WELCOME ON BOARD

7th February 2018 USHUAIA - WELCOME ON BOARDMany hours or even full days of travel brought us to converge in theBark Europa, from the four different corners of the world. The crew andthe ship, quietly moored alongside Ushuaia harbour, was ready to welcomeus on board in the afternoon, even though many already drop theirluggage during the morning.Coffee, tea and some sweet treats were ready for us to enjoy as weboarded and got to start knowing each other. The passion for photographyand the willing to explore Antarctica, the last wilderness expanse onearth, acted as a sort of invisible thread tying us together, framed inthe incomparable setup of the Bark Europa.While a cacophony of languages resonate on deck, as 14 nationalitieswill compose the total crew for the upcoming trip, we were called to theship’s library for the official check-in.Many ideas, plans and hopes were shared already during this firstexciting encounter with the fellow travel mates for the trip and itsconductors: the captain and his crew, guides and specially selectedphotography and videography team.Soon our captain Eric called everybody on deck, introducing crew,general idea of the trip and some basic safety topics, followed by ourfirst dinner on board.Daily schedule was not over yet, some more information and preparationsfor the journey had still to be done before we could have the night offin Ushuaia as Europa spends the night alongside, planning to undo ourmoorings in the early morning.Our guides, led by Jordi, gathered all of us to start familiarisingeverybody with the ship and our duties board, while the crew led by ourbosun Dan gave some rope handling explanations on deck as well, hithertomaking us realise the effort that takes to put together a sailing tripof those characteristics, in a 1911 built Tall Ship.On a journey of the kind we are about to endure, all orbits aroundbuilding a sail training program, gaining history, wildlife and polarsystems knowledge, sail and enjoy. All while developing and training ourpassion for wilderness and the ways to photograph and film it, in acombined effort of everybody on board to make an unforgettable trip toAntarctica.