V9 Antarctic Peninsula_Voyage_Log

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5 Southward Bound 5 January 2019 - Embarkation Day Written by Martin Schuster This afternoon most of us were excited to embark the Ocean Atlantic in anticipation of our trip to the Antarctic Peninsula. At 14:00 the first bus arrived and the team on board welcomed us with bright smiles, a cocktail, and also some necessary paperwork. Afterwards everybody settled into their cabins, explored their new home for the next nine days, and enjoyed some afternoon tea. At 16:15 our Expedition Leader, Jamie Watts, invited us into the Viking Theatre for a mandatory safety briefing followed by a lifeboat drill. We all learned about SOLAS, Safety of Life at Sea, and were taken to our life boat stations simulating a general emergency. As soon as this was completed, the anchor was lifted and we set sail, leaving the Port of Ushuaia on our way to the Antarctic Peninsula! After a small break, during which we were able to explore our new home, we were invited once again into the Viking Theatre for an introduction to the ship and its key personnel. Our hotel director, Oliver, introduced the key people in the hotel department such as our food and beverage manager, purser, and head of housekeeping. Jamie then introduced us to the entire Expedition Team and also informed us that we could expect a ‘good drake’, meaning that the weather forecast for the crossing was excellent. Jamie also explained the difference between cruise ships and expedition ships, and it was clear that we were on the right vessel. We were at the start of a proper expedition voyage. At 19:15 the formalities were over and we all headed down for dinner in the Vinland restaurant. The hotel team prepared a lovely buffet dinner and we spent the next hour or so mingling with some of our fellow travellers. After dinner, many of us went up to the outer decks to enjoy the scenic views of the Beagle Channel. The conditions were beautifully calm and the sun was slowly setting. Step by step it became quieter around the Ocean Atlantic as many retired early after the long international journey. True to Jamie’s word, the crossing began with calm seas, and we all fell into a restful sleep. 5 JAN 2020 – 14 JAN 2020 Volume 2, Issue 9
The Seven Sisters of Szczecin David Macdonald, Lecturer (Geology) & Expedition Guide M/V Ocean Atlantic was launched in 1986 as the last-built of the ‘Shoshtakovich’ class of ice-strengthened passenger vessels, alongside six sister ships, together known as the “Seven Sisters of Szczecin. 6 Her original name was Konstantin Chernenko (Константин Черненко), after the President of the USSR (1984-1985). She was renamed Russ (Русс) in 1989, and spent much of her life working in the Russian Far East. She was purchased by Albatros Expeditions and completely refitted in 2017. She is now a 200- passenger expedition vessel and is one of the strongest polar cruise ships afloat. Here are some fun facts about the “Seven Sisters”: • All seven ships were built by Stocnia Szczecinska shipyard in Szczecin, Poland between 1979-1986 • Main engines: 4 x Skoda Sulzer 6LZ40 total power 12800 kW, giving a maximum speed of 18 knots • Most of the class have one bow thruster (736 kW) and one stern thruster (426 kW); however, two ships, including ours, built in 1986, have two stern thrusters, each of 426 kW • Feature Siemens stabilisers for seaworthiness • Although built as ferries, they have a strengthened car deck for transport of tanks • Two of them had diving chambers • MV Mikhail Sholokov had hull demagnetising equipment so it could operate in minefields • All of these ships have been scrapped except ours and Konstantin Simonov – now Ocean Endeavour Our ship has had a complex history: 1986-1987 In Baltic traffic, then Vladivostok to Japan & S Korea 1989 renamed to Russ 1997-1999 In traffic Stockholm-Riga; 2000 Odessa-Haifa; 2002 back to Vladivostok transporting cars from Japan 2007 Sold to Sea Ferry Shipping in Majuro and renamed 2010 to Atlantic; renovations in Italy and in traffic Stockholm-Helsinki-St. Petersburg during summer and laid up (October 2010) in St Petersburg 2012 Sold to ISP in Miami and renamed to Ocean Atlantic under Marshall Islands flag 2013 Used as a hotel ship in the German bight wind farm project 2015-2017 Laid up in Helsingborg and taken to Gdansk in Poland, where totally refitted 2017 Chartered to Quark Expeditions 2017-present Chartered to Albatros Expeditions. 5 JAN 2020 – 14 JAN Volume 2, Issue 9
Page 1 and 2: 5 JAN 2020 - 14 JAN 2020 Albatros M
Page 3 and 4: TABLE OF CONTENTS The Voyage Meet t
Page 5: Meet the Team 4 Phil Hunter Assista
Page 9 and 10: Rolling Our Way South 6 January 202
Page 11 and 12: Approaching the ice 7 January 2020
Page 13 and 14: Drake Passage 5 JAN 2020 - 14 JAN 2
Page 15 and 16: Chasing Icebergs, Finding Penguins
Page 17 and 18: The White Continent 9 January 2020
Page 19 and 20: © Renato Granieri 5 JAN 2020 - 14
Page 21 and 22: Deception Island 11 January 2020- B
Page 23 and 24: A Brief History of the Zodiac Steve
Page 25 and 26: Northward Bound 12 January 2020- Dr
Page 27 and 28: Towards the Horn 13 January 2020- D
Page 29 and 30: King of the Southern Winds Sandra O
Page 31 and 32: By the Numbers… 30 Voyage Statist

V9 Antarctic Peninsula_Voyage_Log

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