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As you already know, our Environment Officer Pablo Escribano made an exciting 26-day trip to Antarctica as a representative of OCA Global, but do you know how to get to the Spanish Antarctic Base (BAE)?
As for the outbound flight, first of all, Pablo underwent a PCR the same day he took the flight at Chile's request. The flight departed from Madrid and lasted about 13 hours to reach the capital Santiago de Chile; and there he made a stopover to go to Punta Arenas, in the southern part of the country. Once in Punta Arenas, our envoy had to do quarantine for a week and carry out three PCRs, all under the coordination of the Comité Polar Español (CPE), la Unidad de Tecnología Marina (UTM) del Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) y el Instituto Antártico Chileno (INACH).
After quarantine, Pablo headed to the only airfield on the Antarctic Peninsula: the airfield Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Martin (belonging to Chile), on King George Island, South Shetland Archipelago (Antarctica). After a flight of about 3-4 hours depending on the weather, the next step is to board a zodiac to reach the Oceanographic Ship Sarmiento de Gamboa, belonging to the CSIC. This vessel, together with the Hespérides, are the two ships in charge of supporting the Antarctic bases.
Thanks to this ship, the two BAE are reached: the Juan Carlos I on Livingston Island (belonging to the CSIC) and the Gabriel de Castilla on Deception Island (managed by the Army). These two bases are open only during the austral summer (approximately from November to April), and travel between them is through the Bransfield Strait (Antarctic Ocean).
On the way back, Pablo tells us that he made a logistical stop at Camp Byers, a seasonal international camp and base located on Livingston Island; and another at the Argentinean Artigas Base, located at the other end of King George Island.
Perhaps the worst moment of the trip was the three days crossing the Drake Passage, which is the stretch of sea that separates South America from Antarctica, between Cape Horn (Chile) and the South Shetland Islands (Antarctica). But once it was overcome, our envoy to the southernmost part of the planet was able to start the trip back home.
Do you think it was worth the journey? We'll tell you soon!