The yacht Tara has now sailed through Russian waters and into the Kara Sea. Grant is captain of this expedition which is part of the larger, IPY endorsed, DAMOCLES programme. We are following their journey into the ice, where they will drift across the arctic by posting some of the captain's logs:
Passing through the Karskiye Vorota Strait between Novaya Zemlya and Ostrov Vaygach Islands this morning we have now entered the south Kara Sea. The weather conditions have changed little since the last log, cold and grey. With little wind to speak of we are motor sailing north eastward at around 8 knots. This part of the Arctic is unfortunately known for its history as a chemical and nuclear dumping ground. Studies in the 1990’s have shown that actual and historical levels of radioactive contamination of the Kara Sea are low compared with other seas in Western Europe (e.g. Baltic Sea), and at the present time does not present any significant risk. However, the significant amount of radioactivity contained in dumped solid radioactive waste in the Kara Sea poses a real concern as potential radioactive release sources.
As our rendezvous with the arctic ice approaches we are thinking more and more about the jobs required for preparing the boat for the upcoming winter. Having Herve Le Goff and Sergey Pisarev on board has provided us with a great opportunity to discuss the practicalities of day to day life on the ice and the scientific work we are about to undertake. Both men have spent many seasons in the Arctic regions. Most recently Herve has worked on the French vessel Vagabond, a yacht that is based in Spitsberg undertaking research for the Damocles project. While Sergey has spent 12 summer seasons living on a drifting oceanographic research base near Francois Joseph Land. With little change in our surrounds it is the discussions amongst those onboard which creates some interest in our day. However, yesterday we also enjoyed another small hiatus from our usual routine, celebrating the birth of the niece of Marion with an aperitif on the deck. At five degrees centigrade outside this celebration did not last long but at least we could be sure the beer was cold!
