Why Smith Island?

Smith Island Bill Tilman Chin Strap Penguins on Smith Island I first met Simon Richardson at the 21st birthday party of my friend Candy Audsley held at the Pilgrims Prep School in Winchester in 1970. We were both 18 and made ourselves unpopular by spending the whole evening talking to each other, and no-one else! In the next six years we climbed, walked and sailed together and Simon became a close friend of Anne,my wife, and myself. In the mid seventies Simon got involved with the legendary sailor and explorer, Bill Tilman. He went on two expeditions with him and on the latter, to Greenland, he kept a diary. Tilman was notoriously difficult to get along with but he respected Simon's immense practical skills and overall intelligence. Simon was, after all, a Wykehamist and an engineer. Simon decided that he wanted to build his own boat and run his own expedition. He found En Avant, a 60 ft dutch barge, rotting in Holland and set about changing her into a sailing barge capable of crossing Oceans. He decided to go to Smith Island, in the South Shetlands, the North West corner of Antarctica, and climb its mountain, Mount Foster (2105m). Tilman had attempted this in the Sixties, and had failed due to a dreadful crew and poor weather conditions. He invited Tilman to go. They left Southampton in August 1977. Tilman was 79 and Simon was 24. Simon asked me to go with him. I was very tempted but in the end decided not to go, as Anne was pregnant with our eldest child, Thomas. He took my ice axe instead. He never returned. We had a postcard from Rio but they disappeared somewhere between Rio and the Falklands. No trace was ever found of En Avant or any of the crew. A few years later, when Simon was declared dead, Mrs Richardson wrote and published a remarkable book - the Quest of Simon Richardson. It described Simon, and his hopes and dreams, and the diary he wrote on the trip to Greenland. Since then I have recognised that there was unfinished business. Click here to view PDF story from Bill Tilman Smith Island (63°00′S 62°30′WCoordinates: 63°00′S 62°30′W) is 29 km (18 mi) long and 8 km (5 mi) wide, lying 72 km (45 mi) west of Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands. The discovery of the South Shetland Islands was first reported in 1819 by Capt. William Smith, for whom the island is named. This island was known to both American and British sealers as early as 1820, and the name Smith has been well established in international usage for over 100 years. As a group of islands, the South Shetland Islands are located at 62°00′S 058°00′W. They fall within the region 61° 00'–63° 37' South, 53° 83'–62° 83' West. The South Shetlands consist of 11 major islands and several minor ones, totalling 3687 square kilometres of land area. Between 80 and 90 percent of the land area is permanently glaciated. The highest point on the island chain is Mount Foster on Smith Island at 2105 metres above sea level. The South Shetland Islands extend about 280 miles from Smith Island and Snow Island in the west-southwest to Elephant Island and Clarence Island in the east-northeast.