Captain’s Report

At the moment, we have been at sea for nearly three weeks, and now we are getting closer to Ushuaia every day, with less than one thousand nautical miles to go. In Ushuaia, we will pick up eleven additional crew members and have fresh produce delivered for the galley.

In the first weeks of this transit, we had good weather and calm seas, but as we ventured more south and further into the Southern Ocean, the weather changed. This area below sixty degrees south, also known as the screaming sixties, is famous for its frigid winds that create towering waves.

With a big storm approaching, the crew prepares the vessel as good they can to be ready for events to come. The Allankay is a former fishing vessel built in Norway and designed for the Artic and Antarctic waters. The vessel has a strong ice classed hull and a high bow that rides the massive seas of the Southern Ocean very well. Life on board sometimes is far from comfortable, but we know and trust that the Allankay will bring us safely to our destination.

Despite the harsh conditions and sea sickness, we do enjoy all the beauty surrounding us, icebergs in all shapes and sizes, hourglass dolphins, albatrosses and many other sea birds. Even the big swells are impressive to watch and with the decks covered in snow, this gives a very special scenery, moments like this let’s us realize why we are here onboard this ship and makes us even more determined to keep up the fight to save the ocean.

Soon, we will pass Cape Horn, another milestone of this voyage. Passing a cape is always a special moment, but passing the most famous cape off all is an extraordinary moment.

Soon, we will approach Ushuaia, and this part of the voyage will come to an end.

Captain Bart Schulting,
M/V Allankay, Sea Shepherd Global