HMP link

View HMP in a larger map

The call of the Arctic.

It looks as if it might actually happen! Next Sunday I'm flying to Ottawa on a big aeroplane and then the next day on a much smaller aeroplane from Ottawa north to Iqaluit, along the length of Baffin Island to Nanisivik and then across Lancaster Sound to Resolute Bay. We will reverse my earlier experience of arriving at Cape Desolation in Berrimilla after flying over it less than a year before. This time we will cross Berrimilla's actual track close to Prince Leopold Island (in the background in the photo).


The flight from Ottawa crosses some of the most desolate terrain in the world. One of my favourite authors, Ernest K Gann, wrote a novel about this corner of Canada based on an actual plane crash and the search in which he took part - it was called Island in the Sky and it was made into a film. I have never seen the film but the book is a wonderful description of the territory.


From Resolute, weather permitting, on an even smaller aeroplane, probably a Twin Otter, to Devon Island and the Haughton Mars Camp. There are several blogs by the scientists up there - here is one I have just been sent:
http://voicesfromspace.blogspot.com/


I've spent the last week squeezing all my arctic survival gear into a small bag and collecting all the camera and computer and satphone connector gizmos into a heap so that I can distribute them around the pockets in my jacket - less chance of losing them in the baggage transfers!


So there will be photos, bloggery and possibly - for the Australians - a satellite phone call to Macca on Sunday August 8th.


And still Dry...

Watch this space.

HMP in google earth

I have been trying to post a google earth placemark on this blog so that it works as a link. I'm sure it must be possible but it has defeated me so if you want to find the Haughton Mars Camp, feed these co-ordinates into google earth and they should take you there.

75.26.00.63N  89.51.58.20W

There may be a link on the HMP website as well. www.marsinstitute.com and click on HMP

Good luck!

Respectability for an old fart?

Another abridged version of the North West Passage transit - this one appropriately acknowledging Corrie and Kimbra - in the Friends of the Pitt Rivers Museum Newsletter. What an erudite spot for a scruffy old geezer to hang a byline! And all from talking to a spaceman on Berrimilla's batphone. Thanks to the Editor for permission to post the page - and to Leroy Chiao for a special kind of erudition.

For those of you who don't know, there's a longer article in the July issue of Yachting World. It would be interesting to know how the Friends overlap with the readers of Yachting World.

Devon Island YES!

From Keith Cowing www.spaceref.com 

Alex:

At last , you get to see our smelly, isolated, quirky, home away from home!

Pictures, blogs, PLEASE!

Get Pascal to take you north to the canyons and inlets.  And please get to Beechey Island if at all possible.

Working on it mate - working on it. Watch this space.

Haughton Mars Camp

For anyone still following, the blog will resurrect in a few days. I have been invited up to Devon Island by Pascal as part of the summer programme for the Haughton Mars Project (www.marsinstitute.com and click on HMP) and I'm flying up there on august 1st for about 10 days - almost exactly two years since we got so close in Berrimilla.

I'll take a laptop and the satphone so that I can keep the blog going but will only be able to send photos if I can use the camp internet connection. If not, then lots when I get back.

Crossing the fingers and all other appendages that I might be able to visit the Fraknlin graves at Beechey Island. We got so close enough in 2008 to see the cliffs behind Beechey. Go to  http://www.johngeiger.net/frozen.html  for the book and the story. The photos of young John Torrington, who died on January 1st 1846 and his two colleagues have for years haunted me - until I met Pascal in Louisiana, I never imagined that I might one day visit their graves.

Dry July and other stuff

Last Wednesday, Pete and I gave a presentation to 220 or so people at the Cruising Yacht Club in Sydney and amongst other thngs we raised $786 for Dry July and cancer research. Which I banked on Thursday.

This afternoon Robin gave me another $14 to round it up to $800 - Thanks Robin. I will bank it on Monday.

Other stuff:
Might anyone be interested in an Oz version of the Jester Challenge - perhaps The Jester Challenge Down Under with a gig from Sydney Heads around NZ and back? About the same distance as the original with a few more possible stops if things get pearshaped.

http://www.jesterinfo.org/thejesterchallenge2010.html

Let me know.

Consultations in Constraint

I don't know how many of you are still out there following this nonsense but if you are, Pete and I have signed up for a rather  more significant journey.

We don't usually do sponsorship, in either direction, but during all our voyages and presentations we have made a point of raising money for kids and others with cancer as a memorial tribute to a couple of young friends. This time we have decided to be something of an Old Farts Rump in Adam Spencer's Breakfast Booze Busters crew in an enterprise called Dry July. www.dryjuly.com

For the aliens, Adam Spencer hosts the Breakfast radio programme on Australia's 2BL national radio network. http://www.abc.net.au/sydney/programs/702_breakfast/  He's a bit of a genius, a thoroughly good guy, appears to have even less hair than me (but hasn't - I think he shaves for that super shiny look...) and would understand all our Hitchiker jokes. He interviewed us on our way home from the Kerguelens.

Accordingly, there will be no Consultations for the whole month of July. That's 31 days.  Our crew of medical specialists, Drs Gordon, Cooper, Murphy, Windhoek, the Doctor from Dublin, Dr Dry from Cork, the Barber Surgeon (Mr Talisker) and all the rest will become rail meat for the duration. For the uninitiated, that means no alcohol for Pete and me for 31 days. All Medicinal Compounds will be banished to the outer darkness. I can just hear Marvin telling us how much we won't enjoy it.

If any of you would like to join us in one of the very best of causes, please sign on at www.dryjuly.com, then when you are signed on, find the options and select 'join a team' and look for Breakfast Booze Busters in the drop down menu or enter team number 2102.. Then get to work finding sponsors. If total abstention is a bit too hard, contributions would be entirely acceptable. Ideally, we would like you to sponsor us - say $1.00/day. You can do this through me and this blog or directly to the Team via the website.

I'll try to keep a running commentary going as we progress.

Thanks!

Berrimilla's travels since December 26 2004

With thanks to my diary for the world map. Small scale and approximate but close enough for a sailing ship.

The blue line is Sydney, Cape Horn, UK, Sydney in 2005 and the red line is Sydney - UK via the North West Passage in 2008 and back to Sydney via the Kerguelen Islands 2009-10. Each includes a Fastnet Race.

Last launch for Atlantis

Hauntingly beautiful video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKPqomW5kDI&feature=autofb

Lots more links on the right. With thanks to Matt for the main link.

Pascal Lee and Leroy Chiao

Pascal is out on the sea ice in the Wellington Channel between Cornwallis Island and Devon Island right now (zoom out to see exactly where that is). He's driving a specially equipped tracked Humvee and simulating a pressurised Moon Rover.

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0e3h8JV5kbk0Bap9IpsiC1IoEGBiiXYxs

The background story is here
http://www.marsinstitute.info/

And Leroy and Miles O'Brien will be doing live commentary on the final launch of the shuttle Atlantis tomorrow. Only 2 more shuttle flights after Atlantis (click on the live webcast link on the left). Liftoff is scheduled for 1330 GMT or 2230 AEST Friday.

http://spaceflightnow.com/

Something for the (adult?) kids?

A friend at NASA Ames sent me this and asked me to spread the word. A chance to do some science.

http://www.moonzoo.org/

Thanks for coming!

Was fantastic to see all y'all yesterday - thanks for coming. Pete and Berri and I had a wonderful day and we hope you did too.

Special thanks to Scott and Florian who laid on the food, and to RANSA for years of support and for letting us use the Club yesterday.

Some coming home party photos

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/alex1whit/BerriComingHomeParty?authkey=Gv1sRgCI_-zKmJ8vvo7QE#

Something else to follow

Pascal Lee and his team are about to drive a tracked Humvee from Resolute to Devon Island across the sea ice of the Wellingtom Channel.

Follow them here

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/analogs/

Rain or Shine

The Party will happen next Sunday, May 9th . See all y'all there...

Thanks to everyone who has checked in.

If you have received a Kergy cover or you expect one...

It seemed to me that something like the following 'certificate' might give future provenance to the Kerguelen covers as my signature should correspond with the one on each envelope. If you want one, send me an email and a snailmail address - even if you think I have it already.

Could not get the photo to load as part of the file but there will be a front and reverse pic at the top.

There should be a photo of the front of the envelope at the top

 

This cover commemorates the visit to the Kerguelen Islands by the Australian registered sailing vessel Berrimilla 2 during her second circumnavigation of the world. The cover is one of only 60 created by M. Renaud Huez, the Postmaster at Port Aux Francais to commemorate the visit. The 60 covers were stamped, addressed and signed by Berrimlla's crew, Alex Whitworth and Peter Crozier on 27^th January 2010 and then postmarked by M. Huez.

 

Berrimilla departed for Hobart on January 28^th  The covers were kept in the Post Office by M. Huez until the research vessel Marion DuFresne arrived from Reunon in Mauritius at the end of April 2010 to resupply the islands and collect the mail and return to Reunion via Isle Amsterdam. From there the covers were flown to Noumea whence they were delivered around the world by the French postal service.

 

Berrimilla's first circumnavigation started with the 2007 Sydney- Hobart yacht race, continued via Cape Horn and the UK and back to Sydney around the Cape of Good Hope in time for the 2008 Sydney-Hobart race. While in the UK she competed in the Fastnet race and finished 11^th overall out of 300 and second in the Double Handed division.

 

Berrimilla's second circumnavigation started on April 10^th  2008. She sailed direct to Alaska from Sydney and then via the North West Passage to Falmouth, UK where she was laid up for the winter. She returned to Australia via the Cape of Good Hope in 2010.

 

During these two circumnavigations Berrimilla became the first vessel ever to:

• Sandwich a Fastnet race between 2 consecutive Sydney – Hobarts, all under sail
• Sail to England twice to compete in the Fastnet and then return
• Sail from Australia to England via the North West Passage
• Circumnavigate the world under sail via the North West Passage
• Circumnavigate the world via both Cape Horn and the North West Passage.

 

Berrimilla was the 77^th vessel to transit the North West Passage since Amundsen's Gjoa in 1903 -6 and her transit was the 114^th ever. Both figures may be disproved by later research but they are as close as we can get at the time of writing.

 

Signed

 

Alex Whitworth

Dust!

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/science/hubble20th-img.html

A reprint for those who could not find it

Jan 27th 2010

The envelopes:

Doing envelopes most of today.
For those who asked for one on the blog and for my family, this is what they will look like - suggest you print this because they won't arrive until the end of April. I hope we beat them back to Oz!
FRONT: Photo of Berrimilla with bow of L'Aventure in the background. Photo and envelopes courtesy M. Renaud Huez, interesting man of many parts, now the Postmaster here for a year, who set all this up for us.
Personal rubber stamp of Renaud Huez,
Two postage stamps - one of de Rochegude (as an Admiral) who first landed, with great difficulty, at Baie de L'Oiseau. The other of Charles Rouillon - much later but very eminent explorer - google him - just to keep a historical perspective. Stamps cancelled with special postmark.
Pete's and my signatures.
BACK: Official (rubber) stamps for L'Aventure, CNES - the Centre National des Explorations Spatiales and Meteo France, the French Bureau of Meteorology. CNES and MF provide most of the funding for this District. The CNES stamp was badly worn and the image is a bit indistinct.

Pete's envelopes are for his family and friends. They may be different. The choice of postage and rubber stamps is bewildering!