A floating university
Gazing over the ocean into the distant horizon, it’s easy to appreciate what the first explorers must have felt when they travelled around the globe by sailing ship in search of new lands. The vast expanse of blue water, the weeks on end without any visible sign of life, the uncertainty of where exactly you are in the world and what you might find when you reach land, the endless meals of minced meat and potatoes…
Some of you may know about my recent adventure on the Akademik Tryoshnikov, a scientific research vessel set to complete a circumnavigation of Antarctica over the next few months. A unique endeavour, the Antarctic Circumpolar Expedition (ACE) is the pioneer project of the Swiss Polar Institute, and includes 22 research projects conducted over four months on a voyage around the Southern Ocean, with stops on both the Antarctic mainland and several sub-Antarctic islands.
I was one of 49 lucky students from around the world chosen to join the voyage in Bremerhaven, Germany, and spend almost four weeks sailing to Cape Town, where the ship would commence its Antarctic expedition. Whilst onboard, the students participated in a maritime university, designed to give us practical experience in ship-based marine research and a better understanding of oceanography and atmospheric science.
I must admit I felt completely out of place when I first arrived at the ship, which was berthed in the port of Bremerhaven in a particularly industrial-looking area. After over 30 hours of travel, which included planes, trains and automobiles, I was not feeling at my sharpest and was a bit hesitant to climb aboard the big orange rust-bucket. After aimlessly wandering around the main deck and attempting to ask directions from the crew without knowing a word of German or Russian, I finally found the ACE team – I had made it!
More and more students arrived over the next couple of days and we had a bit of time to explore Bremerhaven, including a visit to the Alfred Wegner Institute (a centre dedicated to polar research) and an amazing dinner at one of the local restaurants. And then one evening, just before midnight, we were off – escorted out of port by a pilot boat whilst being serenaded with the enthusiastic musical stylings of the Bremerhaven sea shanty choir.
This is when the first reality of life at sea set in as we sailed through storm Angus. Everything that wasn't tied down suddenly began to defy the laws of gravity and there was a distinct green tinge to most of the passengers. It was a pretty quiet couple of days until we reached port in Southampton, where we loaded the helicopters and some additional equipment. The students used this time wisely to enjoy one last evening at the pub in preparation for what would be a very dry three weeks at sea.
After leaving behind dry land (and beer!) for a second time, we settled quickly into daily life on the ship, which usually went something like this:
Wake up in tiny cubby-hole bed and peek out through the curtains. Check porthole for any sign of life/land/boat/animal/object other than the ocean (OMG-it’s-a-floating-thing!-oh-wait-no-just-light-reflecting-on-the-water). Head to the gym to stretch and do a quick run on the treadmill, try not to fall off when the ship lurches violently from side to side. Have a quick wash in the tiny shower cubicle and cover the entire bathroom floor in an inch of water. Arrive at breakfast only to find some form of gruel (yet again) and end up eating air-dried bread with cheese and HP sauce. And instant coffee. Grab notebook and head to lectures on oceanography and instrumentation, making sure to eat plenty of biscuits. Then do a spot of dolphin-watching out on deck before heading back to the mess hall at 11.30am for lunch.
Try to guess what form the hunk of minced meat will be shaped into
today, whether the chef has miraculously discovered a herb other than dill, and whether the potatoes will be boiled in water or oil. Oh let’s face it, it’s gonna be oil. Smother everything in mayo and hot sauce, and wish for the thousandth time there was a fresh vegetable of some kind on board the ship. Wonder where they found the cucumber that suddenly appeared after 3 weeks at sea… did it roll out from behind the fridge? Wash everything down with a glass or two of prune juice, then head up to the helideck.
Catch a few rays, read a book or do a few laps for exercise (I swear my right leg is now longer than my left…). Spend 45 minutes trying to send a one-line message over the internet before giving up and heading to the afternoon's lectures.
Stay tuned for part 2, coming soon...