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SWITCHING FROM OIL TO WIND POWER

While guiding on a cruise ship to Antarctica in 2003, the sight of a small yacht made me think about the impact of an icebreaker with about a hundred tourists on board. I envied the liberty the little yacht offered. The crew was not on board, and when I asked at Port Lockroy where they had gone I was told that they were climbing ‘up high’. That was it! The maximum time I could spend on a cruise ship landing was a morning or afternoon. I wanted more freedom, and more time.

Four years later, I found myself en route to the Antarctic leading a seven-man crew on board the Euronav Belgica, a specially outfitted 47-foot steel yacht. To generate maximum attention for the white continent during International Polar Year I planned to re-enact the 20 landings executed by the Belgica, the ship led by Captain de Gerlache who had invited Roald Amundsen and Frederick Cook on board in 1897–98, and carry out a comparative meteorological comparison.

Apart from the potential for adventure in an independent schedule, the ‘pure’ aspect also made perfect sense. If you're planning a trip to Antarctica, it using wind power is much more environmentally friendly. A yacht does have an engine and waste water but with the will to minimise our impact, huge steps towards minimal consumption and ‘greening’ our activities could be made.