Just read an account of 'The Fram' - built and used by Nansen to survive the artic ice and be carried to the North Pole in it. The crew packed for 5 years and took a bit over 3 to get across. Even took a windmill to drive the electrics in the multi month night. The ship took no damage and later took Admunson to the Antarctic. Meanwhile, on the Nansen trip, he realises the ship won't get to the pole so decamps with a friend and tries to get there on skis with sled and kayaks and dogs, but gives up before the point of no return and heads south eating the dogs and getting lost. Finally reaching an island they end up spending another winter in a iglooish thing they stuck together. The eat walrus and share one sleeping bag for 7 months in the camp. His mate snores so one sleeps then is kick awake so Nansen can sleep. It is all frightfully civilized as they record in their diarys. In the spring they wander off, still lost and in a miillion miles of ice meet a British Polar explorer who is heading north. After greeting Nansen with the comment that he had hoped to meet him the British chap lends them his ship which gets them home a week before the Fram. Much later asked if he would do the glory and death bit as Scott Nansen says no, I have a wife.
--- On Thu, 1/1/09, Ron Jones <[email protected]> wrote: From: Ron Jones <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [canals-list] Re: Ice To: [email protected] Date: Thursday, January 1, 2009, 12:21 PM Harriet Bazley wrote: > On 31 Dec 2008 as I do recall, > Brian on Harnser wrote: > > Sounds pretty frozen, anyway... :-( > > Unfortunately I don't think the boat has ice-plating on her (rather > ancient) hull timbers at the moment, but presumably she should be all > right if she stays put? When we had the GRP cruiser (moored on the Stort), that used to get frozen in most years (so near London and so cold...). We would never normally get on it while frozen - Sue did board once when we really needed something, but she is rather light at 7st, I wouldn't have got on. If it had moved, the edges of ice are like knives.... It was frozen in almost every year we had it (12), and seemed to survive OK. Ron Jones Process Safety & Development Specialist Don't repeat history, unreported chemical lab/plant near misses at http://www.crhf. org.uk Only two things are certain: The universe and human stupidity; and I'm not certain about the universe. ~ Albert Einstein [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
