Southern Ocean Sketchbook by Claudia Myatt
- an event report by John Hasselgren

This was the title of a fascinating talk at the Cruising Association in December, one of the joint hybrid events run with the Small Craft Group of RIN.

Claudia started by saying how pleasant it was to speak to a live audience as well as those online. By the time of her 60th birthday she decided it was time to undertake a new challenge. Having sailed all her life, mainly up and down coasts but never across an ocean, Claudia joined the Dutch vessel Tecla in the Galapagos to sail round Cape Horn to the Falklands. Tecla is a steel Dutch-built former herring fishing logger (drifter) of 1915, gaff-rigged on both masts, length 38 metres by 6.6 metres beam and displacing 92 tons. Despite bouts of seasickness, Claudia found the passage enjoyable and thought the wildness of the weather and the ocean very beautiful.

Claudia decided against relying on a camera to illustrate the event, saying it was too easy to produce a camera and take the same snaps as everyone else. Instead, she took a sketchbook, pencils and watercolour paints. Sketching views, she said, meant working slower and taking more care. This allowed her to illustrate the log book and sketchbooks, which she completed back ashore, finishing and having the book “Sketchbook Sailor” published in 2020 during the Covid lockdown.

From a friend, Claudia then heard the Scott Polar Institute appointed annually an artist in residence and that they were about to select the next one. Applying for the residency Claudia was appointed and subsequently spent five weeks aboard HMS Protector on a voyage around parts of Antarctica. 

HMS Protector is an icebreaking ship that conducts surveys, delivers loads to various scientific stations and even counts penguins. Showing an Antarctic chart of 1775 attributed to Capt. James Cook’s Sailing Master Joseph Gilbert, Claudia quoted him:
 
“I now reckoned we were in the Latitude 60 degrees south and farther I did not intend to go, unless I met with some certain signs of soon meetings with land. I was now tired of these high Southern Latitudes where nothing was to be found but ice and thick fogs.”

Before the trip, due to the Covid lockdown, everyone travelling to join the ship had to spend 8 days in quarantine at RAF Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire. Claudia’s time there was spent on walks around the airfield and experimenting with the paints that were to be taken south and used there.

Joining HMS Protector in the Falklands, Claudia found it confusing as she couldn’t initially find her way round the ship and was unable to understand language such as “RASON” meaning Remain At Sea OverNight. The crew all seemed extremely young to her but she found them very tolerant of her presence. One person in particular with whom she made friends was the ship’s Chaplain, someone who had some spare time on his hands and who, usefully, was an expert on sea birds.

Regarding sketching and painting, Claudia started by drawing seabirds and discovered that albatrosses don’t flap their wings but just glide on the wind. Going on deck every day she painted seascapes. With the ship rolling and pitching whenever the weather was bad, she had to hold onto her sketchbook with one hand and paint with the other. At times it was an effort to prevent her materials from going overboard. The colours in the area are never the same two days running. One comment on sketching in the Antarctic came from her son, who suggested she leave a blank page in the sketchbook and title it “Iceberg in a Snowstorm”.

The ship’s passage was from the Falklands to South Georgia, to South Orkney Islands, the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetlands, then back to the Falklands. On trips ashore, Claudia sometimes used a camera to record wildlife to use as an ‘aide memoire’ for her sketches. Photographs, she said, are more accurate but a sketch increases the experience, colours can be intensified and can also include maps.

After three days at sea they arrived at Grytviken in South Georgia. This was once a whaling station and its ruins are still evident, all the steel parts covered in a thin coating of rust: it will never rust any further as the climate tends to preserve everything. Although its original purpose was to kill whales, it is now a leader in their conservation. The Governor of South Georgia told Claudia that if a seal comes towards you, you should hold up your hand and tell it to stop. Asked if it worked he said no! With more animals than humans, the King Penguins take no notice of people and just wander around at will. This visit to Grytviken coincided, within a couple of weeks, with the centenary of the death of Sir Earnest Shackleton, so the Captain held a Memorial Service at the graveside.

Next, the ship headed south for the Antarctic. This meant going below 6o˚ South into Antarctic waters, where the Antarctic Treaty comes into force stating that no one owns the continent and none may develop nor plunder it. First call was at the uninhabited South Sandwich Islands where there are areas that needed surveying to update the charts. This was accomplished by the hydrographer in shirtsleeves sitting at a computer while the measurements came in. So different from two centuries ago when using lead and line. A shore visit was laid on to Saunders Island to assess the size of the Chinstrap Penguin colony there. Here there are no alongside berths so this trip, as all in these waters, meant using the Zodiac RIBs, dressed up in survival suits, lifejackets and helmets. 

Next on the agenda were the South Orkney’s, which are about the same latitude south that the Orkney’s are north. Here some inshore surveying was required of the bay used as a base by the British Antarctic Survey team as this is gradually losing its covering of ice. Another job, which meant a shore trip, was to deliver a sack of Christmas goods for the scientists who would arrive before Christmas in the Sir David Attenborough. Signy Island was also visited, where a British Antarctic Survey Research Station is located. Although able to go ashore, Covid quarantine had to be observed to avoid infecting the scientists.

Moving on, Claudia reached the Antarctic continent in the shape of the Antarctic Peninsula. It was only in 1935, she informed us, that the British Grahamland Expedition established that Antarctica was a continent, not a series of islands joined by ice, by using a light aircraft to overfly the area. Today scientists use drones. After a slow approach due to ice HMS Protector berthed alongside the Rothera British Antarctic Survey Station late on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day was spent on board following the usual RN Christmas routine when officers serve dinner to the crew. On Boxing Day they were allowed ashore, but again had to follow quarantine regulations and were unable to mix with the scientists.

Following a visit to Deception Island, a volcanic caldera, where plans to go ashore were thwarted by an incoming storm, Claudia and HMS Protector headed back to the Falkland Islands. Here, Claudia, unlike most of the crew, returned home.

One thought from Claudia: unlike the crew in a sailing ship, who remain fit by working the sails, the crew of HMS Protector spend most of their working day watching computer screens. Off watch, they seem also to watch screens – films, social media etc. To overcome this there is a gym and a Basher (Clubswinger or Clubs in my day) running circuit training to keep them fit.

After a break for refreshments Claudia answered questions and showed examples of her work. Even if, like me who took up the camera due to an inability to draw, you feel unable to illustrate your log books with sketches – fear not! – Claudia can teach you how to do it. Her web site www.claudia-myatt.co.uk gives more information and shows more of her work.

At the end of the evening, Paul Bryans, Chairman of the SCG, thanked both Claudia for her presentation and the Cruising Association for their hospitality in hosting the meeting.

John Hasselgren.
12/12/2023.

UK Government’s 10 Point Resilient PNT framework is welcome news for the RIN PNT Advisory Group 

By Guy Buesnel and Andy Proctor 

 

UK Government announces a Resilient PNT Framework

The UK government has announced its long awaited Resilient PNT framework including a crisis plan, to support UK Critical National Infrastructure and essential services, which have all been identified as being critically dependent on the use of PNT data from GNSS. 
The plan includes the following points:
• Establishing a National PNT Office in the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) with responsibility for PNT policy, coordination, and delivery    
• Retain and update the Cross Government PNT Crisis Plan     
• Develop a proposal for a National Timing Centre
• Develop a proposal for ‘Ministry of Defence Time’ 
• Develop a proposal for a resilient, terrestrial, and sovereign eLORAN system to provide backup Position and Navigation  
• Rollout resilient GNSS receiver chips, develop holdover clocks, and consider options for legislation on CNI sectors to require minimum resilient PNT   
• Develop a proposal for a UK PPP Satellite-Based Augmentation System 
• Explore options for Centres for Doctoral Training PNT  and review PNT skills, education, and training 
• Develop a PNT growth policy, including R&D programmes, standards and testing, to drive innovation for PNT based productivity   
• Deploy existing R&D funding into a UK Quantum Navigator and investigate options for a UK sovereign regional satellite system   

 

10-Point plan broadly welcomed by PNT community

The UK government believes that “strengthening PNT capabilities will give direction to the PNT industry, whilst fostering innovation, growth, and cutting-edge technology development, positioning the UK as a global PNT leader.”

This is welcome news for the UK academia and industry experts who have been raising awareness of the overdependence on GNSS in critical infrastructure and other application areas.  
It also comes on the back of a updated London Economics study into the economic impact to the UK of a major disruption to GNSS, which noted that the impact of loss had risen from a conservative £1.1billion in 2017 to £1.4billion in 2021.

 

RIN PAG White paper addresses adoption of Resilient PNT

The announcement by the government was very timely, coming just a few weeks before the RIN holds its second “Leadership in PNT” event at the Royal Society and just after the publication of the updated UK National Risk Register, which included a risk of loss of PNT, and the publication of a RIN authored paper by the National Preparedness Commission noting the need to be more prepared for the loss of PNT services. In addition, the RIN PNT Advisory Group’s (PAG) published a white paper, “Recommendations to Promote the Adoption of Resilient Position, Navigation and Timing in the UK - With Growing Capabilities Come Growing Threats”

The white paper, the first major publication from the RIN PNT Advisory group asserts that Resilient PNT is an area in which the UK could provide leadership to improve PNT performance given the high level of expert knowledge and track record in innovation and excellence that the UK possesses.

The RIN PAG has been involved in activities to support decision makers, regulators, industry, academia, and all involved in developing the Resilient PNT framework for the UK. It is developing plans to carry its work forward during 2024 and beyond; setting out tasks to support the government and National PNT office in the delivery of its ten-point framework will be high on its agenda.  As well as developing and publishing its recommendations on the adoption of Resilient PNT in the UK, the Advisory Group since its formation has looked at the role of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites for delivering PNT services,  is involved in work to assess the need for a dedicated UK PNT Innovation Institute and national test framework, and is assessing the impact of new PNT technologies such as Quantum and AI. The PAG also will continue working with the Ministry of Defence on the use of PNT in defence, and ways to improve, nurture and grow the UK skills base.  

“Multi-faceted Endeavour”

John Pottle, Director of the Royal Institute of Navigation, commented that the very welcome announcement by the government recognised that achieving greater PNT resilience was a multi-faceted endeavour. The ownership provided by the National PNT Office would provide policy and delivery oversight, and co-ordination across all stakeholders.    

As well as improving national preparedness, the PNT framework has potential to help further strengthen the UK’s thought leadership and innovation in robust and resilient PNT.   

Andy Proctor, Chair of the RIN PNT Advisory Group also welcomed the government’s announcement of the ten- point plan for a resilient PNT framework for the UK and said 
“The announcement of the measures and recommendations set out in the framework are a welcome step forward in addressing the vulnerabilities due to the UK’s dependency on satellite-based PNT, particularly GNSS. GNSS supports around £320 billion (15%)* of UK GDP, improving the UK’s PNT robustness, security and resilience will be key to mitigating vulnerabilities to the loss of satellite-based PNT, and to capture the significant growth opportunities that the framework could enable.”

 

Challenges ahead

Recent world events are reinforcing the need for improved PNT robustness, security, and resilience across critical applications and national infrastructure – but the road ahead to implement the framework will not be without bumps – the UK is rapidly approaching its next General Election and whilst the National PNT Office will be working very hard to develop more detailed costed plans for the framework, there are bound to be some uncertainties and delays in moving the plans forward. The RIN has a strong role to play in providing government with a source of knowledge, expertise, and support that it can rely on whilst it tackles more challenging task of making the framework a reality. 

As a learned society, the RIN brings a well-balanced voice to the task of raising awareness of PNT security and the need for responsible use of PNT more generally across society.

If you are interested in becoming a contributor to the RIN PAG work being planned for 2024, please contact either Andy Proctor (PAG Chair), Guy Buesnel (PAG Secretary) or Clare Stead (RIN Communications and Events Manager ) in the first instance.

* According to the 2022 UKSA Size and Health of the UK Space Industry Study

A report on the 2023 European Navigation Conference and plans for ENC2024

By John Pottle, RIN Director

First published in Navigation News Sept/Oct 2023 edition

In this article I shall aim to provide a flavour of the very successful 2023 European Navigation Conference (ENC), share how the ENC is evolving (spoiler alert = quite a lot!) and, with that, how the RIN sees the ENC series going forwards as part of delivering its own objectives and impact.

 

The 2023 European Navigation Conference attracted over 300 participants and was, literally, a sell-out success. Why was this? Part of the success was the location – ENC2023 was held in the European Space Agency’s ESTEC facility (European Space Research and Technology Centre). Many positioning and timing-related businesses in Europe will have active links to ESA and ESTEC, be they as customer, supplier or collaborator.

Part of the success was accessibility, in that ESTEC is easy to access and it’s convenient (though generally blustery!) to stay in the one of the adjacent coastal towns. Thirdly, ENC2023 was run by a professional conference organiser (PCO) which helped to shape a positive delegate experience overall.

The ENC series is owned by the European Group of Institutes of Navigation (EUGIN). The RIN has always been active and a supporter of EUGIN.

Professor Terry Moore is the current chair, with Bart Banning, President of the Netherlands Institute of Navigation (NIN) serving as vice-chair. The NIN led the organisation of ENC2023, whose overall theme was resilient navigation (see www.enc2023.eu).

Read the full article here, open access, to hear about Martin Ujt de Haags', FRIN, closing keynote and his conclusions...

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Please join RIN and EUGIN - ENC2024 21-24 May 2024, ESTEC, Netherlands www.enc-series.org

https://enc-series.org/2024 for more information