A few hectic days alongside Ushuaia pier, previous to departing for a trip like the one we are about to undertake, are necessary to prepare the ship and get everything ready. With a total of 52 days ahead of us, sailing all the way along the South Atlantic from South America to South Africa, the Bark Europa needs the work and care of the good and dedicated crew to get ready. Provisions for the whole length of the voyage must be loaded. Some sails must be stitched after being torn by the strong winds experienced during the last Antarctic trip; the same conditions that we are about to endure
ourselves on our epic journey visiting Antarctica, South Georgia, Tristan da Cunha and finally mooring at Cape Town. Also the standing rig require attention to guarantee a safe and enjoyable sailing during the upcoming adventurous trip. Preparing cabins and bunks and the never-ending duty of cleaning, are other tasks to be taken care-of before we could all embark. That swirl of activity and preparations kept everyone from the crew busy, looking forward the upcoming long journeys at sea. And finally, before all the new Voyage-crew board the ship, the Europa team had succeeded in getting all ready and finding a place for everything, though not without some difficulty, for the quantity of the stores which have to be packed was massive, but necessary for our new adventure. During the last decades, Bark Europa has earned the nickname of Ocean Wanderer, being at sea almost all year round offering sail-training through her different sort of trips. In the northern summer she sails Tall Ship Races and crosses Oceans, while during winter, regularly she offers the fantastic experience of visiting Antarctica. The current proposed voyage offers an unmatched combination of the two latter ones: crossing the cold and rough South Atlantic while visiting the icy Antarctica shores, South Georgia with its beaches teeming with wildlife, and hikes over its mountainous landscapes, and paying a visit to Tristan da Cunha, known to be the remotest inhabited island in the world.