Isolated but not alone
Finally, it is done: the last summer personnel have been transported back to the SA Agulhas, and she has set sail for Cape Town, only to return in December. Left behind are the 10 dedicated South Africans who will carry the research through the depths of another Antarctic winter – scientists, engineers, mechanics, and one meat mechanic to fix them if they break. As if to give us the flavour of the year, the weather has closed in, with strong winds, blowing snow and temperatures dropping below -20°C. Inside the base, however, the spirits are high. This is our place now – our home, our castle, our work, our refuge. Let the storms come…we have each other, and we have plenty of time.