A true account

Feel like I am in this athletics meet and the starter pistol has fired, everyone has gone hurtling down the straight and has entered the first corner, and I'm taking my approach for the javelin throw.

I hear of what people are up to back home and I will sometimes think to myself. "But that's the event I should be competing in. Surely I have the speed and can take on the oval."
Then I have the reminder I just need to change my training and commit to it. Work towards the event I aspire to participate in. But I know I can only do it next season. I'm committed to throwing that javelin now and I will keep aspiring to take gold in it. I will strive to excel at what I have elected to do this time around!

This is what goes through my mind as I contemplate my current position and what awaits.
I know what I want and I am adapting my training to suit that. Learning more and more!
As the days drip from the calendar and I watch my permanent marker strike through them all as they fall, I realise that I need to stick with the programme and keep going. I need to be prepared for next season. I need to keep up with the training.

So this is my little rant about where I see myself at what is close to the half way point of my stay.
I'm on Gough and working and striving for excellence in what I have to do here. But I have the reminder that my event changes next year. I move off the field and onto the track. The training will need to suit the event and I need to keep customising my routine to fit the new demands so I can be ready for this new challenge.
I feel that this is the case throughout life and we all need to stay focused, constantly training and ready to run in this new race. Whatever that might be.

I know what I hope for in this next season and I am working toward that. I am preparing for what awaits! Even if I may not know what that is exactly!

This is what comes from a quite week of island life. You come up with all sorts of analogies and ways to describe where you are.
It's not over thought, but it's well thought. Being able to take stock of everything in this kind of environment becomes a skill all on it's on. You have so much time to think, that eventually your thoughts can become your biggest problem and it can eventually weigh one down and see a serious level of anxiety develop.
But once you have this under control, you find you can be very productive. It may take a little bit of guidance from more experienced hands and a little bit of tweaking to make it fit, but once you have it you just keep working it!
There is truly an art to surviving isolation of this nature. And I'm figuring it out as I go along.

As I said, it was once again a quiet week for me. I was off work for the greater part of it and was able to continue with my training for what awaits next season and continue to find direction. This has been ongoing and has been aided tremendously by family and friends (yes, that's all of you reading. Give yourselves a pat on the back). If nothing else, I have once again been reminded of the value of family and and of true friends.
Something one hopes never to take for granted!

But, I know most come and read this to find out if I went and climbed a mountain, or wrestled a seal and tied it together with albatross feathers. But I thought this week deserved a change. Partially because this is just as much a part of the whole island experience as all the seal climbing and mountain wrestling. I'm trying to give a fair account of what life is like without scaring anyone off :)
I want everyone to some how take hold of what I encounter and experience it for themselves. I want everyone to try and experience Gough Island for them self.

I will tell you what I did do these past couple days though. After all it is part and parcel of my everyday life.
As mentioned in a number of posts, food is a large part of the island experience. And this week saw a fair portion of my time spent in the kitchen. Trying out new things that seem to grab me at the time. I may not be inclined to eat it, but I will still cook it.
This week I spent a few hours making puff pastry (time consuming only scratches the surface of describing this). Also threw what is basically a pot of sugar into a try and that came out as vanilla fudge wit a couple choc chips lightly melted to give that extra bit of creaminess. Too sweet for my liking, but it's there for those with a really sweet tooth.

Fudge. Mmmm, yum!!!

And for good measure in the pastry department I decided on a pumpkin pie. That was until I found that we have finished the pumpkin. Weren't given too much by the looks of it. So that was then changed to sweet potato pie. However, because of the pumpkin delay, the pie still needs to get finished. But the short crust pastry is ready to go and I can't wait to try this out.

Now these aren't things I would normally do at home, but because of the availability of ingredients and the vast amounts of free time we have every opportunity and incentive to try.


I short stroll to Seal Beach was also on the cards after a day of sunshine rolled though. The bulls seem to have relaxed and are less temperamental and the penguins seem to have left. Now that the penguins have finished there moult they have gone out to feed. After a long period of not being able to eat due to the fact that they can't swim whilst moulting, it is likely they will be out at sea for a fairly lengthy period.

And that sums it up! Another average week at home, and hopefully a greater insight in to what life out here truly entails.

Well, Gough house is apparently the pot of gold!

Islands sunsets. So beautiful!

hippies and happy times

The week got off to a slow start. Although, most days tend to kick off rather slowly around here.
I know everyone gives Capetonian's a lot of grief for being chilled out and relaxed, but I have to say they don't even hold a flame next to our way of life.
But it's not to say that we don't get things going and make things happen. Cause this week we managed to mission through the rain toward Tumble Down to weigh the seals. See, we may be a relaxed bunch out here, but when it comes down to the work that needs to be done, neither rain nor shine will stop us from getting it done. The risk with all the different factors in play the risk may increase, but as does the challenge and subsequent reward of having achieved something of such a nature.
And it's these moments that we tend to focus on and plan toward.

Let me quickly explain the situation a bit better.
What happens in an emergency?
Well, we have a pretty well stocked hospital with all that we require for the minor stuff. But when it comes to broken bones or other injuries which are as severe it is a bit of a different story. We are constantly reminded that we are 2500km's away from the nearest hospital. Relatively close by! But what complicates it is that we can't just be flown out in an emergency situation. No, it's a good 7 day wait for the ship to get here, and that's if ones is able to set sail immediately. Then once the ship arrives, it's another couple days out at sea before we would arrive in Cape Town to get the required medical treatment. A lot can go wrong during that time.
We can also add that if one does take a bit of a fall when going down the rope to access various beaches, and is unable to walk or climb back out, then we also have to be able to set in action a organised rescue. See, makes things far more complicated.
But it doesn't stop us doing what needs to be done, it just makes us more cautious. Calculated risk if you will.
The level of risk in so many mundane activities increase exponentially because of our location, and this being the reason we have to be so focused and have to plan exactly what it is we will be doing. We never leave the base without a radio (Walkie-Talkie), never leave without telling at least one person where we are headed, and we always have our name, destination, departure time, and ETA written down on the excursion list. And for most destinations we always have someone walk with. So well planned and well thought out so we can avoid any problems.

It was no different with going to weigh the seals this month. I've already explained exactly how we do that once before. But this week with the wind and rain, the increasing size of the pups, and the presence of stroppy males on the beach, we had a whole new set of problems.
Accessing the seals is by way of rope down a steep and high sea cliff which is covered by soft tussock grass which when wet just slips away under the lightest load. Easy when the rope is dry, not so easy when the rope is muddy and wet. Rocks are perfectly good when they are dry as well, but when they are soaked and covered in guano from the penguins, they become very slick. Also with the increasing size and agility of the pups the chance of being bitten also grows. Then there is the change in population of the beaches and change in hormone levels. There are now not only females and pups on the beaches but the bulls that have returned for the breeding season which has just passed and are rather territorial. This combined with a hormone spike that occurs at this time of the year makes them a pretty intimidating force.

At the start of the day. Top of Tumble Down.

Happy to report that all went well despite the above obstacles. Jack and I managed to get all hundred pups in one day and came out with all digits in place. Not to say there weren't a couple close calls.
Reaching in between rocks to grab a pup leaves one at risk. And on more than one occasion a pup was able to snap back and try and sink his teeth in. One youngster come very close and gave the back of my hand a scratch, whist another tried to get stuck into my knee. Fortunately we wear overall pants as well as rain pants and it forms a fairly thick layer. One which there little teeth can't get through yet. As they get bigger this will change. So we will have to be more cautious.
We also had one or two of the a fore mentioned bulls charge, but they retreated when given a bit of a prod with a stick.

Jack with our protection against the stroppy bulls; A stick!

The seals are developing very nicely and the males are averaging 8.3kg's and the females 7.6kg's. This is up a fair bit from last months 6.8kg's and 6.1kg's for the respective sexes. The largest pup weighed this time round was 14.2kg's and last months was 10.1kg's
Next weighing is on the 21st March and is the 100 day interval. What has just passed was the 71 day interval.
Jack and myself rather enjoy being able to do the seal weighing as it takes us away from the base and breaks up the monotony that can develop after doing observations for 10 days.
So we are both looking forward to next months weigh in.

Soaked after a day of weighing pups.

The penguins have also pretty much finished moulting and are looking a lot more dapper than before. No longer are they fluffy balls with beaks and feet protruding.

Some dapper looking, Rockhopper penguins.

The return from Tumble Down to the base was also more interesting than usual due to the continual rainfall though the day. The water level at the rivers we had to cross had risen considerably since we the morning and we were wading through waist deep water on our way back to base.
It may not look very deep, but once you step in you are in for a rather icy surprise.
From calf deep to ankle deep is quite a increase for a river that's only about 2-3 meters wide.
But getting wet was not a bother. As ones rain suit eventually reaches a point where it no longer keeps you dry and you do get soaked. So either way, we ended up at base thoroughly soaked and keen for a cup of hot tea and a shower.

River rapids after all the rain.

This week also saw one of our french birders celebrate her birthday.
Happy birthday for the 22nd, Karen!
For her party she decided on a hippie theme. Everyone got into it with great enthusiasm. The bar was decorated with a few posters and everyone else decorated with bell-bottoms and bright colours.
We all had a great time at the bar, with homemade pizza for dinner and a delicious chocolate cake. Tied together with great music, some fun playing pool and hacky-sac, it was an evening to be remembered. And hopefully Karen will remember this birthday for many years.

Couple of our hippies.Gerard and Jack.

Leonard, the real hippie, manning the bar.

Hacky-Sac time

Jack demonstarting his slick skills.

Gerard with complete control.

Amazing moves from Sylvain.

Sunnete, watching on in amazement after showing how it's done.

That's about all from the week :)
Now it's a matter of figuring out what else I can find to break the monotony of watching the clouds go by.

And for those who are fasting for Lent. I wish you all the best and hope that what you deprive yourself of may stir you up and remind you of why you do it.

Take care  everybody.

PS Apologies for the blurriness on some of the photos. It's from the rain!
Luckily I have a water proof camera so I can actually shoot with no concern.








 

Aventura Gough

When it come to a bit of R&R we are fortunate enough to have all we need close at hand. Yes, it may not be a luxurious warm water resort or spot right by the dam, but we have established our own "Aventura resort". Welcome to Aventura Gough
When the week of work catches up we can easily pack the tent and head out for a night or two of camping, or relax in our self catering chalet and enjoy the sounds of the sea and the birds.
What more could one ask for?!
This is the perfect place to kick back and relax. And that is exactly what this past week was all about.

We have recently changed our work roster (again) and now work a 5 day/5 night/ 5 off, schedule.
So after a long stint at work, a brief time out is always welcomed. Slowing the pace to allow the body to recover is vital. Don't want to let the stress from the week take hold! So after my time spent at work a break was most welcomed. Initial plans were for the budget friendly option that the resort offered. A couple nights camping and enjoy the wonders of the island.
Karen and Sylvain had been watching the weather forecast and noted that this week would see a high pressure system passing over the island very slowly and wanted to take advantage of the good weather that would be around for a couple of days. They were keen to do a bit of bird watching. And by that I mean the round the island count of the Tristan albatrosses. This meant a trip to the northern parts of the island. Not being one to turn down an opportunity like this, and waste my time off I jumped at the idea. Only to have my enthusiasm curbed a few minutes later. Sadly my colleague Nkoane/Jack fell ill and received his marching orders. He was ordered to his room to get some rest. This meant that I was called in to take over his shift and was unable to head out for a little bit of camping and bird watching. However I was not terribly perturbed by this unfortunate event. I would rather miss out on a chance to go camping, than see a fellow islander ill. So I was all to happy to cover for Jack and make sure he was back on his feet. After all, there will be other opportunities to go camping and birding.

Good did come from this, as I was able to take advantage of the great weather and climb Tafelkoppie... Again! Yes, I realise I have climbed TK several times already, but one does not grow tired of the view. Although, this trip also presented the perfect opportunity to take my other colleague, Gerard/Boy along so he could see the impressive Tristan albatross. So a last minute decision was made and off we went. This was his first time up TK and the first time that he was to see the Tristan's. For a first time attempt I was very impressed with his determination and spirit in tackling the steep, slippery and muddy path. He proved to be very pleasant company and it was an absolute pleasure to be able to show him the way up and afford him the opportunity to see the amazing Tristan albatross.

Taking a break on the TK path

Almost there...

Boy's reaction upon seeing one for the first time was well worth it. The look of amazement that falls upon ones face when they first lay eyes on these incredible birds in real life is priceless, and can give some indication as to how impressive they are. I can only imagine the look that came upon my face when I first saw one of these magnificent birds. With there crisp white feathers and a wing span of up to 3 meters. It is a treat every time I see them. Watching one fly over head and being caught in the vast shadow it casts is a privilege that I am so grateful for.

The mountain air is rather addictive as I have come to realise, and the same can now be said for Boy, who has now been compelled to climb TK again and follow through all the way to the top of South Peak, descending down the other side, then moving along to Goneydale, and returning to the base from there. Lets hope for some more good weather.
apart from being addictive, it also fills one with copious amounts of energy. And it seems TK has turned into a bit of a playground.


Apart from playing the part as tour guide along my favourite path, I was also able to catching up on some reading and getting some well deserved rest. Feeling fit and ready for my next few days on shift.
This is why we call it Aventura Gough. Can always get that rest we all so badly need, but there is always enough to keep busy, with all that the resort has to offer. Well, at least that's the way I have come to view it!

Bring on the next week. Lets see what we can make of it.
And I do believe it will include the next round of seal weighing. Lets hope we can get a bit of a story out of that.

And I hope everyone had a wonderful valentines day. Here is a little something from me to you. Thanking everyone for there love and support, and for reading my account of Gough!

All that work for something...

As mentioned last week we were receiving visitors.
Most would read a statement like this an think; Well that's nice, always good to have company.
In a typical setup this is the typical response for the most part.
Being in an atypical setup the response would be a little less typical. And our response didn't fall short.

There is a bit of a story behind the story, which would also explain why we had to go through all the trouble we did to make this possible.

Gough is said to be the most remote place on earth with a constant human pressence. And that constant presence is not exactly staggering. There are only 8 of us!
With this being said it should bring into light why the prospect of visitors is so exciting.

It is not easy to come ashore due to the topography of the island. There are no soft sandy beaches or snug harbours for boats to land or dock. Rather, there are mostly towering sea cliffs that make access almost impossible, especially where the base is located. Which is the reason there is a large helipad not to far from the base. Now, not all passing ships have room enough for a helicopter, and even if they did, sometimes it is not always so cost effective to fly across for smaller deliveries. So it was decided when the base was built that a crane would be included, thus overcoming the problem of the sheer cliffs.

As wonderfull as all this sounds, the crane which stands at present is the second one to have been assembled at the new base. It was erected in the 80's and has seen much use over the years, as well as much weathering. As has the ground on which it stands.  And this ground has now been sufficiently eroded to make the base and foundations of the crane unstable enough to have it declared unsafe.
When we were advised of this we were all rather dissapointed, as this meant we now had no way of retrieving our packages from the Edinburgh as well as being able to have our prospective guests come ashore.
This meant we had to make an alternative plan. A plan that showed our enthusiasm.
And this feel into the realm of the mechanic Marius and our team leader, Sunette.
So they took a walk to one or two spots where it is possible to get close to the waters edge in order to select a location where it would be possible to build a deck. A deck close enough to the waters edge that the dinghy could have people climb off the boat and onto the island in safety.
And this is exactly what we did!

I mentioned that last week was rather sedate, which is marginally true. But we did spend most of the week down at Snoekgat building the wooden deck which would make the above possible.
Sounds all well and good, but we also need to consider that access to this point meant climbing down ladders and scrambling down rocks in order to get to the waters edge where the platform would be constructed. Easy enough when you just one person, but when you need to carry all the required building material down as well. This is when it becomes tricky. Add to this the fact that it is a good 15 minute walk from the base along some of the most awkward and uneven ground imaginable which is made more challenging by the rain that had just fallen. Some spots would see a well placed foot sink past ankle depth.

Access point at Snoekgat

All material was carried by hand and either thrown down or lowered down with a rope. Depending on what it was and whether it would break or not. Sounds pretty barbaric. But it is hard to describe what a challenge it was to carry all the material down to where it was required without employing such techniques.
This was a good two days worth of effort just getting all the material down, whilst Marius and Sunette went about measuring, sawing and hammering the deck together.
The deck was constructed pretty much entirely of wood, which was then painted with a red oxide primer to provide some sort of protection against weathering. The base of the platform utilised steel grids, and the whole structure was secured to the surrounding rocks using steel cabling.
I could go on describing it but pictures do a far better job.

Final stages of construction

Painted in red oxide for protection against the elements.

The deck was completed on time, the dinghy was able to come alongside, and our visitors were able to come ashore.
We were graced by Ian Lavarelo who is the environmental officer on Tristan, Warren Glass who works on the Edinburgh and on the environmental side on Tristan as well, Shaun Clarke who is the administrator on Trisatn, and his wife, Marina.

The end result.

Arrival of the guests.

We expected them for a couple days, but saddly they were only able to spend the day due to the Edinburghs fishing schedule.
We prepared a big lunch for them and gave them all a tour around the base and briefly explained each persons role on the island.
We all had a thoroughly enjoyable time and were rather sad to see them go.

The following day we were notified that there may be a visit from a British naval ship, The HMS Montrose, which is patroling the South Atlantic. They were hoping to come ashore with the helicopter and see the base, but saddly they were not permitted. 
This did not stop them from running training drills with the helicopter which is what happened when the ship arrived the following day. It stayed a good distance from the island, but the helicopter flew past and hovered close by, and then went off for a flight around the island.

HMS Montrose (If you try really hard you can see it)

Helicopter on training exercise.

Extremely exciting for any islander, and this event saw all of us gathered outside watching this spectacle with wide eyed amazement.

The following day saw a cold front roll through which brought with it a decent size swell of about 4-5 meters. In relation to what can be expected out here, this is rather small. Yet still gave sufficient concern for the deck we had just finished. And well placed concern indeed. As the following day a walk down to Snoekgat revealed that very little now remained of our labours. The deck was washed away, and all that remained was the steel cabling that was used to anchor it to the rocks and a small piece of broken wood.

Where the deck once stood.

What remains of the deck.

I suppose now is a good time to explain that the deck was built under the pretense to allow people to come ashore, but it's primary purpose was so we had a good spot to fish from. Quite clearly it never got to serve its intended purpose.
Can you blame us for trying though! We have different priorities out here.
So it was definitely not a case of, all that work for nothing. But rather, all that work for the experience and satisfaction of getting it done and having the opportunity to host guests for the day, and also receive the most incredible care package from home. Thank you Robyn for such a wonderful surprise. The Tristan girls will have to try really hard to out do the socks I received.
Guess that is another reason we built it. So I could get my little something special, from someone special.

The best care package ever

All that work for something... Something unique, special, memorable and sociable.

Apologies for some of the photos. I need another camera.
Thinking a entry level Canon DSLR on my return. Any suggestions? I might consider Nikon!

Anxious anticipation

This week has been rather sedate.
We were however told that we would be getting some visitors fairly soon, which we are now eagerly awaiting.

In the Tristan da Cunha Island group which Gough is a part of there are three other islands. Namely Tristan da Cunha, Nightingale, and Inaccessible.
Tristan da Cunha is home to a settlement, called the Edinburgh of the seven seas, and it is from Tristan that we would be hosting guests. Visitors from the "Remotest Island In the World"
Seeing as that is only happening later today it will have to wait till next week for all the details on how we made this happen, and what it is like having guests on our island paradise.

So I will be keeping it short and sweet this week. Sorry no Photos or anything.
But I will leave you with a link or two so you can read up about Tristan da Cunha and start planning for your next exotic holiday. YES, one can take a holiday to Tristan if they feel so inclined.
http://www.tristandc.com/
http://www.tristandacunha.org/

Till next week... When I will have a bit of a story to tell.