We’ve all been there. Packing to go away, often on holiday, and realising that the list of things you need already far exceeds your precious luggage allowance, let alone the capacity of the bags themselves. Normally this stressful experience is diffused by a cup of tea and the descending logic that your destination is (usually) a warm climate and if pushed you could survive with just a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, some flip flops and your bank card. However, when your destination is not a fixed geographical point but a journey, by an unusual mode of transport and with some interesting activities along the way even a cup of tea seems to do little to help. Still, it is a good excuse to drink plenty of tea.
Next week I will be departing for Germany to join the research vessel Akademik Treshnikov for a journey down to South Africa. I will be making this journey as part of the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE) created by the Swiss Polar Institute with the support of Ferring Pharmaceuticals. Whilst the Akademik Treshnikov will go on to make an exciting three leg journey around Antarctica, I will only be joining the ship as far as South Africa. My reason for doing so is to be a part of the ACE Maritime University which is organized under the auspices of the Russian Geographic Society in order to broaden the scope of ACE and inspire a new generation of scientists.
The ACE Maritime University will host 50 postgraduate students from 10 different countries. Whilst onboard we will be following a fairly intensive schedule of lectures, workshops and practical training in many aspects of oceanography. With access to state of the art equipment and scientists who are leaders in their field I’m sure that the Maritime University will not only be an experience of a lifetime but incredibly educational and inspiring too. One aspect of the trip that I’m particularly looking forward to is meeting all the other people onboard. I believe that having such a diverse group of people can only be a good thing; I’m sure I will learn so much about the world and make some friends for life. A second aspect I am especially looking forward to, albeit slightly nervously, is the Equator crossing ceremony. This is something I have always wanted to experience and I’m sure it will be good fun. Most of all though I am looking forward to learning. With such a diverse and broad range of subjects planned to be covered in the Maritime University programme I’m sure it will be brilliant.
So how is my packing actually going? So to explain this let me first outline that I have only two bags – a 25 litre daysack and a 90 litre expedition duffel bag (oh and only a standard 23kg baggage allowance for my flights). Being part of the ACE Maritime University will involve travelling from the depths of European winter (read: I will need plenty of warm clothing) to the height of South African summer (read: I will need warm weather clothing). Our activities will be considerably varied too; from a reception hosted by the Swiss Ambassador in Germany (read: smart outfit required) to deckwork whilst at sea (read: wet weather gear and safety equipment needed) it suffices to say that if anybody has Mary Poppin’s handbag or Doctor Who’s Tardis going spare I would be most grateful. Please follow my twitter feed to stay up to date with my experience of the ACE Maritime University.
Dr. Daniel M Moore 