Ariel 1953 GMT 4 August
Jim Thom (Skipper)
Our second day in harbour so various jobs done such as a good clean ship, a trip round the bay to run the water maker, washing of clothes and even crew showers! Some crew climbed the nearby mountain with Matt. Charlie and I looked for more information on the ice situation and spoke to the local helicopter pilot, the Met station, the Geological survey team and the hunters. We have also studied the satellite image charts. One crew member from the Westerly 38 'Rospico' flew in an empty seat in the helicopter to check the ice and the shore party looked out to sea from their mountain. All came back with the same answer 'don't know!' The main problem is that the visibility is poor because of some fog. One of the hunters says he knows where the clear water is and if we can persuade him to go at 0600 local time tomorrow we will follow him. It is worth a try.
Len has got some new boots ashore. He says that Ammasalik is the perfect town for AJ (William's Secretary) - she could tidy it forever!
All well and happy. Cheers. Jim.

Antiope 2145 GMT 4 August
At Ammasalik (East Greenland)
From an unknown crew member!
The Leg 4shore-base trek proved exciting! A very select squad consisting of Matt Dickinson, Ben Boddy, Rick 'brown pants' Barski and Richard Thomas was chosen to conquer one of Greenland's challenging ascents. Led by intrepid guide Matt Dickinson, the team climbed North to a hidden lake with snow lined shores overhanging the water. Foot skiing was undertaken on some of the snow covered slopes - remembering to stop before hitting the water! The silence at the lake was deafening - only the water running beneath the ice could be heard. The adventurous party conquered a virgin peak and then moved to attack a challenging crevice. At the top of the peak, with sweat pouring from their brows they had to negotiate some difficult terrain. One of the party (guess who?) broke the brittle rock that he was using which then shattered and fell hundreds of feet to the icy waters below. A safe return to the boat was followed by a rewarding beer and a fresh salmon aperitif.
by Colin de Mowbray
My suspicion is that this must be from Matt as it makes him out to be a bit of a hero (but I could be wrong!)

Antiope 2145 GMT 4 August
At Ammasalik (East Greenland)
From Charlie Osborne (Skipper)
Thanks for your encouraging messages. The situation here is certainly giving us something to get our teeth into. The plan is for another attempt at a breakout tomorrow (Wednesday), possibly with a local guide. This time we will go further south before attacking the pack ice. After two days of reconnaissance, several climbs and a free helicopter ride we have a good feeling for the situation although the fog has limited some of our observations.
Fingers crossed. Charlie.