Antarctica

Northward drifting floes

Ice, ice, babe!
When we started crossing around 55 deg S, first glimpses of icebergs were seen. Those scenes were really breathtaking. It'd be hard for me even to try to describe them here in words or I'm afraid if I'd misinterpret the natural beauty by trying so. Seeing is believing! We were running out from our cabins to catch a glimpse of those drifting ice floes and bergs. Standing at the deck and seeing those floating ice was really an amazing experience.

MV Ivan Papanin over fast ice at Prydz Bay

After almost ten days of sailing, we finally reached our destination- Larsemann Hills. Our ship halted near the Prydz Bay, an area all covered by moderately thick fast ice. By the way, the Summer Team consisted of 29 members from various organisations in India, though our voyage leader or you can call him the team leader (Mr. Asthana from GSI, Faridabad) would always insist on saying our team consisted of 30 members, the 30th one being the Supreme commander- the GOD. Talking about our team leader, he's a very friendly mentor who'd always try to bring out the best in someone. He'd never use harsh words nor would he act like our boss. He helped me out a lot in numerous occasions. He was really a kind-hearted person who knows how to tackle any situation with minimum effort, but this doesn't mean effort wasn't needed at all.

Wooden planks as tracks for Mantis transportation

One example of how collective effort and team spirit came handy was during the transportation of the so-called Mantis Crane (10010MX). It's a giant, expensive crane manufactured by Tadano Mantis Co. USA. This giant structure was to be transported from the ship to the area where India's third permanent base in Antarctica, the Bharthi, is coming up. It was a mammoth task. Everyone was concerned about how it could be transported safely. Wooden tracks were made for the transportation over the fast ice. The person who was driving the crane had to wear thermal suit (survival suit) for his own precaution. The procedures were clinical and there was a little margin for error. After the successful transportation,  everyone was excited with joy. There was a sigh of relief in everyone's face as it was a great achievement!

Mantis Crane at Larsemann Hills

We then had a formal "Inauguration" of Mantis and a formal name "Yuri Gagarin" was given to it in recognition of the enormous help rendered to us by the Russian "friends" (the ship crew members).
Mantis is seen in this photograph with the expedtion vessel Ivan Papanin at the backdrop.