Getting Alan and Peter Home - Latest as at 2nd June
June 3, 2008 | Filed Under On the Ice |
UPDATE: Monday 2nd June 17:00 UK time.
Alan and Peter had a last minute cancellation opportunity and ended up getting the 1400 hrs flight today from Kulusuk to Reykjavik. We have now booked them on the Reykjavic flight to Amsterdam tomorrow morning and then from Amsterdam to Bristol arriving 16.55 at Bristol airport. There is much media interest in their return and we hope you will be able to welcome them back. I spoke with Alan at 21:30 hrs and he and Peter are settled in a hotel ready for an early start tomorrow and just off for a well earned beer and steak!
UPDATE: Sunday 1st June 22:00 UK time.
Alan and Peter have now taken a helicopter out of Isortorq to Taliisaq and are hopeful tomorrow they will complete the next stage - a helicopter on to Kulusaq. If they make this before 1400 they will hopefully be able to take the flight to Reykjavik, Iceland, overnight there and then back to the UK. There has been good coverage on BBC Points West today of their experiences in Isortorq and the links now emerging with the school there and schools in the UK.
UPDATE: Friday 30th May 21:00 UK time.
No flight has come in to take Alan and Peter out of Isortoq today and they are waiting still in the village community hall. They are being given a good welcome and support from the small local community and are safe and well but obviously keen to be taken out as soon as possible. we are in regular contact and looking to get them flown out as soon as possible. Frustrating for all and media interest continues to grow in their return.
I will update here tomorrow as soon as I have anything more to report.
Richard
The last two days have seen mixed emotions for both Alan and Peter and for me and the team and family and friends back home. Elation at their achievement in making the crossing of Greenland, relief that they are safe and frustration as they remain stuck in the remote Inuit outpost, Isortorq.
I have been doing all I can to try and get the guys back home as soon as possible over the past few days and as of Friday 30th May at 07:00 UK time this is the latest news:
The fog which was causing problems in terms of helicopters being able to get into Isotorq has lifted. We thought this was good news as the scheduled helicopter flights would then recommence but not so. The schedule flights via Air Greenland it would seem, from discussion with Alan, have been taking weather information which is lagging behind the reality. So whilst the weather is clear they believe is still difficult to land.
Yesterday we had booked a chartered helicopter via Air Greenland but this had earlier experienced technical difficulties which are are now resolved, but it means our guys were way back in the queue for airlifts out of the east coast areas of Greenland.
behind in the queue and they are not guaranteeing anything date for collection but say Saturday would be the earliest.
Yesterday I had contacted the Inuit leader of the dogs and boats, who organised the dog teams to bring Alan and Peter off the ice. One option, is that on Saturday he will set sail to reach Isotorq from Tasiilaq to collect them. This will take two days each way. He has said that part of the problem in terms of the changing climate and unpredictability and extremes of the weather. There have been North Easterly storms which have compacted the ice into the shore making it very difficult to get the boats to reach the shore. In contrast Alan and Peter have reported that it is impossible to ski this journey because the unusually warm weather has created problems with skiing because there are several feet of melted ice on the surface. So we are now seeing at close quarters the impact of climate change which is challenging even the local Inuits who are experts in reading the ice and weather conditions.
As of 18:21 Thursday evening I received a call from Alan saying he had just met Hans, one of the dog handlers who with his girlfriend was planning to take a scheduled flight in the morning. So it may be that local knowledge is the best knowledge and I am going to try to verify this with the airline. Furthermore this has been verified with the Air Greenland base and If this collects them today before around midday local time they will hit the connections from Kusulak to Reykyavik, Iceland and then be overnight there ready for a return to the UK on Saturday.
Meanwhile Peter and Alan are keeping their spirits up and making positive use of the time. You will see in the section http://www.feetofgreen.com/gallery/on-the-ice-greenland-2008/ some of the latest photos form the Inuit community and the school there where Peter and Alan have given some lessons to the children.
The children have also sent a message back to schools in the UK and you will see this in the video section:http://www.feetofgreen.com/video-logs/
You will also see some of the images from the seal hunting which is taking place around them. We have had to think carefully about publishing these and on balance feel it is important for the schools in the UK to see life as it is amongst this Inuit culture, where survival is key, where the Inuit people respect the importance of the food chain and nature and where absolutely no resource goes to waste.
I will be posting an update as soon as I know more.
Richard Hale, 30/5/08
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Alan,
sorry to hear of the difficulties. You could always start your own TV show ‘I’m an Artic Explorer Get Me Out of Here’.
Hope your luck changes - take care.
John, Limia and the boys
It been great watching you.
Wishing you a swift journey home Pete, hope the feet are starting to feel a bit better. Best wishes .
geoff