Larramendi and team : Waiting for Eole at the SP
Published on 08.01.2012 - Acciona Windpower Antarctica 90°S
Larramendi and team visiting the Amundsen Scott base
© Expedition website
Since their arrival at SP (on 1 January), Larramendi and team had time to rest thouroughly ; because what they really missed most during the first leg was being able to sleep without being shoved all over by the sled in motion.
That's why the Spaniards slept for their first night without motion almost 14 hours straight.
The other days, they had the opportunity to visit the Amundsen Scott base with another Spaniard, a researcher working there (being part of the IceCube Neutrino study project). They also celebrate with champagne and nougat their first victory together with the birthdays of Javier Selva's and Juan Pablo Albar's.
And they also took the opportunity of being there to present the first windpower zero emission vehicle to all the station staff.
Ramon Larramendi on 4 January : "... We explained that this is an initial project aiming to demonstrate the potential of this concept and its capacity—beyond being an exploration vehicle—to support zero-emissions, pioneering scientific research program in the Antarctic, an idea that is totally clear to me. I know it is shocking to those who see it, but new ideas always cause confusion. Again, the contrast between the American base and the zero-emission and cost-effective concept that we propose is stark. ..."
Ramon explains also that at the Amundsen Scott base, everybody is always a bit confused with the time zones. The Americans working there follow the New Zealand time, the tourists and visitors (because they mainly come from Union Glacier base camp) follow the Chile time zone (a six hours difference) while Larramendi and team are following the UTC-Greenwich time zone, which is Chile + 3. So when they get up, they often don't remember well where they are, since the sun is above horizon all these months of the year (November till February).
So far, the team could not continue the expedition by lack of good winds. Because with such a windpowered vehicle it's quite impossible to continue the expedition skiing every day next to the sled, they only have to wait for good wind conditions.
