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!