Welcome on board
Alongside Ushuaia Harbour A handful of days had passed since Bark Europa safely reached the port of Ushuaia after her last trip to Antarctica. A time for preparations for her upcoming voyage. It will not be until the last week of April that she plans to do her moorings again. By then, she will be on the opposite side of the Atlantic Ocean, in Namibia.
Almost 60 days to shift and adapt to life at sea aboard a classic Tall Ship, with an intended sailing route to bring us all off the beaten track. First, south to the Antarctic lands that she knows well, then along the Scotia Sea to the bountiful South Georgia. From there, still a large extent of the South Atlantic ahead will lead her to sail by the remotest inhabited island on the planet, Tristan da Cunha. The African coast of Namibia represents the end of this journey before she resumes her way again. More oceans to cross, maintenance in shipyards, and Tall Ship events will follow.
Venturing into the Southern Ocean, we will have time for learning the ship’s ropes, sails, and ways to face the winds and swells under the instructions of the captain and her crew. Reaching remote lands, we will seek the chances to set foot on them, soak into their landscapes, and enjoy their wildlife, all along a wide range of the world’s climate zones.
But first things first, today was the day when Europa welcomed her new complement aboard. Larger ships with some similar destinations come and go from the busy harbour. Thousands upon thousands of people visit the Antarctic regions every year, but not many are up for the close contact with the seas and winds, the length of Europa’s voyages, and her ways in the ocean and the remote areas she tries to visit.
For the moment, she will take it easy, spending the first night in Ushuaia, planning her departure for tomorrow morning. A time for starting to get acquainted with each other and the ship, settling into our cabins, attending the first briefings, and preparing for the set of instructions scheduled for the first bit of calmer waters along the Beagle Channel before hitting the open ocean waters of the Drake Passage.