On Board the Golden Fleece

 

So this is for real. I was actually going to set off, and wouldn't see any land for at least 4 days. This was pretty hard core for someone whose only sailing experiences were the Thames Clipper and Hong Kong's Star Ferry, neither of which lasts for more than 15 minutes. Rumour has it that the Southern Ocean has the strongest currents and the biggest swells in the world. Without any land breaking things up a little, I'd say that's more fact than rumour. Not being able to swim didn't really bother me either - it wouldn't make much difference if one was to fall overboard in this part of the world.

Customs, check (oh yes, another stamp in my passport); Captains briefing, check; last dinner without any rocking, check. By 2200 FLST Feb 9th 2013 we were finally off, after months of preparation and anticipation. The Golden Fleece departed Stanley harbour and was set on a course for South Georgia and ultimately, Antarctica. A mix of excitement and apprehension ran through me throughout the evening.

I slept pretty badly on the first night. There's no where on the boat to escape the engine noise, there's definitely no where on the boat to escape the swaying and rocking, but I did learn to get used to both over time. I shared my cabin with Simon, with him taking the upper berth. This really worked out in my favour actually - climbing into bed proved quite an exercise on some days when the boat was riding 8m swells (climbing out was even more of a challenge). The berth itself is quite narrow as you are trapped by a plank of wood. The crew explained that narrower is better, as there is less chance of rolling off when it got rough. Fair play, I wasn't going to argue, and I soon found he was quite right.

Apart from the cabins below the deck, there are also the lounge, the kitchen, the engine room and the crew's cabin. The lounge had two fairly comprehensive shelves full of books of Antarctica and photo albums, as well as a TV, and cupboards full of wine, liqueur and whiskey. Over the course of the four weeks I would come to realise that the books were either written/co-authored by the Captain's family, or were given to him by the people he took to South Georgia and Antarctica, including Sir David Attenborough, the BBC crews that were sent to film for Planet Earth and Frozen Planet, and numerous wildlife researchers and specialists.

 

On board the Fleece were Simon, Andy, Eric, James, Achut (all fellow explorers), Jerome (Captain), Fabian (Jerome's brother), Charlotte (Fabian's wife, our cook) and Yohan (a young Frenchman). All amazing people with incredible stories, the Captain and the crew really deserve a whole chapter to themselves.
 

Some house (or boat) rules: 

1. Clean and wash up after yourself, especially the breadcrumbs left on the oil stove after you've made toast. There's a "crumbwing" that is made from what appeared to be a South American tern, to be used for brushing crumbs off the stove. Offenders (i.e. forgetful slackers) dealt with severely. Don't say you haven't been warned.
2. Pull the toilet lever at least 15 times whether you had a number 1 or 2 (it works on a vacuum system.
3. Conserve water. Jerome suggested taking a shower once every 2-3 days; my initial reaction was year right, it's going to be max 2 days; it ended up being on average every 4 days, with the longest being 6 days. 
4. Oh and close and lock all the cupboards after each use, so things like knives don't go flying when the boat starts rocking. Easy.

  
One rule I learned quite quickly (in fact only day 3 into the charter): don't break any of the mugs (as there are only a limited number), even if you're diligently taking it back to the kitchen to wash up, losing balance on the way and performing a full body slam sideways against the guy sat on the other side of the lounge (sorry Eric, again). Not so easy.

Living on the Fleece was definitely an experience I'm not going to forget any time soon. When I saw the Hans Hansson prior to departure, I actually (and stupidly) thought I was cut a raw deal - the Hans was a lot more spacious, looked a lot cleaner and more modern. Again, how wrong was I. The Fleece, as I came to learn over 4 weeks, is a beautiful ship. It is much more homely, has a lot more character and has many more stories to tell. The lesser space also worked well when the sea was rough, and the two masts and sails are just beautiful. Sailing in a smaller boat and having fewer passengers (compared not only to the Hans but also to the standard cruise ships) meant one thing: we were far more flexible and had opportunities that most Antarctic visitors didn't (again, these highlights deserve another chapter in their own right!)

Going to Antarctica was a trip of a lifetime, but to have Jerome as the Captain and sailing there in the Fleece was truly an exceptional opportunity that doesn't come by every day. It definitely added a whole new dimension to the expedition which certainly will not be forgotten (except for not showering for 6 days).

The Golden Fleece