A friend of mine is in Antarctica building a new runway

[Donna]

Very cool! 

Yah!!

[Donna]

The Ice breaker finally made it to McMurdo Pier. It took 1 week to break 12 miles of 10 to 12 foot thick Ice.  It came in at 6:30 this am and left in the afternoon to widen the path for the fuel ship and Cargo ship that's due to dock. Amazing this all is.


Jeff: "The BIG FLAT part of the ship does the Breaking, really cool to watch, it has water jet's in the front to help it glide on to the ice and crush it"!

[valhalla]

I got to see the US Coast Guard Ice Breakers one year on the West River (keeping the channels open for the watermen).    It is the neatest thing to see and something to hear the crunching and breaking!  THAT with around a foot in sections - 10 or 12 feet has to be an amazing thing to see!   

[Donna]

Jeff and Sir David Attenbourough and Charlie Downs. How lucky can a guy get?

Jeff's in the middle..   

[Donna]

Jeff:

Schmoosing with Famous Brittish Film Maker- Sir David Attenbourough and the Oldest Living Person who worked the longest in Antarctica - Charles Downs @ 86 years old !!!! Had drinks with them last night then took them out to the Pegasus Plane Wreckage today..... Life is Good !!!!!

I'll say "Life is good"

[Donna]

Sir David Attenborough heads to Antarctica   Published: 8:00AM Friday January 08, 2010
Naturalist Sir David Attenborough plans to leave Christchurch this morning for Antarctica to film his latest project.

Attenborough, 83, is best known for his Life series, documenting hidden and remote regions.

His crew's latest venture is a series of seven one-hour programmes about the North Pole and the South Pole called The Frozen Planet.

In Christchurch last night, Attenborough said he had twice been prevented from reaching Antarctica because of poor weather.

On Wednesday, he and some crew members left for the Ice at 6am, but could not land and flew back to Christchurch.

Yesterday, they were due to leave at 6am, but were then told the flight might leave at 9am, and it was eventually cancelled.

Attenborough said waiting for ideal conditions was just part of the job.

"This is what filming is about and this is what happens if you choose to film in the Antarctic. That's the way things go."

His uncertain travel plans meant he had not seen much of the city.

It will be Attenborough's second visit to the Ice. He filmed Life in the Freezer 17 years ago.

Five crews had been filming the new series since October, he said. "We know exactly what we want to do and how long it will take. We just wait until we get the weather and that will be that."

[valhalla]

Very cool!  What does Jeff do when he isn't building runways on the ice?

[Donna]

Very cool!  What does Jeff do when he isn't building runways on the ice?

He explores Janet. They have shops and bars but he likes to venture out to see what he can find. He has about 1 month left and he doesn't want to miss a thing.  The BAD weather is due soon and the new Winter crew comes in.

[Donna]

More Emperor's 

He's trying to get as much as he can in now. Clocks ticking away before he leaves.

[Donna]

1 more

[valhalla]

Talk about grabing life with both hands!  Love it!

[Annette]

Nice penguin pictures. 

[Donna]

The fuel ship "Paul Buck" has arrived and will unload up to 5 million gallons of fuel. The water under the dock is 350 feet deep.

Jeff was watching the Minke whales last night playing in the coves. Cute fellers.

[valhalla]

Ask Jeff if he knows which ship was standing offshore?

[Donna]

Ask Jeff if he knows which ship was standing offshore?

That is the Oden, Ice Breaker. Still breaking Ice.