Preparing the Malizia Explorer for Antarctica
The team onboard Malizia Explorer is busily preparing for their first major mission to Antarctica, set to begin in November. Door to door, each of the four missions scheduled between November and March will take just under a month to complete.
The team onboard Malizia Explorer is busily preparing for their first major mission to Antarctica, set to begin in November. Door to door, each of the four missions scheduled between November and March will take just under a month to complete.
But the mission doesn’t begin the day the yacht sets sail - it starts months earlier. Every detail must be planned meticulously to ensure nothing is forgotten before venturing south into this exciting frozen world.
Getting the Boat Shipshape
To prepare Malizia Explorer for the months at sea, the crew will be dedicating a full month to maintenance and upgrades. During this period, they’ll become true jacks of all trades, acting as technicians, boat builders, logisticians, provisioners and more.
Even missions to temperate climates require careful preparation, but expeditions to the frozen continent demand an entirely new level of consideration.
Getting the Boat Shipshape
Something that didn’t particularly bother the crew during their endless summer in Cabo Verde, across the Atlantic and in Brazil were small leaks in the windows. In Antarctica, however, that’s far less tolerable.
So, the team has been sealing every hole and gap around the windows, which may be a reassuring thought for any scientists reading this and soon joining the expedition. As Captain Jo commented, “We have a dry boat now.”
There was also discussion about reinforcing the windows with double glazing. In the end, the team decided against it, not because the temperatures won’t drop into the negatives, but because in the Antarctic summer, the wind can die down, the sun can shine brightly, and it can actually get warm enough to open the windows!
That’s especially important when up to 14 people may be below deck at any given time.
Heating things up!
Another major project has been the installation of a centralized heating system, which is a welcome comfort for the cold days ahead. Installing it, however, wasn’t entirely comfortable for the crew. After spending days sealing leaks and closing holes, they suddenly found themselves drilling new ones again to fit the exhaust system and other components.
Long story short: the heater is now installed and Captain Jo is already testing it as he’s moved back onboard, after a few nights on land.
Safety and comfort in a windy world
The Antarctic is the windiest continent on Earth, with gusts regularly exceeding 100 mph. While Malizia Explorer knows where to find shelter when needed, calm nights will be rare. To ensure everyone can sleep safely and comfortably, the crew is replacing the traditional lee cloths with sturdier lee boards, essentially solid barriers that create a “hard shoulder” to keep the crew snug and secure in their bunks, even when the boat heels over.
This is just a short snapshot into the last week of work onboard the Malizia Explorer and as departure approaches, the team continues to fine-tune every detail, from comfort and safety to science and logistics, all in preparation for an unforgettable series of voyages into the most extreme environment on the planet.
