When the ice breaker breaks ice here he starts by breaking a channel about 4 times the width of the boat itself into the sound and an area they call the “turning basin” for the ships. (About three miles from open water to the turning basin) The ice remains in place and broken in the Sound and channel but to go out to open water a really big wind is required to push all the ice out through the channel. It’s kind of like getting catsup to flow from a new bottle with the wind acting like the tapping you do on the side of the bottle. In the last few days the wind has been blowing ice from one side of the Sound to the other opening some areas of water. As soon as that happens the Menke whales started moving in to look for food. Yesterday I wandered down to Hut Point and saw about four of them swimming around. Later in the day I heard someone say they saw a killer whale popping straight up through the broken ice. They hold themselves above the ice for a couple of minutes as they turn around, kind of like a periscope on a submarine, looking for targets of opportunity. The seals were quit a ways away from the open water so were in no jeopardy yesterday and there were no penguins to be seen but you can bet the killer whales will continue looking until they find some unsuspecting suspect to remove from the gene pool.

Last night I had a mid shift in the Tower and my last airplane to recover had a strong crosswind and reduced visibility. I found my stomach churning a little because it was questionable whether he would be able to find the runway or not and if he couldn’t the next stop is the designated crash landing site since there are no alternates here. Thankfully he was able to land and another day’s mission was successfully completed.

A long time ago when I was in the Navy time was measured by the number of days you had left before you got out minus one (the wake up). I’m at 25 and a wake up this morning and I’m looking forward to getting home to see everyone. The coffee house closed yesterday for repairs to the roof. Initially we were told it would be closed the remainder of the season but it looks like they are making a concerted effort to get it finished before then. I mean, come on, the waffle makers and the coffee house broken at the same time, there would be mass mutiny! I think our nightly games of cribbage and sequence will continue, probably at the dining facility. The ambience just isn’t the same though. Working in the Tower this last week has been great after all just talking to airplanes is really what I came here to do.

Last night was the final meeting of the year for the Ross Island Yacht Club of Antarctica (RIYCA). There were a couple of new faces including a couple of film makers here putting the finishing touches on a three year project. I met a couple of new sail boat owners who were sharing some of their early adventures with their boats. I was flashing back to some very similar experiences Deni and I shared with our first boat.

The first of the ships, the tanker, is only about 300 miles away and should be pulling into port on Friday. The Oden continues to break up the ice but its up to mother nature now to send a front through with strong winds to blow the broken ice out to sea otherwise the tanker will hear some serious crunching as it pushes through the Sound.

I was sitting in the Tower Friday night looking out to the East for a C-17 that was inbound. It was about 8:00 PM and the sun was in my eyes so I put on my hat thinking I could take it off in an hour or so when the sun went down. Then I remembered the sun doesn’t set again until after I leave on February 20th. My mind must be subconsciously preparing me for the next sunset I’ll see.

I’m sitting in the Tower now and its Monday morning. I’ve just sent the last of the morning launch off to the Center. The sun is shining brightly and the sky is the prettiest blue you can imagine. I stepped outside a few minutes ago without a jacket in short sleeves and was very comfortable. I think its colder back home in Florida today than it is here. Behind me I see Mt Erebus with its smoldering top and Mr. Terror. In front of me are Black Island and White Island and to my right are Mt. Discovery and the Royal Society Mountains. To my left is the vast Ross Ice Shelf which meets the blue sky many miles away. I wish you could be here to see the spectacular view.

After you’ve been here a long time or if you die here (neither of which I’ve done yet) they tend to name some geographical feature after you. When I answered the phone in the tower yesterday I realized they already had named something for me. The airport I’m working at is called Williams Field so now when I answer the phone (yes you know where this is going) I say “Williams Tower, William speaking”. Sometimes it’s the little things in life that make you smile.

The weather the last two days has been really nice, warm (40F) sunny and light wind. I think I shall take a little walk this afternoon.

Last night in the tower I watched the C-17 land at the airport it uses about eight miles from MY airport. After he landed ice fog formed over McMurdo Sound where the ice breaker had broken the ice and just stayed there right over the C-17. It looked a lot like the marine layer that rolls in on San Francisco. The fog nested directly over the C-17 for the next two hours. They couldn’t see their hands in front of their faces there but it was absolutely clear everywhere else within 100 miles. The fog was reminiscent of something you would see in a horror film just before someone disappears. I was watching closely to make sure the C-17 didn’t disappear. Unfortunately my shift ended before he left. I sure hope he made it.