MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Geoff and Anthony in Montevideo.

After enjoying some good Uruguayan beef, early morning Tuesday pilots Anthony Tuson and Geoff Porter left with the British Antarctic Survey air flotilla for Sao Paulo, the first leg of the long hop back to Britain.

The four Twin Otters and Dash 7 will then fly onto Salvador, Fernando de Noronha, Cape Verde, Tenerife, Portugal and finally and hopefully Oxford on March 13th. Twin Otters will remain in Oxford until the next Antarctic season, while the Dash will head for Coventry for a couple of months, before flying to Calgary for the annual overhaul. Sometime next October, the five aircraft flotilla should be back in the Falklands and Antarctic ready for the 2001/2002 campaign.

Both Anthony and Geoff relished their brief stay in Montevideo, "a quiet and easy going city and very helpful people". Anthony particularly was very impressed with the city's architecture and some of its ornate and art deco buildings. "It must of been a very rich city at one time", remarked Anthony, "hope we can spend more time next year".

Geoff who became an habitué of Uruguayan stake, anticipated that the following year they have plans to move from downtown Victoria Plaza to a more modern hotel closer to Pocitos and enjoy the beach sights.

It was a good year for Anthony: he flew to the South Pole and was pilot to Baroness Scotland when she flew from Falklands to Rothera.