Throughout the ages, the mail, the humble letter has found its way across empires, continents and oceans. The logistics have evolved over millennium to guarantee communication. The Pony Express rushed essential documents across the US continent and the Royal Mail passed off mail to commercial lines crossing the Atlantic. The US postal service’s unofficial creed declares their dedication to getting the mail delivered: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds”. Thus with a vast logistic network the mail gets around the world.
The mail in Antarctica is no different. This past season one letter travelled from one end of the world to the other – starting at Port Lockroy in the West Antarctic Peninsula and ending in Ny-Ålesund, in Svalbard, Norway. Once a letter is posted in Port Lockroy (also known as the Penguin Post office), the team uses the logistics of passing ships. For this special letter, the first “steps” off the island were onboard Quixote’s Hans Hansson. The Port Lockroy team bagged up the mail, the Hans Hansson crew loaded it up and then took it back across the Drake Passage to Stanley, where it then continued its journey.
This represents the spirit of cooperation in Antarctica to help each other- thanks to the Hans Hansson crew and the the fantastic team at Port Lockroy this past 22-23 season.
Read more from the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust about the full story of this special piece of mail: UKAHT
The Hans Hansson has also helped with mail in past seasons – read about that journey HERE
