ANTARCTIC NON-GOVERNMENT ACTIVITY NEWS
Tourism Industry |
Brief news items on Antarctic and sub-Antarctic
non-government expedition activities.
ANAN 72
Wednesday, 8 May 2002
News in this edition:
72-01. Jules Verne record broken, further attempts mooted.
72-02. Construction of new high-latitude charter-yacht commences.
72-03. New 'World Discoverer' commences tour operations.
72-04. South Sandwich ham expedition video released.
72-05. New book on Campbell Island released.
72-06. Coming Events Relevant to Non-Government Activities.
JULES VERNE RECORD BROKEN, FURTHER ATTEMPTS MOOTED
[ANAN-72/01]
The maxi-catamaran 'Orange' claimed the Jules Verne trophy on 5 May when it completed its non-stop, around-the-world journey via the world's three major Capes in just 64 days, a time that bettered the trimaran Sport Elec's 1997 record for the event by more than a week. During its trip around the globe, the 37-m super-yacht and its 13-man crew sailed nearly 45,000 km at an average speed of 18 knots, although speeds close to 40 knots were achieved at times during the month it spent in sub-Antarctic waters in March and April (ANAN-70/03, 10 April 2002).
Orange's official time for the circumnavigation was 64 days, 8 hours, 37 minutes and 24 seconds, which was 7 days, 5 hours, 44 minutes and 44 seconds better than Frenchman Olivier de Kersauson's time in 'Sport Elec'.
The new record is also held by a Frenchman, Bruno Peyron, who, with his 12-man crew, had to contend with a major problem when Orange's mast failed soon after it started their first attempt on 14 February this year (ANAN-67/08, 27 February 2002). Once repairs were made, and they were underway again, they had to deal with a severe storm in sub-Antarctic waters near Marion Island, long nights, and iceberg watches as they crossed the Southern Ocean. Potentially serious problem with the mast forced them to nurse the maxi through the final two weeks of its voyage.
In addition to the overall time, 'Orange' set seven records for intermediate legs of the journey. These were: race start to the Cape of Good Hope's longitude (18 days, 18 hours and 40 minutes); race start to Cape Leeuwin in south-west Australia (29 days, 7 hours and 22 minutes); Cape Leeuwin to Cape Horn (12 days, 19 hours and 30 minutes); race start to Cape Horn (42 days, 2 hours and 52 minutes); race start to the equator on the way northwards (53 days, 4 hours and 49 minutes); the equator to the finish line (11 days, 03 hours and 48 minutes); and Cape Horn to the finish line (22 days, 05 hours and 45 minutes).
At least two syndicates are believed to be currently planning attempts on Peyron's Jules Verne record during the 2002-03 austral summer, however, few details have been announced. Both groups involved are expected to use maxi catamarans that circled the globe and crossed sub-Antarctic waters in 2000-01 as part of the multi-hulled fleet of 'The Race' (ANAN-40/07, 31 January 2001). 'Orange' was also a participant in that race, its name at that time being 'Innovation Explorer'. It finished second to the event's winner 'Club Med' (ANAN-40/07, 31 January 2001).
While several yachting experts feel that Peyron's record can be broken, they believe that the task will be very difficult. If the mooted attempts go ahead later this year, the boats involved are expected to cross sub-Antarctic waters over a 3 to 4 week period sometime around New Year.
Construction of a new, so-far un-named, 17-m aluminium yacht, which is to be used for charter operations in Antarctic and other high latitude waters, is to commence in Canada this week. Cutting of metal for the boat, which is being built for US- based company Expedition Sail, is to take around six months. Fit-out is due for completion early next year and her first visit to Antarctic waters is currently anticipated to occur by the middle of this decade.
Expedition Sail owners Kate and Hamish Laird, who have considerable experience operating in Antarctic Peninsula and nearby waters on the yacht 'Pelagic' (ANAN-68/05, 13 March 2002), have been working towards acquiring a yacht of their own for some time. Over the last few years they have conducted a world-wide search to find a suitable boat builder. They finally selected US naval architect Chuck Paine to design the craft, and the Ontario firm Kanter Yachts, who the Lairds say has a reputation for "handsome and sound" aluminium boats, to do the metal work.
Kanter is expected to start work on the craft this week and complete work on the hull by next August, after which it will be taken by truck to a boat-building school in Maine, in the north-eastern US, where the yacht will be completed over the northern winter of 2002-03.
The new yacht will be able to carry up to six passengers and a crew of two on extended voyages to remote regions, although it has been designed so that it can be sailed single-handedly when necessary. Expedition Sail is expected to offer the yacht for charters initially in the Arctic and, after a few years, return to Ushuaia, Argentina, offer charters to the Antarctic Peninsula, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and South Orkney Island areas.
The craft will have a raised saloon that will allow those on board to navigate, cook, eat, and lounge with a view of the surrounding waters. It will also have a pivoting ballasted centreboard for safety and ease of manoeuvring in shallow areas and marginally charted regions. Both the rudder and keel will lock down at sea, but when unlocked in coastal areas they can be lifted mechanically or will "kick up" in an unforseen grounding, thus greatly reducing the chance that the keel or rudder could be damaged by an accidental grounding.
While the pivoting design is a well-proven feature on several high-latitude boats, Expedition Sail says that for the first time it's being combined with the raised saloon, which is a popular configuration on fixed keel yachts. While these two features both sacrifice some interior space, the Lairds believe their design will add significantly to the safety and comfort of the boat, particularly when it is cruising in cold climates.
Diagrams of the new yacht are available on line at: http://www.expeditionsail.com/contacts/newboatframe.htm.
Long-term Antarctic tour operator Society Expeditions has resumed ship-based operations after a two-year hiatus that resulted from the loss of its vessel 'World Discoverer' in Pacific waters in April 2000. Society's new ship, which also has the name 'World Discoverer', commenced the company's first commercial voyage in two years when it left Darwin, Australia, on 26 April bound for the South Pacific.
The new 'World Discoverer' is due to conduct seven tourist voyages to the South American sector of Antarctica during the 2002-03 austral summer. Five of the voyages are 19-day trips to the Antarctic Peninsula and islands of the Scotia Arc, while the other two are limited to the Peninsula region alone and are of 11 days duration. An almost identical series of voyages is currently scheduled for the 2003-04 season.
Passengers on the inaugural voyage from Darwin, who described themselves as "very fond" of the old 'World Discoverer' and its "traditions", compared facilities and service on the new vessel very favourably to those of its predecessor. The new ship, which was built 13 years ago, was purchased by Society late last year for an undisclosed sum after drawn out negotiations. It completed a major $US15m, five-month, refit in Singapore late last month (ANAN-70/01, 10 April 2002).
Renovations were directed by Norwegian marine architects Peter Yran and Bjorn Storbraaten who have also been responsible for the interior design of 'up-market' tour ships operated world wide by the Seabourn Cruise Line. As a result, 'World Discoverer' offers "high quality facilities and features", the cost of berths reflecting that standard. Advertised prices for Antarctic voyages on the ship in 2002-03 range from $US5,849 to $US10,759 for an 11-day voyage ex southern South America, and $US9,345 to $US18,489 for the 19-day voyages.
Unusually, Society's new vessel has been flagged in the United Kingdom and its 'home port' is Glasgow, a move that is expected to make it the only British-registered tour ship operating in Antarctic waters later this year.
That arrangement is understood to be part of the requirements for the funding of her purchase and refurbishment agreed to between German-owned Society Expeditions and a British group that financed the deal. Society says, however, that its environmental impact assessment (EIA) for Antarctic operations will continue to be submitted to United States authorities as part of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operator's (IAATO) consolidated EIA for ship operations conducted by its members in Antarctic Peninsula and nearby areas.
Society's headquarters are in Bremen, Germany, but it also has an office in Seattle in the north-western United States. The majority of its passengers is drawn from those two nations.
According to figures released by IAATO two years ago, the company carried close to 900 passengers to the South American sector of Antarctica during its last season of operations there in 1999-2000. Of those, a third were reported to have been from the US, another third from Germany, and all but a handful of the remaining third coming from nations in Europe. The new vessel has the capacity to carry up to a total of 1,120 passengers to that region during the coming 2002-03 austral summer.
Society Expeditions is one of the seven companies that established IAATO in 1991.
Society Expeditions invited ANAN researcher-writer Martin Betts to take part in the Australian sector of World Discoverer's inaugural voyage (from Darwin to Cairns) in order to become familiar with the ship's facilities etc. The cost of air transport and associated expenses involved in travelling between Hobart and Darwin/Cairns were met by Mr Betts.
A video that details this year's ham radio expedition to the South Sandwich Islands on board the 36-m vessel 'Braveheart' was released on 1 May. Despite difficult conditions, a dozen 'hams' from five nations operated for 80 hours on the island of Southern Thule in late January, making over 26,000 contacts with fellow enthusiasts around the world (ANAN-67/03, 27 February 2002).
The video, which is titled 'VP8THU South Sandwich 2002', is believed to be oriented towards people interested in ham radio, although it also shows something of Southern Thule and some of the conditions that the expedition had to contend with whilst there. Its producer is ham James Brooks, a professional film-maker who produced similar features on ham ventures to sub-Antarctic Heard and Campbell Islands late last decade. The film runs for 45 minutes and is available on VHS in either PAL or NTSC formats for $US25, a price that includes priority shipping by air.
Following its time on Southern Thule, the 'Braveheart' expedition travelled to South Georgia where it spent 11 days and logged a further 43,000 contacts, however, the video on that part of the venture is still in production and its release is currently scheduled for mid-August this year.
Further details about 'VP8THU South Sandwich' are available on line at: http://home.pacific.net.sg/~jamesb/vp8thuvideo.htm. The video can also be purchased via e-mail using a credit card at: n0tt@juno.com.
A new book that provides insights into living and working conditions on sub-Antarctic Campbell Island in the last half of the 1950s was released recently.
New Zealand operated a year-round station on the island for many years, its primary role after World War 2 being to conduct meteorological observations. The 250-page publication 'Campbell Island 1955-1956 to 1958-1960', which is described by its publishers as "quirky" and "frank", was written by George Poppleton who lived on the island as expedition leader in 1955, 1959 and 1960.
While the island's natural beauty and wildlife are detailed (the island now has World Heritage status), a key focus of the book is on the people Poppleton spent time with and the day-to-day work and living conditions that were part of that era nearly 50 years ago. The difficulties the men had to contend with, and the ways in which problems encountered were overcome, are described, and information and photographs, 12 pages of which are in colour, are provided on the station as it then was.
The book, whose ISBN is 0-473-07023-5, is available from Jenn Falconer in Wellington, New Zealand, for around $US30, a cost that includes postage. Enquiries about the book can be made via e-mail to: jenifa@paradise.net.nz.
COMING EVENTS RELEVANT TO NON-GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES
[ANAN-72/06]
Please forward notice of events via e-mail to: tourism@aad.gov.au. Up-dates are made to ANAN's web site at http://www.antdiv.gov.au/goingsouth/tourism/Research/BibConf/Confer/default.asp as soon as new information comes to hand.
YEAR 2002
1-5 July (Cambridge, U.K.)
IAATO year 2002 annual meeting.
Contact: iaato@iaato.org (Denise Landau)(invitation required).
15-19 July (Shanghai, China)
COMNAP XIV (including the sub-committee on Tourism and Non-Government Operations).
Contact: jsayers@comnap.aq (Jack Sayers).
15-26 July (Shanghai, China).
XXVII SCAR (Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research).
10-20 September (Warsaw, Poland)
Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting XXV
YEAR 2003
4-11 January (South Geographic Pole)
High Plateau Marathon (ANAN-65/02, 30 January 2002).
Contact: general@adventure-network.com
3 March (King George Island, Antarctica)
Sixth Antarctic Marathon and Half Marathon (ANAN-68/09, 13 March 2002).
Contact: marathon@shore.net (Thom Gilligan).
July [Dates to be set] (Seattle, United States).
IAATO year 2003 annual meeting.
Contact: iaato@iaato.org (Denise Landau)(invitation required).
24 November (Queen Mary and Dronning Maud Land regions).
Total solar eclipse (See ANAN-61/09, 5 December 2001).
Next edition issued on Wednesday, 22 May 2002 @ 0600 UTC.
Deadline for items: Sunday, 19 May 2002 @ 2359 UTC.
ANTARCTIC NON-GOVERNMENT ACTIVITY NEWS (ANAN)
IN READING PLEASE NOTE: This newsletter is produced in the interest of improved information sharing in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic community. Inclusion of information in it should not be taken to imply endorsement, by the publishers of ANAN News, of any company, program or associated activity that is listed, nor that the activity has necessarily completed all environmental impact assessments required under the legislation of the 'home' nation concerned.
Links provided in ANAN stories are working at the time of first publication.
AVAILABLE ON LINE TWENTY-FOUR HOURS A DAY:
ANAN archive (including this issue with its built in links):
http://www.antdiv.gov.au/goingsouth/tourism/News/default.asp
Coming events related to non-governmental activity:
http://www.antdiv.gov.au/goingsouth/tourism/Research/BibConf/Confer/default.asp
Links to tourist industry web sites:
http://www.antdiv.gov.au/goingsouth/tourism/Industry/default.asp
EDITOR: Dave Moser (David.Moser@aad.gov.au).
POSTAL: Australian Antarctic Division, Kingston, Tasmania, Australia 7054
TELEPHONE: +61-3-6232-3347 (2200-0600 UTC).
FACSIMILE: +61-3-6232-3357.
RESEARCH/WRITING: Martin Betts (Martin.Betts@aad.gov.au)
TELEPHONE/FACSIMILE: +61-3-6267-4790 (2200-1100 UTC).
FACSIMILE: +61-3-6232-3500.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2002
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