After three months living and working at Port Lockroy, wildlife monitor Pete Watson reflects on the partners whose support kept the team safe, warm, dry, connected and largely free from penguin poop.
After three months living and working at Port Lockroy, I have learned that life on Goudier Island depends on many things: teamwork, good humour, a love of penguins and a healthy respect for the weather forecast. It also depends on having the right kit.
Port Lockroy may be small, but keeping it running through an Antarctic summer is no small task. The team welcomes visitors, monitors the gentoo penguin colony, runs the world’s southernmost post office, supports conservation work, maintains the historic base and travels regularly between island and ship by zodiac. All of this happens in snow, wind, salt spray, mud, guano and the sort of “summer” conditions that would make most people reach for a hot drink and stay indoors.
So, as the season comes to a close, we want to say a very heartfelt thank you to the partners whose generous support helped us do our work safely and well.
Alpkit expedition gear
Our 2024/25 team used Alpkit expedition gear at Port Lockroy throughout the season, and Antarctica gave it a fairly comprehensive field test. The team gave the clothing a full thumbs up at debrief As such, we were thrilled to welcome them as an official partner for the 2025/26 season.
Their kit had to cope with zodiac spray, wet snow, cold winds, daily island work and the occasional close encounter with penguin poo. We were very grateful for their Katabatic PrimaLoft jackets, Nautilus waterproof overtrousers and Definition mountaineering jackets, all of which helped keep us warm, dry and able to keep moving.
Good layers make a big difference down here. One moment you are unloading supplies, the next you are standing still for a wildlife count, and then suddenly you are carrying boxes, waving to visitors or bracing yourself against the weather. The Alpkit gear gave us the flexibility to work comfortably across the island and on the water, without feeling like we had dressed for either a duvet day or a small expedition to the moon.
It was tough, durable and weatherproof. Whether it was entirely penguin-proof is perhaps a question for future scientific study, but it’s the best we’ve had so far!
Xtratuf outdoor boots
At the start of the season, Goudier Island was hidden under metres of snow. Before we could properly begin, the team had to dig our way onto the island and into the buildings. As the weeks passed, the snow slowly gave way to rock, meltwater and, delicately put, a substantial amount of historic penguin contribution. This is where our Xtratuf boots came into their own.
As wildlife monitor, I spent much of the season moving around the colony, counting penguins, eggs and chicks, and trying to look both scientific and dignified while being shouted at by gentoos. The team also carried out shoreline debris picks, moved supplies, welcomed visitors and navigated the island in all conditions.
The boots are the envy of all personnel that work in Antarctica and we are proud to have partnered with Xtratuf since 2022. They continuously keep us steady on snow, wet rock and the more slippery sections of penguin territory. They kept our feet warm and dry, which matters more than you might imagine when drying socks can become a multi-day logistical event.
Spinlock life jackets
Our Spinlock life jackets were part of daily life at Port Lockroy. Any time we travelled by zodiac between the island and visiting ships, they came with us. That might be for onboard shops, post office visits, moving supplies, heading to briefings or, most importantly for team morale, getting to a ship shower. There are few things more motivating than the prospect of hot water after several days on a small Antarctic island.
Safety is at the heart of every operation here, and the Spinlock life jackets gave us confidence each time we stepped into a Zodiac. They were comfortable, practical and easy to work in, even when we were carrying bags, boxes, post office supplies or the quiet emotional weight of knowing the island hair wash schedule depended on a calm sea.
Rolls Battery Engineering
This season also saw an important upgrade to the way Port Lockroy stores power, thanks to Rolls Battery Engineering. Our solar power system is a quiet, practical and rather beautiful example of old heritage and modern sustainability working side by side. The solar panels on the side of the Nissen hut help generate renewable power for the site, while the replacement Rolls AGM battery bank stores that energy for use by the base and weather station.
Eight new sealed deep-cycle lead-acid AGM batteries were installed this season. They replaced the pre-existing bank of Rolls AGM batteries (installed in 2018) with another set, as they have proven to work well in Antarctic conditions.
They are non-hazardous, spill-proof and well suited to remote deployment, which is exactly what you want when your delivery address is a small island off the Antarctic Peninsula. The old battery bank is also being recycled, with the lead plates likely to become batteries again in future.
It is easy to take power for granted until you live somewhere like Port Lockroy. Every light, radio, laptop charge and essential system depends on careful energy use. Thanks to this support, we can continue to run the site with clean, quiet renewable energy in one of the most remote working environments on Earth.
Iridium satellite communications
When the team first arrived at Port Lockroy, there were a few things that had to be sorted before the ship could leave us safely on the island: heating, water and communications.
Our Iridium satellite handsets are a vital part of that communications setup. Although we do have some access to wifi, satellite communications remain one of our most important links to the world beyond radio range.
That matters in a place like Port Lockroy. The Iridium system gives us a reliable way to contact the UK and emergency medical support if needed. During the season, we run medical drills to make sure the whole team is confident using the communications equipment and remembering the training we completed before deployment.
Thankfully, we did not have a medical emergency this season. But having that technology with us makes a real difference. It helps us feel safe, supported and connected, even when we are a very long way from home.
Antarctic tour operators
We also want to say a very warm thank you to the Antarctic tour operators who supported us throughout the season. Port Lockroy may look small and self-contained from the outside, but getting people, cargo, post, supplies and equipment safely to and from the island takes a huge amount of coordination.
Across the season, operators helped with cargo drops, ship transfers and berths for our Antarctic field teams and Port Lockroy teams. That support makes an enormous difference. It helps our teams travel safely, keeps essential supplies moving, and enables our conservation, wildlife monitoring, visitor engagement and post office operations to continue in one of the most remote places on Earth.
Our thanks go to all operators for their generosity, flexibility and good humour throughout the season. We would also like to give a special thank you to the RRS Sir David Attenborough and the team at British Antarctic Survey for their invaluable help with cargo and logistics.
When you are working in Antarctica, the safe arrival of supplies, equipment and people is never something to take for granted. We are hugely grateful to everyone who helped make it happen.
Atkore
A sincere thank you also goes to our partners at Atkore, who provided the essential waterproof conduit and electrical fittings we needed to upgrade our communication systems in challenging conditions at the start of the season. Their support helped ensure our systems were safely and securely installed, ready for another busy summer of conservation, operations and island life at Port Lockroy.
Thank you
Partner support may not always be the most visible part of a Port Lockroy season, but it is behind so much of what we do. It is in the boots that keep us steady on the island, the jackets that keep out the weather, the life jackets that help us travel safely, the communications that keep us connected and the batteries that quietly power our work.
To all of our partners, thank you. Your support helps keep our team safe, warm, dry and able to care for this extraordinary place. It helps us welcome visitors, monitor wildlife, protect Antarctic heritage and share Port Lockroy’s story with the world. And, in several cases, it helps protect us from penguin poop. Which, after several months on the island, is not a small thing.
If you love a place, protect it
UKAHT is committed to making Antarctica, its heritage and its stories accessible to everyone.
Eighty years in Antarctica have left their mark on this beloved site. Now, Port Lockroy urgently needs restoration to protect its future. Please donate today.
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