within minutes, we were huffing and puffing and stripping off the layers of warm clothing we'd put on in preparation for the hike. No sooner had we done so than the winds picked up, snow began falling and we were all putting on our warm layers again. The walk was more than worthwhile. After about two hours it brought us to the island's ocean shore, where we encountered a colony of Chinstrap penguins. This is the southernmost presence of this species on earth. These small birds, about 30 to 40 centimeters in height, showed no fear of us whatsoever, allowing us to wander freely among them. They were more wary of a seal hovering offshore, perhaps hoping for a penguin dinner. After taking a coffee and cookie break by the beach, we followed the penguins' lead up the slopes to their nesting colony. There, we found hundreds of hens sitting on their chicks, keeping them warm. We were impressed with the fact that the penguins seemed less fazed ? and less exhausted -- by the long walk up to their nests than we did. Tonight we set sail again, headed southwest for the Bransfield Straight and, beyond it, the Gerlach Straight and, beyond it, the continent of Antarctica. It's difficult to believe, but it's actually happening. The Breaking the Ice peace expedition is on the verge of reaching its destination. Deception Island (63° S -- 61° W) 04.01.04 Stormy night - Torsten - torsten@breaking-the-ice.de @ 14:35:29 The storm hit us like the overture to an opera -- a wild, dramatic clash of weather systems that seemed to be setting the stage for an epic saga. After two days of smooth sailing (relative to these climes) some of us aboard Pelagic Australis were beginning to think that the horror stories they'd heard about sailing across the Drake Passage from Chile to Antarctica had been blown out of proportion. Yes, some were seasick and others drowsy from pills to prevent seasickness but, all in all, the Drake, named after 16th century English explorer (and, say some, pirate) Sir Francis Drake, had been anything but horrific. During watch shifts on deck, the Breaking the Ice expedition members Yarden and Nasser had time to ponder the vast southern ocean, its emptiness punctuated only by the occasional appearance of a solitary Great Wandering Albatross or a duet of Cape Petrels. The former is a massive black, grey and white avian with a wingspan of up to four meters, who glides gracefully above the water. The latter are smaller birds that skitter along the very tops of the waves, showing off bold black and white patterned plumage on the tops of their wings. Both come out here in search of food, covering incredible distances to find it. With no land in sight and no place to rest, it's difficult to imagine their existence. On Saturday afternoon, the serenity began slipping away. Pelagic Australis crossed the Antarctic Convergence, an imaginary irregular circle surrounding Antarctica where sea and air temperatures drop dramatically, affected by the ice mass of the still distant frozen continent. First, the clear skies and endless vistas we'd enjoyed since leaving Chile gave way to a dismal, claustrophobic fog. Then, the brisk breezes that had pushed us along began building, growing into gale force winds of up to 65 km/h. For those of us who had finally found our 'sea legs' and had adjusted to the boat's normal rocking and rolling, the world was about to turn on its side. Even with its sails trimmed, Pelagic Australis was severely buffeted by the storm, tilted to a 45-degree angle that left the expedition team wondering where to find the floor. Up on deck, waves crashed over the bow, showering the watch with icy spray. Down below, there was no distinction between experienced sailors and rank beginners (like us): everyone was pitched to and fro as they tried to move about the interior of the boat. Climbing in and out of berths became an acrobatic challenge. Pouring a glass of water required guessing the correct angle -- and always getting it wrong. Using the head (toilet) became an indescribable experience that everyone, of course, felt absolutely compelled to describe. Their laughter showed that on this subject, at least, these Israelis and Palestinians seem to be in total agreement. But the humor gave way to seriousness when Olfat Haider finished her trip to the head with a flying leap, back first, into a handrail. The expedition's physician, Arik Shechter, treated her for a severe bruise to the pelvis but told her she could expect a full recovery. By Sunday morning the worst was over. The winds began to drop and the seas were somewhat calmer. Those of us who poked our heads above deck discovered that the overture was at an end and the real saga had just begun. We had reached the land of the icebergs. Most of us have encountered icebergs in the pages of nature magazines, school textbooks or television programs. Every Israeli and Palestinian schoolchild knows (or is supposed to) that what we see is only the tip of the iceberg, that at least three-quarters of its mass is hidden beneath the surface of the water. This theoretical knowledge spawns many comparisons, including those that liken the enormity and depth of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to an iceberg: their genuine complexity and intractability have exceeded the ken of all erstwhile peacemakers to date. This morning, as they sailed on toward their final destination in the Antarctic Peninsula, the Israelis and Palestinians of the Breaking the Ice expedition saw icebergs with their own eyes -- up close, from the deck of a small sailing yacht. They were dwarfed by massive, moving white mountains of ice: icebergs tinted blue by the pure waters of their glacial birthplaces; icebergs as big as cities; icebergs whose real size we could only guess at; icebergs lapped by chilly Antarctic seas that will, inexorably, push them into warmer waters that will melt them into oblivion. For a moment, at least, there were no Palestinians or Israelis aboard Pelagic Australis. There were only human beings, humbled and brought together by something far greater than themselves and stimulated, perhaps, to wonder when the ice that separates their two peoples will finally thaw. And then it comes into view. A rocky island, surrounded by scattered icebergs-- seemingly no place to visit. Yet, as we sail along its shore a surprise awaits: an opening comes into view between two rocky protuberances. Beyond it lays a vast expanse of water surrounded by snow capped mountains. But this is no lake. It's a volcanic crater where once British whalers made their camp. This is Deception Island -- the first destination on our Antarctic adventure. Tomorrow we begin to explore. Among the South Shetland Islands (63° S -- 62° W) 03.01.04 Past the 50s Torsten - torsten@breaking-the-ice.de @ 15:34:47 The Pelagic Australis has just crossed 60° S, now truly being in Antarctic Waters and within the area of the Antarctic Treaty. However, a book found on the boat describes what some of the crew (especially seasick Suleiman and cameraman Colin) really don't want to hear: "You've noted the way cyclonic movements race across the Southern Ocean - Indian or Pacific, it's much the same. You've learnt the signs for shifts of winds - the slight clearing in the south-western sky, a movement in rising cloud, then the swift sudden shift. It's the same off the Horn, except the wind is madder there, the shifts faster, nights longer, seas higher, ice nearer.... You get no sleep. You'll get so wet for so long that your skin will come off with your socks, if you get the time to take them off. But with luck you'll get past Cape Horn and by the grace of god, you won't kill anybody." In the Drake [General] - Torsten - torsten@breaking-the-ice.de @ 13:08:04 This is not a pleasure trip. The seas are rough. The accommodations are Spartan. Nobody sits back waiting to be served. Everybody is expected to pull his or her weight. In the middle of their way across the Drake Passage, between their point of departure in Puerto Williams, Chile and their objective, the Antarctic Peninsula, we are learning what it means to take part in an 'extreme adventure'. The experience includes standing watch on the deck of Pelagic Australis -- four hours on and four hours off -- throughout the day and night, rain or shine, wearing thick, heavy storm suits and boots to help ward off the cold and wet. It means being trussed in harnesses and clipped onto safety ropes to prevent falling into seas so cold they promise a speedy death to any who reindex in them. It means learning enough seamanship to assist the watch leader in trimming, hoisting, furling and unfurling a complex arrangement of sails connected to an even more complex array of ropes, pulleys and winches -- all with names unfamiliar to Middle Eastern landlubbers. For those who want to fully understand what exactly it is that they're doing, how it affects the boat's behavior and how it determines our course, there's a wealth of nautical terms and concepts to digest. Captain Skip Novak and his team seem truly happy to answer everybody's questions. In fact, they actively encourage their passengers to become the boat's crew. Olfat Haider, the Arab-Israeli physical education teacher from Haifa, has become a standout sailor, spending long hours on deck adjusting the rigging and looking at the sea. Watching her watching the waves, I remembered how, two months ago, she told me that she'd love to take a break from the grind of Middle Eastern life and set off to experience the world. Could it be, I wondered, that she's found her ticket to adventure? In his or her own way each of the expedition team members is learning about the Drake Passage and the challenges it presents to sailors. These range from large ocean swells on the best of days to quickly moving storms on the worst. Even in these summer months (in the southern hemisphere), the Drake is grey, windy, misty and cold, with unpredictable weather that can put sailors at peril with little or no advance warning. In a vessel like Pelagic Australis -- far smaller than the tourist cruise ships that sometimes ply the Drake Passage -- the passengers feel every wave, every change in wind conditions and every rock and roll of the boat. For some of them the experience has been more than extreme. Palestinian team member Suleiman el-Khatib survived a decade in Israeli prisons, but succumbed almost immediately to seasickness, spending most of his time between his berth and the nearest toilet. Video cameraman Colin Rosin shares that fate. For those who still have their appetites, Palestinian journalist Ziad Darwish is putting on a star performance in Pelagic Australis' modest galley, whipping up one gourmet meal after another, seemingly undisturbed by the fact that everything is in constant motion. As the boat pitches and rolls, poured liquids veer to unexpected destinations. Plates slide from one place side to another. And anything not firmly held down seems to take on a life of its own. At these latitudes and in this season, the skies reindex illuminated throughout the day and well into the night. As we look off into the waves there is not a speck of land in sight. We are navigating perilous waters, known for their ability to surprise and punish those who fail to approach them with respect. Yet, aboard Pelagic Australis all seems calm. As the hours go by, one shift of the watch replaces the next. Every shift pairs Israelis and Palestinians, working together to help keep Pelagic Australis sailing smoothly on course. As they carry out their duties they're also developing the relationships that will be essential to the success of the extreme adventure that's meant to follow this voyage. Drake passage [General] - Torsten - torsten@breaking-the-ice.de @ 12:06:20 Brief contact via Iridium. Another 36 hours to go. Bit of a rough sea, half the crew is seasick, the second boat is out of sight as the Pelagic Australis is much faster. Although cameraman Colin Rosin is not that chirpy himself, they will transmit some video footage in the next few hours. Broadcasters get in touch with bti@arcast.de Drake passage 59° 54'S 62° 40'W Copyright © 1996-2016 - SEGEL.DE