November 2, 1975: Sunday

Slept ‘til 10:00 a.m. Thought about developing negatives, but Bio-Mike never got around to going over and unlocking the dark room.

So Mike Rieff and I went over to brunch. The hockey score was in the McMurdo Sometimes. We loaded the ski-doo onto a trailer and Rod drove it down to the helo pad. Rod is in charge of ski-doos. I get the impression that he’s an intelligent Peter Bunch, the way he tells everybody to do things, whether he knows about them or not.

Anyway, they didn’t know whether to swing the ski-doo underneath 18 or put her inside. They tried to put her inside. Wouldn’t fit. And Rod didn’t want to take the ski and bumper off to get it inside. But the cargo hook wouldn’t manually detach, but would electrically. But they couldn’t go with only one system working. So we moved over to 14 and started taking the ski-doo apart. But 14 was out of order. So they got 18’s cargo hook to work. But we had dismantled the ski-doo. We hefted her aboard and took off.

“Musical helos,” the ground crewman said.

Saw an airplane land at Willy Field. Didn’t bring me any mail, though.

Out a 1A, we did the ice survey. Slight changes from yesterday. Rod showed Peter and Kathy what to do on a ski-doo.

Li’l Steve had the Welcome to DVDP Site 1A, Antarctic Oil Exploration Co. sign up by the Hockey Arena and the sign post almost ready. I have to go to the Ship’s Store for Jim Gupwell and Max. Kathy gave me two dollars to give to the Scott Base Postmaster for future postage.

We return, miss dinner, and eat pastrami up in the lab.

Jack and Martin go out tomorrow. They start putting down casing tonight, or tomorrow. Cal goes out Tuesday to replace Howard and Kathy. The Japanese go out then, too, but one will return. I replace Peter when we get the first core.

Peter wants Kathy to stay out there and come home when he does, so they can collect rock samples from an iceberg near Marble Point.

Dr. Treves doesn’t think that’s a good idea.

Neither do I.

After Dr. Treves, Jack, and Martin (and the Navy) gave the lecture at the Chalet (on drilling logistics), we got Bio-Mike to help us saw thirty 2’ x 6’ x 7’ boards to take to the site.

Pat the GFA, who was up reading some text books, helped Dr. Treves gather the wood. We got the wood from the Navy. We’ll tell them tomorrow it’s gone.

Anyway, when it was done, we had sort of a party with pastrami and two bottles of wine.