why small cruiseships have no business crossing the Drake Passage

[c.captain]

Any seafarer can see that this class of small yacht style cruise vessel has absolutely no business whatsoever venturing into Antarctic waters...this class was built for Renaissance Cruises to be in the Med and Caribbean, NOT the Antarctic! You need a proper ship to cross the Drake Passage even during the Southern Hemisphere summer. Can you imagine how she would be riding if it was a stern sea with that flat transom? It boggles the imagination when you realize that the great power of the universe allowed one main to stay running! If not, she'd have capsized and gone down for sure once they went broadside to and nobody would have survived. Do passengers to Antarctica get training in donning survival suits? Hey should!

What are these people thinking? The shipowners, not the passengers and crew...the passengers and crew were all thinking they are going to DIE!

Time for new IMO Regulations governing passenger vessels sailing to extreme environments.

Also note that the video says the Shetland Islands when in fact they are the South Shetland Islands...totally different hemispheres.

[Boatahaulic]

I'm with you C.Captain and those seas are not so bad either! Like you say if she was stern too she would have been in big trouble. I've been down there on an Ice Breaker and it's a dangerous place and you better be prepared!

[Colin]

In your message you do confine your comments to this class, I would beg to differ with your subject line. Small ships are are only vessels that are appropriate for cruising in Antarctica, they of course need to to be seaworthy vessels but size is not the issue. I have no opinion on this vessel as I have no experience or knowledge about her (other then she looks like a floating condo building), but I have seen many vessels in Antarctica that were inappropriate and the big ones are certainly the worst. Some of the yachts (that thing is no yacht) count among the most seaworthy vessels down there.

[c.captain]

In your message you do confine your comments to this class, I would beg to differ with your subject line. Small ships are are only vessels that are appropriate for cruising in Antarctica, they of course need to to be seaworthy vessels but size is not the issue. I have no opinion on this vessel as I have no experience or knowledge about her (other then she looks like a floating condo building), but I have seen many vessels in Antarctica that were inappropriate and the big ones are certainly the worst. Some of the yachts (that thing is no yacht) count among the most seaworthy vessels down there.

You are certainly right Colin...a small seaworthy ship designed for the Antarctic is safe but Clelia II is not one of those vessels and as such has no business whatsoever to be down there. You are also right that very large cruiseships have no business in Antarctica either. There are not nearly enought rescue resources available should one get into trouble. I haven't checked recently what the IAATO has developed with ship protocals for their members to follow but I think it has included limiting the number of passengers a ship can carry when sailing to the Antarctic. I am not sure what has been decided about what level of ice class is required? Obviously, the Clelia II has none so shipowners are becoming negligent in the ships they are sending to the south.

[beach1]

My understanding is that this loss of power was due to pilot house window breakage resulting in electronic control loss.
Are controls not available in the engine room?

[Lazer_one]

I am a follower of the blog and this is my first post in the forum.
I cruised 3 times from Hobart down to Dumond D'Urville (French Antarctica about 66°S) and return on board of L'Astrolabe: she is a 68 m s/v with all the modififcation to be an Ice class vessel.
By the way the main issue isn't ice but the rough sea between Tasmania and Antarctica: I still remember how much she was "jumping" within 10-15 m waves (as evaluated by the Captain).
Since a while antarctica becomes an attraction and several proposals are available. The ships are ranging from the quite hugly russian IB like Kaptain Klebnikhov to luxury cruisers but the main issue is not the Ice class of the ship but how she can sustain strong seas (with strong winds).

PS: I am curious to know on which IB was Boatahalic...

[cappy208]

Just curious.... what was in the wrapped package they were sending over on the messenger? Diesel injectors? I am curious what could have disabled the engine, and what it was that a company shortchanged (on routine supplies, normal stocks of onboard parts and consumables?)

[LJ63]

The package was a mobile Iridium phone. The Clelia II's Iridium prepaid phones were out of credits! And Inmarsat doesn't work (properly) in those areas.

[seadog6608]

The Clelia was just cruising around the Great Lakes this summer. If the C II is like the Clelia, I wouldn't want to be in Antarctic waters on her.