Our captain, Oliver Kreuss, is a very talented, experienced European mariner with an affinity for the sea and all things ice. He’s made the expedition incredibly enjoyable, as he has an open bridge policy (i.e., we can visit him and his crew anytime). It’s fascinating to review his charts, electronic gizmos, sonar, GPS, etc. If it gets too cold on the bow, we are welcome to sit on the bridge and watch the horizon for wildlife.
What makes this experience unique is that the staff/crew are enjoying the trip just as much, if not more, than the passengers. This is also true for our captain. He gently maneuvers our 293-foot vessel into narrow channels, lightly kisses glaciers with the bow, and gracefully backed our ship right next to Point wild on Elephant Island. The other day I was alone on the bow, and out he came in his short-sleeve shirt…he was extremely excited. He pointed out two fin whales on our port side, and exclaimed, “They are racing with the ship!” He also has a great sense of humor. One day, one of my fellow passengers was visiting the bridge. He asked her if she’d like to steer the ship. Yes, of course, she would. He brought her over to the steering wheel. When she gripped the wheel, it fell off and landed on the floor. She was completely freaked out, but the captain and crew burst out laughing. The joke was on her! The ship is not controlled by a steering wheel, but by electronic controls. Anyway…
Captain Kreuss felt it was important to brief us this evening regarding an expedition ship that went aground in Antarctica a few days ago. It was in a bay that was very shallow and it ran aground. Three high tides later, the ship is freed and now on its way to Ushuaia, Argentina. Our ship, The Endeavour, is shipshape!
Captain Kreuss was also excited about our going ashore at Point Rosa earlier today. He has captained 85 trips to Antarctica, many of which included South Georgia Island. He had attempted landings at Point Rosa only three times (including our visit), and today was the first time, in his experience, a landing was made. He was very excited, as was all of the crew and passengers. Truly a very special day.
I can only echo one of the other comments ... Gail, Anna, and I are enjoying Antarctica and learning so much through your blog. Pace and I agreed that going to your blog was one of the first things to do in the morning! It's like a birthday or Christmas when you are a kid ... you never know what gift you are going to receive. We are so glad you are enjoying the crew (even though they put you in danger by taking you places they have never gone before), fellow passengers (even if they try to ruin the trip by ripping the steering wheel off), scenery (even though the sun tries to blind you with color), and wildlife (as they try to destroy your clothing or make it hard to find a 'non-dropping' place to sit)! Oh, the peril of it all ... Tom
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