Norwegian Jarle Andhoey Making Unsanctioned Yacht Trip to Antarctic

Norwegian Jarle Andhoey is heading to the Antarctic without the approval of the New Zealand authorities, who actually tried to stop him until he reached international waters.  It is perhaps understandable that he thinks going without permission is not illegal.  However, the real problem does come down to legality, but common sense.  He already has been known to have gone to Antarctica with poor planning leading to the support Berserk II yacht sinking while he was on the continent with a companion.  He has already been criticized for having to be rescued then.

Maybe, going once unprepared can be understandable, as everyone makes mistakes, but it appears he is doing it again and has not learned much from the disaster last year.  He is going out of grief with clear intentions of trying to figure out what happened to the Berserk II, but it seems he is not any more prepared than last time and perhaps worse so with the reports of him unknowingly ending up with an extra crew member (see this story).

The Antarctic is harsh even for well-prepared expeditions.  There is already a lot of controversy of fishing in the Antarctic and the rescues occurring this season (Sparta and Jung Woo 2).  I for one would at least think Jarle Andhoey would be taking greater precautions not just based on his personal experience with tragedy in the Antarctic, but also with these very recent major incidents.  Lets just hope his voyage does not get added to the Ship Accidents section of the Antarctic Wiki.

Related Articles:

• Foolish plan may put lives at risk from Wanganui Chronicle
• Rogue Norwegian gets away from NZ authorities from TVNZ
• Kiwi on unsanctioned yacht to Antarctica

Fishing Vessel Fire in Antarctic: 3 dead, 37 rescued

The Jung Woo 2 fishing vessel had a fire break out in the living quarters on January 10, 2012.  25 of the men initially evacuated to a life boat while the other 12 survivors had to wait for help because the fire affected the other life boat.  3 of the 40 crew died on board due to the fire and the remains were not evacuated.  Nearby fishing vessels including the sister ship Jung Woo 3 came to help and the crew was safely aboard other ships within 3 hours.

The Nathaniel Palmer research vessel with its medical facilities arrived on January 11, 2012 to take the injured survivors to McMurdo Base.  From the base the seven men that suffered burns were airlifted to Christchurch, New Zealand on January 13, 2012 after weather delayed any earlier of a medical evacuation.   Three of the men are said to be in serious condition.

Every summer season in the Antarctic there are news of medical evacuations and ships in distress of various incidents.  Usually it is more related to research and support staff with some tourist and fishing vessels thrown in as well.  Just a few weeks ago there was the long drawn out Sparta incident involving the fishing vessel being damaged and stuck in pack ice.

Related Articles:

• Antarctic Fish Boat Fire: 3 Dead, 37 Rescued from Time
• Injured fishermen land in Christchurch from The Timaru Herald

Damaged Sea Shepherd Vessel Done for Season

One of the Sea Shepherd's vessels, the Brigitte Bardot, was damaged by rough seas.  The Steve Irwin escorted it back to port where it will undergo repairs for about 3 months.  Thus the boat is done for this season of Whale Wars, but the Steve Irwin will rejoin the Bob Barker after refueling and resupplying.  The Bob Barker has remained near the Japanese whaling fleet while the Steve Irwin and Brigitte Bardot returned to port.

Related Article:

• Damaged Sea Shepherd Vessel to Be Docked for Rest of Campaign 

Wild Antarctica 3D Begins Production

A new Antarctic documentary has begun production with a National Geographic film crew traveling from Ushuaia on the Pelagic Australis sailboat.   The new film will be made in 3D and will be called Wild Antarctica 3D.  The filming expedition is expected to visit Deception Island, the Gerlache Strait, the Argentine Islands, the United States' Palmer Station, and a rendezvous with the National Geographic Explorer.

Related Articles:

•  “Wild Antarctica 3D” Begins Production

National Science Foundation Awards Lockheed Martin Support Services Contract

Lockheed Martin will now be providing the support services for the National Science Foundation's Antarctic Program.  The contract is initially for the next 4.5 years and it could be extended for another 8.5 years.  The logistical support services contract was previously awarded to Raytheon (a Lockheed Martiin competitor also in the defense business) in 1999.  Lockheed Martin was among 7 of the companies bidding for the contract along with Raytheon, although it was not a finalist.  The two other finalists were CH2M Hill of Englewood, Colorado and KBR of Houston, Texas.

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• NSF Picks Lockheed for Huge Antarctic Support Contract

South Pole Cupcakes

The other day I came across a post about North Pole cupcakes for Christmas and instantly thought it would be awesome to adjust the idea to make South Pole cupcakes that resemble the Ceremonial South Pole, which is red and white with a silver mirror style round top.  It took me several days and seven stores before I finally located some regular candy canes (last box at 2nd Target I went to!).  I almost thought about paying ridiculous prices to buy them online because I did not want to wait until next year to make the cupcakes.

To make the South Pole cupcakes, I started by making this Peppermint Vanilla Cupcake Recipe.  If desired, you could also use the frosting recipe there, but I only like cream cheese frosting.  I used this recipe, but I substituted one of the teaspoons of vanilla extract with peppermint extract to make peppermint cream cheese frosting.  I also only used 1.5 cups of powdered sugar, since I do not like it too sweet.

For the actual South Pole that I stuck in the cupcakes I broke off the hook part of the candy cane to end up with just peppermint sticks.  I dipped the rounded end of the stick into melted white chocolate and then dipped it into a bowl of silver pearlized sprinkles (Wilton brand purchased at Michaels craft store).   This did not work out too well when I put it straight into the cupcakes, but it did if I put them on a plate and let the chocolate harden before putting it in the cupcakes.  I also did a few using the frosting instead of white chocolate and that actually worked out much better and could be put straight in the cupcakes without it drooping down.

Sea Shepherds using drone to track Japanese whalers

This year the Sea Shepherds tracking of the Japanese has gotten more sophisticated with the use of a military-style drone.  This will allow them to cover more ground and perhaps be more successful at stopping the whaling this year.  However, it also means that there is going to be more confrontation and the Whale Wars are very likely to escalate to a whole new level this year.  Might make the upcoming Whale Wars Season 5 on Animal Planet more interesting, but the whole thing seems to be getting more and more ridiculous from both sides.

Related Articles:

•  Activists use drone to track whaling fleet from Sydney Morning Herald

Whale Wars Fifth Season to Begin Airing in June 2012

This winter's Whale Wars is already underway with the Sea Shepherd's Operation Divine Wind campaign that is expected to continue through February 2012.  Yet, again their actions to prevent the Japanese from successfully hunting whales will be featured on Animal Planet with the fifth season of the Whale Wars show.  The show will begin airing in June 2012. The exact number of episodes has not been determined.

South Africa's New Icebreaker: Angulhas 2

South Africa's new icebreaker is almost finished in Finland.  The icebreaker is a research vessel with facilities for scientific work.  The icebreaker can break through 1 meter of ice.  Watch the video below to learn more about the Angulhas 2.

Sparta crew waiting for rescue in Antarctica

The Sparta is a fishing vessel that is currently in the Antarctic waiting to be rescued.  The ship has taken on water due to a hole caused by an iceberg.  There have been several attempts by other ships to reach the Sparta, but the ice conditions have made it too difficult.  The crew did abandon ship to lifeboats at one point, but have returned and at least temporarily repaired the hole partially with help from supplies including a pump dropped off by at C130 Hercules from the Royal New Zealand Air Force.  A South Korean icebreaker, Aaron, has been commissioned to rescue the crew, but it could be a week before the ship gets to them.

Related Articles:

• Crew face long, cold wait for rescue