Life on the JCR can tend to feel slightly like a holiday but fortunately, we have four excellent field guides on board who have been organising a series of fascinating training sessions. First up, we simulated a crevasse rescue and what a view we had! It was quite difficult to project ourselves into Antarctic conditions whilst kitting up in 27 degree heat! Nevertheless, with our partners, we tied a figure of eight onto our belay loop and proceeded to coil loops of rope over our shoulders. Adding security in the form of a clove hitch allowed us to re-distribute the point of attachment from around our lower legs to avoid being pulled from our waist into a crevasse. We continued to set up a pully system using jumars and a prusik. This system allowed us to hoist a weighted box as if to simulate a rescue of our partner who had fallen down a crevasse.
Tying the safety clove hitch- Photo credit: Ed Luke
Our next field guide session was orientated around setting up camp in the field. We learnt the purpose of alternating between different oils such as kerosene and methylated spirits to ignite our camping stoves. First, we burnt kerosene to generate enough heat to then burn the methylated spirits which are cleaner and therefore optimal for cooking. Fortunately, we had some pretty strong winds on the deck of the JCR which provided more of a realistic setting for Antarctic conditions. We hid behind a metal wind break in order to successfully light a match. Next, the Tilley lamp. Following a similar principle, methylated spirits were burnt to pre-heat the vaporising tube which caused kerosene to be forced from the fuel tank through the control tap and into the vaporising tube. The kerosene travels into the mixing dome and vaporises into a gas which mixes with air to ignite the mantle which glows a bright white light. This process continues to generate sufficient heat in order to warm the tent and supplement the down sleeping bags.
Igniting the primus gas stove- Photo credit: Ed Luke
The Tilley pressure lamp- Photo credit: Ed Luke
Our next session involved installing pyramid tents on the back deck and getting creative by securing the tent by making use of the eyelets and cleats dotted around the ship. These were good anchor points given our lack of ice!
Setting down for the night in a down sleeping bag- Photo credit: Marek Figielski
Installing a pyramid tent
Our final training was by far the most exhilarating. We were shown how to wrap a prusiks around our life line and fix pulleys to our system. We then repeated this sequence lying flat down to simulate a real fall and had to scramble around to reach different pieces of kit. Fixing slings onto overhead poles around the ship, we practised using foot straps to hoist ourselves up and climb vertical poles. It was then time to be let loose on the ship and put our abseiling skills into practice using a vertical wall. Departing from the bridge, the field guides safely secured us onto the bars and as we leant back, the shimmering Atlantic ocean looked glorious. I descended down the ship wall, controlling my descent by squeezing and releasing the prusik. One field guide was belaying me at the bottom, releasing the rope according to the speed at which I was abseiling.
Fortunately, I was not the last person down who had to wipe off everyone's foot prints with a cloth!
Abseiling from the bridge- Photo credit: Mayne Goddard
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