A Converted Research Vessel
Our
home away from home in Antarctica was the Motor Vessel Ushuaia, formerly
"Researcher" and "Malcolm Baldrige". She was built as an oceanographic
research vessel for the NOAA (National
Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration), a U.S. government
agency. The NOAA operated the vessel for more than 20 years, performing
during that period many of the most important NOAA oceanographic
research operations.
After the NOAA period, the vessel was acquired by Ushuaia Adventure Corp, changing her name to "Ushuaia" and reorienting her to private oceanographic and Antarctic research and logistic operations. The vessel was upgraded on navigation and communication equipment, and cabins and rooms were refurbished ln 2002. She now specializes in 10-day cruises along the Antarctic Peninsula.
But
"refurbished" and "upgraded" didn't mean that the comfort level was
anything like that on the larger cruise ships. Our cabin was originally
intended for two researchers to bunk down when they weren't working. It
had an upper and lower bunk, a chair, a desk, a chest of drawers and a
small sink. We
shared the bathroom (toilet and shower) with Vlad and Dolores in the neighboring cabin. It
was cozy, but we spent very little time in the cabin.
Marie tried the upper bunk the first night, but she was afraid of falling out, so after that it was Fritz's. Getting up and down was done by standing on the chair and timing one's motions to the rolling of the vessel.
Operation
The
"Ushuaia" has an open bridge. Passengers are welcome to visit as long as
it does not interfere with the operation of the ship. We went up there
on a couple of occasions. It is the highest sheltered point on the ship,
and has the best view.
All of our friends had been quick to draw our attention to the sinking of the "Explorer", a ship similar to ours, a couple of months before our departure. There was no loss of life, and I jokingly remarked that "They had paid for an adventure tour, but had gotten more adventure than they had bargained for."
In
any case the crew of the "Ushuaia" was very safety-conscious. Unlike
any cruise that we had ever been on before, the life boat drill went so
far as having us actually board the life boats! It was a reminder that
we were venturing into unpatrolled waters where any sort of rescue would
depend on what other ships happened to be in the neighborhood. It was
also reassuring to know that we were prepared for whatever might come.
I was always impressed with the smooth running of the ship and with the competence and profesionalism of both the crew and the expedition staff,
Landings
Antarctica is the subject of a few treaties and a lot of agreements and guidelines worked out between the various governments, research organizations, and tour operators. Typical are these guidelines for Paulet Island:
|
Landing Requirements |
| Ships: Ships carrying 200 or fewer passengers. One ship at a time. Maximum 2 ships per day (midnight to midnight). |
| Visitors: No more than 100 visitors at any time. However, at high tide, no more than 50 visitors at any time in the area around the northern coast landing site. Maximum visitor numbers are exclusive of expedition guides and leaders, maintaining a minimum ratio of 1 guide to 20 visitors. No visitors ashore between 22:00hrs and 04:00hrs (local time). This is in order to establish a rest period for wildlife. |
In
order to comply with these rules we chose a ship with 85 passengers so
that there would be no need to rotate groups of visitors or artificially
limit our time ashore.
In
preparation for a landing we would don our warm clothes, rubber
boots, an outer waterproof layer, and our numbered inflatable life vests. We
would gather in the embarkation area, walk through a disinfectant bath
to avoid tracking contamination onto the landing site, and then transfer
to the Zodiac boats that shuttled a dozen of us to shore. The life vest
numbers of those leaving the ship and those returning were carefully
recorded.
Upon arriving at the landing site, we would slide up to the bow of the boat, swivel our legs over, stand up in the water and wade ashore. Returning to the ship reversed the procedure, but stepping from the bobbing Zodiac to the bottom of the ladder took very careful timing. Once again we would walk through a disinfecting bath and scrubbed our boot soles so that whatever we stepped in ashore wouldn't stink up the ship.
Services
The
ship is small, and so was the galley, but the cooks turned out
excellent
meals throughout the journey. I was particularly impressed with the
results achieved by their pastry chef. She not only give us tasty
deserts, but also had special treats in the lounge every afternoon.
The meals were a fixed menu for each meal, since it would have been impossible to take requests or cook to order. While not the fancy cuisine found on large cruise ships, it was definitely better than institutional food. The only part that we tired of was the unchanging breakfast buffet.
The size of the ship presented a special challenge to our waiters who, even in rough seas, delivered our food to the tables rather than to our laps. Their sense of balance was a marvel to behold.
But
the place where we spent the most time was the lounge. Lots of large
windows looking out aft (past the stacks of Zodiacs) and to both sides.
Coffee and tea at all hours, a friendly bartender, and all your fellow
explorers discussing what we had been experiencing.
Our fellow passengers were from the U.K., Belgium, France, Germany, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, and even a few Californians! There were daily lectures on all aspects of Antarctica: geology, wildlife, history, ... We came away very well educated.