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| A Frozen "Wave" |
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Unnamed location. Photographer's name unknown.
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Zodiac Shore Landings
As far as I am aware, shore landings by Zodiac rafts are weather dependent. You can sometimes experience 5 different weather patterns in one day. This might mean breakfast is steady, but by morning tea it's too dangerous to launch the rubber duckies (nickname for the Zodiacs). I am hopeful that February is calmer but each season can be cantankerous.
If cruise operators feel that there is danger, they will not launch rafts for shore landings. This is because in rough weather, waves crash over the rubber rafts and there can be a danger the rafts would sink. Oh.
Rubber boots must be disinfected before and after they have been worn on shore to prevent contamination from one land location to another.
Survival gear is taken ashore on every landing. In case of severe weather change the crew is prepared to shelter themselves and the passengers.
IAATO Rules (International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators)
This organization allows only 100 passengers on shore at any time. Weather yet again comes into play. If conditions are not kind and you are not in the first 100 for a shore landing, you might not get to shore. Oh.
I still have all my hopes and dreams and will only give them up if forced to. Besides I have my fingers crossed.
LS
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| Boot Scrubber Box |
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Just insert your boot in the box and rub it back and forth to remove debris picked up walking on the landing area. Disinfectant is applied after debris is removed.
At a landing it is considered polite to clean your boots before entering a building.
AB
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| Lynda Smith with the landing survival gear |
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During every landing survival equipment is brought ashore in the Zodiacs. Just in case the visitors are unable to return to the ship they must be fully prepared to eat and be sheltered over night. Lynda Joy Smith is on shore with the survival gear in the photo above.
AB
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| The Goalie King's "Ice Arena Dome"? |
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Unnamed location. Photographer's name unknown.
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Facts About Antarctica
The Antarctic continent is positioned 90°00' S latitude and 0°00'E longitude
Antarctica is the windiest continent. Katabolic winds have been measured up to 200 MPH
The lowest temperature on earth ever recorded was at the Russian Vostok station in 1983.
It was -89.6 Celsius or -129.28 Fahrenheit.
Antarctica is larger than North America.
Nobody owns Antarctica and no one needs a visa to visit. **
LS
**However there is a King of Antarctica (at least in my book)! AB
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The 2007 Sinking of the MS Explorer & the MS Fram Hits a Glacier in 2008!
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These are the accidents Lynda wrote about in her newspaper article!
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Canadian tour ship, Gap Expedition's MS Explorer, had made many trips at sea. It sank in November 2007 in Antarctic waters during a routine tour, after being holed by pack ice. Luckily the weather was good and all the passengers and crew loaded onto the rubber rafts and were rescued by another tour boat in a nearby area. The MS Explorer rests now in Davy Jones Locker deep in the sea!
My ship, the MS Fram's 2007 Christmas expedition, was brought to an abrupt halt late December, when she lost power for about 4 hours and hit a glacier. One life boat and railing were damaged and once the engines were started again, she returned to Ushuaia for repairs. The MS Fram is a very new ship and was specialty built and reinforced for Arctic and Antarctic travel. It is a rule there must be enough Zodiacs for a full evacuation of passengers and crew to continue a tour. An electrical failure caused the engines to stall. All was repaired by mid January. I have a feeling I will be spending lots of time on deck, glacier spotting!
LS
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| Gap Explorer |
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| MS Fram Damage |
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©2008 Last Update March 2008
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