The Mind Creative FEB 2014
The author at Ross Island
A Zodiac is a flat and open, inflatable rubber, landing vessel
powered by an outboard motor. It seats at least 10 passengers
comfortably, plus the pilot. The first Zodiac goes out with the
Expedition Team on board, scouting to find a suitable landing.
The leaders of our team are Don and Margie McIntyre. They lived
together in a box in 1995, chained to rocks at Cape Dennison in
Commonwealth Bay, and in self imposed isolation.
They
experienced blizzards, which forced them to stay inside for up to
20 days at a time. Their Antarctic experiences make them
invaluable leaders.
From our wet landing, we have the pleasure of walking two
kilometres across sea ice accompanied by several Adelie penguins,
which jump out of the water to join us. They are walking back to
their rookeries near to Shackleton’s Discovery hut. There are about
4,000 breeding pairs here, forming the world’s most southern
rookery.
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