We’re flying out today from Punta Arenas to the Falkland Islands to meet our ship, the Vavilov. It’s an active Russian hydro-acoustic research ship that’s leased out to OneOcean Expeditions in the tourist seasons for Arctic and Antarctic cruises. 

Unsurprisingly it’s not a particularly luxurious ship, but this is an expedition, not a Caribbean vay-cay so we’re thrilled that it’s one of the most stable ships out there and we’re interested in what’s outside the ship, not necessarily what’s in. And what’s outside? Penguins, all different kinds of penguins; elephant seals; fur seals; whales; orcas; albatross; icebergs; glaciers; mountains; abandoned whaling stations; following the voyage of Shackleton; and ANTARCTICA, to name a few.  Onboard we’ll have scientists, ornithologists, photo experts, arctic veterans, historians, etc. giving lectures on all that we can expect to see and experience on our 18 day trip.  It should be fantastic!  Unfortunately there’s no wi-fi onboard so my blogging will have to wait till after the voyage is over, so check back here around December 8th!!