Empty harbor, empty station
Another flight left today, with 137 souls on board. The supply vessel left saturday night and the ice breaker sunday. More people will leave every two days until, well, until the only people left on station are 134 deranged, or soon to be deranged winter-over personel.
When the supply vessel offload ended around 5:15pm saturday evening, a cheer went up on station, as it meant that the bar could open again for the first time in a week. The store could also resume sales of alchohol, as we were, in theory anyway a dry town that week. By the time the supply vessel American Tern cast off and the Polar Sea tied up on saturday night, it was nearly midnight (and cold, about 18 below zero), so rather than hike all the way into town the Coasties decided to take their shore leave then and there, right on the ice pier. So naturally we joined them and drank their beer, a bitter from Australia and a nice break from the same two brands of Kiwi beer we commonly have on station.
Anyway, with people leaving at an incredible pace, it really feels like the end is here. Only one week left for me, as I am on one of the last flights out, which I like for the fact that I'll get to see the station get small again and enjoy a final Antarctic sunset, which will break the horizon for the first time the night before I leave.
The Polar Sea and the fuel tanker Paul Buck approaching the ice pier.
Minke whales in the waters of McMurdo Sound. We have lots of them out in the bay right now, I can sometimes see them breach from the building I clean.
When the supply vessel offload ended around 5:15pm saturday evening, a cheer went up on station, as it meant that the bar could open again for the first time in a week. The store could also resume sales of alchohol, as we were, in theory anyway a dry town that week. By the time the supply vessel American Tern cast off and the Polar Sea tied up on saturday night, it was nearly midnight (and cold, about 18 below zero), so rather than hike all the way into town the Coasties decided to take their shore leave then and there, right on the ice pier. So naturally we joined them and drank their beer, a bitter from Australia and a nice break from the same two brands of Kiwi beer we commonly have on station.
Anyway, with people leaving at an incredible pace, it really feels like the end is here. Only one week left for me, as I am on one of the last flights out, which I like for the fact that I'll get to see the station get small again and enjoy a final Antarctic sunset, which will break the horizon for the first time the night before I leave.
The Polar Sea and the fuel tanker Paul Buck approaching the ice pier.
Minke whales in the waters of McMurdo Sound. We have lots of them out in the bay right now, I can sometimes see them breach from the building I clean.posted by Jared | 9:18 PM
5 Comments:
So, when the supply ship comes in, Just how much Beer does it off load? considering the 134 that winter over and all.......? and is it Beer like Schlitz Lite? or some damn forgein stuff?
In these final days, do people ever tell one another what they really think of them, with hilarious results?
The beer is more of the same, lots of cheap Kiwi beer, Speights mostly, kinda the equivalent of Bud Light. Then a much smaller volume of good stuff like Bass and a tiny amount of Corona and Sierra Nevada.
As for the end of season converstions, it seems like alot is forgiven and people simply white-wash the past. The time for people telling each other off with "hilarious" (or sometimes violent) results is mid season, when the end is no where in sight. Or when flights get delayed due to weather. That can break some people.
Jared, a few of the beer drinkers around this here cow country have asked what price one pays for a beer in such a local as your's. Kem
In the bar cans of Speights and Canterbury Draught are $2 each, in the store they are $5 for a 6-pack. Corona and Bass are $3 in the bar and $6-7 in the store. Most kinds of wine are $4 per glass, $15 per bottle. Hard stuff in the store is the same price as back home.
Looking forward to draft beer when I get off the ice.
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