Monday 8 July 1974
The polar radio blackout eased today and we were able to raise Vanda station. Their first message:
“Hullo Scott Base this is Vanda. Report your position. We have a search and rescue party standing by!”
Bob Grant finds our best SnoTrac has defective tracks.
Conditions at 0900 hours Wind Calm Temperature -23.0°C
Tuesday 9 July 1974
Mike Wing has been unable to get his seal meat thawed for the dogs. The thawing box door has sprung slightly releasing a lot of heat and one of the heater bars also failed. Any future thawing box should be built with the entry either low in the wall or, better still, through a raised floor. Mike and Tony Atkinson weighed all the dogs. Asinger was the heaviest at 106lbs. In the evening we attended Ray Colliver’s last cooking class.
Weighing all the dogs (including the pups)
Conditions at 0900 hours Wind South-West 9 knots Temperature -28.7°C
Wednesday 10 July 1974
Stuart Clarke endeavoured once again to get a full night’s record of light emissions from the sky with the photometer but was frustrated about midnight by the rising moon.
Conditions at 0900 hours Wind North-East 20 knots Temperature -32.1°C
Thursday 11 July 1974
The detailed examination of our tents is revealing more difficulties than we had anticipated. A number of peaks are torn or badly strained and repair of the fault taxes an amateur. In addition our sewing machine is again proving unsuitable. The necessary thickness of canvas cannot be got through the space between the arm and the foot.
Conditions at 0900 hours Wind North-North-West 5 knots Temperature -26.3°C
Friday 12 July 1974
Bill Johnson and Chris Wilkins went to Arrival Heights to rectify snow leaks and light failures reported by Stuart Clarke. In the evening when Bill was refuelling the Base the fuel trap valve by ‘B’ Hut entrance failed giving Bill an anxious time and an extra hour’s work.
Conditions at 0900 hours Wind North-North-East 2 knots Temperature -30.6°C
Saturday 13 July 1974
Tony Atkinson has found that the anemograph chart paper has shrunk causing problems of alignment with sprocket holes. He has partially cured this by soaking the paper. Bill Johnson welded the end caps onto the tubes forming the boiler of the heat machine but when I pressurised it several leaks through blow holes were identified.
We received a signal today from Antarctic Division saying our airdrop could come on the 21st July. This is not likely to be true as the US Navy are preparing the drop zone to receive on 7th August.
Lt Chris Stockwell from the US Navy came to the Base with a strong team to negotiate for the flags confiscated by some of our young people on Independence Day. They turned out to be protracted negotiations so I went to bed.
Conditions at 0900 hours Wind North-East 15 knots Temperature -28.6°C
Sunday 14 July 1974
Negotiations for the flags concluded at midday when we sent the Americans home complete with flags. I then went for a walk up Observation Hill and to my surprise at the top I met Bill Johnson, Mike Wing, Tony Atkinson and the two pups. We could see the first hint of a sunrise coming away to the North. The cross is still apparently solid but must be settling because the tilt has increased by about 5 degrees since March.
Conditions at 0900 hours Wind North 4 knots Temperature -30.3°C
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