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The Stranding of the MV Shokalskiy

88 points by myth_drannon 7y ago

cardiffspaceman 7y ago
The Antarctic continent as a whole has a range of possibilities for the traveler. I was there in January on a "regular cruise ship" (Celebrity Eclipse) that passed along the West coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. Muster drill on the first day (sailing out of Buenos Aires) had a different feature, an explanation of the special evacuation gear that would be available in case we had an extremely sudden need to stay warm outdoors. We did not get out of the ship in Antarctica, because the conservation group that regulates this rules that ships the size of Eclipse cannot disembark passengers onto Antarctica. One can always choose cruises from several other cruise lines that have ca 200 passenger capacity. These ships drop anchor and allow passengers to kayak over, or else take a leisurely Zodiac ride. There might even be a polar plunge. And finally, there are a handful, or more, Russian-made and Russian-crewed ships available which range to the other shores besides the ostensibly friendly Peninsular coast. One or two of these has a small hangar for really small helicopters. I could provide more detail but I'm not a travel agent and what I want to do is give an idea of how "normal" it is to go to Antarctica and do your wedding on an ice floe. This research expedition cruise was not the normal deal in the tourism industry.
gambiting 7y ago
That was a fascinating read, thanks for sharing. It's nice to be reminded that even though the entire world feels accessible, there are still wild places where you can die not due to violence from other people but just because the harshness of the environment.
- LeifCarrotson 7y ago
  That's surprising? I was more surprised that anyone had the audacity to bring their children to the place, or that an elderly, limited mobility retiree would think it would be a good idea to go sightseeing there. Remember, the thing that makes this place memorable is the epic, heroic struggle of the men who, one century ago, had to eat every calorie contained in their sled dogs to avoid starvation, and two of those three did not survive. Humans are fragile, tiny, sensitive, and weak. We're good at building safe habitats for ourselves, but outside of those prepared environments the universe is not safe.
  - idlewords 7y ago
    Most of the people who go on sea voyages to this side of Antarctica are retirees (because it's expensive and you need five or six weeks of free time), and they do perfectly well for themselves. The physically hardest thing about modern Antarctic travel is Zodiac landings. My issue with bringing kids is more about their inability to consensually weigh the risks than their physical capacity.
- Cthulhu_ 7y ago
  You don't have to travel far for that; remember, you can drown in just an inch of water, or die just from sitting outside in last week's summer weather for too long.
thinkingkong 7y ago
Just finished reading “Endurance” for the first time. If this is appealing to you Id highly suggest grabbing a copy.

88 points by myth_drannon 7y ago

The Antarctic continent as a whole has a range of possibilities for the traveler. I was there in January on a "regular cruise ship" (Celebrity Eclipse) that passed along the West coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. Muster drill on the first day (sailing out of Buenos Aires) had a different feature, an explanation of the special evacuation gear that would be available in case we had an extremely sudden need to stay warm outdoors. We did not get out of the ship in Antarctica, because the conservation group that regulates this rules that ships the size of Eclipse cannot disembark passengers onto Antarctica. One can always choose cruises from several other cruise lines that have ca 200 passenger capacity. These ships drop anchor and allow passengers to kayak over, or else take a leisurely Zodiac ride. There might even be a polar plunge. And finally, there are a handful, or more, Russian-made and Russian-crewed ships available which range to the other shores besides the ostensibly friendly Peninsular coast. One or two of these has a small hangar for really small helicopters. I could provide more detail but I'm not a travel agent and what I want to do is give an idea of how "normal" it is to go to Antarctica and do your wedding on an ice floe. This research expedition cruise was not the normal deal in the tourism industry.

gambiting 7y ago

That was a fascinating read, thanks for sharing. It's nice to be reminded that even though the entire world feels accessible, there are still wild places where you can die not due to violence from other people but just because the harshness of the environment.

LeifCarrotson 7y ago
That's surprising? I was more surprised that anyone had the audacity to bring their children to the place, or that an elderly, limited mobility retiree would think it would be a good idea to go sightseeing there. Remember, the thing that makes this place memorable is the epic, heroic struggle of the men who, one century ago, had to eat every calorie contained in their sled dogs to avoid starvation, and two of those three did not survive. Humans are fragile, tiny, sensitive, and weak. We're good at building safe habitats for ourselves, but outside of those prepared environments the universe is not safe.
- idlewords 7y ago
  Most of the people who go on sea voyages to this side of Antarctica are retirees (because it's expensive and you need five or six weeks of free time), and they do perfectly well for themselves. The physically hardest thing about modern Antarctic travel is Zodiac landings. My issue with bringing kids is more about their inability to consensually weigh the risks than their physical capacity.
Cthulhu_ 7y ago
You don't have to travel far for that; remember, you can drown in just an inch of water, or die just from sitting outside in last week's summer weather for too long.

thinkingkong 7y ago

Just finished reading “Endurance” for the first time. If this is appealing to you Id highly suggest grabbing a copy.