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On our way
November 29th - Day 1
The MV Arctic Sunrise,
docked in Capetown,
South Africa. |
First impressions are always important, especially when you're going to be spending the next few months with someone. I met 27 strangers, and three old friends, last week who I'll be working and living with on a ship that will be at sea for months.
I don't know any of them yet, but I'm sure that by the end of the trip I will.
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So far though, it's been work, work, work getting the ship and all aboard ready to go.
The engineers have to test all the ship's systems (main and backup). Things like the steering control, emergency equipment and the sanitation system.
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Mehdi checks the Hurricane. |
Supplies have to be brought on board. Spare parts for anything important, rope, towels, a new helicopter blade, some new life jackets to replace worn out ones, extra tooth brushes, speed boat parts, paint - anything you might need you have to bring because there's no corner store where we're going.
A security guard helps Duygu load supplies. |
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Then there's the food, of course. Half a ton of potatoes, half ton of flour, 60 liters of special long life milk and 2,000 eggs - to name just a few items. Amanda and Jim (the cooks) were careful to buy as much organic and GMO free foods as they could, which meant mostly buying mostly raw materials instead of prepared foods.
Clive, the ship's doctor, insists on one more precaution before setting out. Blood samples are taken from everyone, and the usual blood typing and screening tests are run for each of us. This is standard procedure for expeditions to remote places. There are no blood banks so we need to be ready to take care of each other, which includes blood transfusions.
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Then with everything on board, and the deck hands still madly lashing it all down, we're off. Land recedes into the distance, and disappears overnight. It'll be a weeks or months before we even come within sight of it again. Till then, it's the beautiful blue of the ocean in all directions.
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Eva and Yuko taking a last look at
land. This is their first time at sea. |
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