Knaresborough man set for third trip to South Pole

A Knaresborough man is set to embark on his third trip to the South Pole.

Gerald Draycott, who is originally from North Wales, previously worked at Menwith Hill before moving to The Hague and then back to Scriven to continue his work as a satellite engineer.

He was invited on a work trip by explorer, Robert Swan OBE, and was asked to install a satellite at the summit of the South Pole alongside 160 other people.

It was used to broadcast images and information of the Antarctic online and raise awareness of the significant environmental impacts the continent has on the world.

Mr Draycott added:

“We wanted people to understand the significant impact the Antarctic has on the rest of the environment.

“The animals and nature there, the ice caps and the O-Zone layer are all so important and, by installing the satellite, we could broadcast this back home for people to really understand.”

Those on the trip were broadcasting live on Facebook, calling families, and sharing images on social media to spread awareness thanks to the vessel, he added.

Mr Draycott and crew on the first expedition.

In January of this year, Mr Draycott was invited back to Antarctica by Mr Swan to complete a 70-mile trek to the South Pole.

The explorer had attempted the walk before but injured his hip 90 miles before the finish line, so invited a group to complete the walk with him.

Mr Draycott added:

“It was a 60 nautical mile trek — which is 70 regular miles — to the pole while pulling my sled.”

The trip took 10 days to complete and temperatures  reached -33 degrees celsius.

“It was really overwhelming; you look out and see literally nothing but white.

“Your mind begins to play tricks on you because there’s just nothing to take your mind off what you’re doing.”

Gerald Draycott

His workplace, SES Satellite, sponsored his second trip to the summit.

“Because it’s so clear, you can see for about 25 miles ahead of you.

“We could see the pole and thought, ‘that’s not too bad’, but realised it was still another three days of walking away.

“It was an absolutely amazing experience though and it’s such a story to tell. You really find out who you are on a trip like that.”

Now, Mr Draycott is planning his third trip in 2025 and is looking for companies in the Harrogate district to sponsor the expedition.

He aims to walk 1,130km across 60 days from the Hercules Inlet coast to the South Pole.

The satellite connectivity means sponsors would get social media and online coverage along the way, and would be a great way to put something unique back into the area, he added.

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