On the last day at sea, we had the opportunity to take a tour of the entire ship. It seemed strange that we didn’t do the tour on one of the first days at sea, but I guess the staff was just waiting for us to all become experts on the SV! Also in hindsight, I can’t imagine touring the ships interior while crossing the Drake Passage – I’m fairly certain several of us would have left with broken bones. (Side note: one person on board did fracture his ankle or foot towards the end of our trip when going down the stairs to the media room during a rough patch at sea.) Anyway, since I am a complete and total nerd, I really enjoyed the tour of the ship. It’s pretty amazing what takes place several decks down to keep the ship moving. The engineering below the main decks was incredible. My favorite mechanism to learn about was the ballast water stabilization system. I’m giving what is probably the worst explanation of this system but in short, throughout the day thousands of gallons of water are pumped back and forth in the hull to help maneuver and stabilize the ship. Our ship also had external stabilizers. If you’re more interested, Wikipedia of course has a pretty succinct article on ship stability. (I also read that Rolls Royce had a leading role in developing at-rest stabilizing systems for ships- random but interesting fact.)
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| Descending into the lower decks! |
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| Vicky looking stylish during our tour! |
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| Derek showing us the emergency steering wheel. The wheel is located on the main deck and is there in case the electrical steering mechanisms fail. |
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| The emergency steering 'secret cabinet'... |
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| On our way down to the engine room. I have no idea what any of this 'stuff' is! |
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| The mechanism behind the ship's rudder/steering system. |
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| Calm, cool & collected for now... |
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| Vicky communicates and emergency to the captain…. |
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| But all I see is a fashion emergency- the kayak dry suits MUST be redesigned. |
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| Part of the hydraulic system referenced above. |
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| One of the two engines that power the ship. |
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| Closeup of the engine |
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| Another angle of the engines. |
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| This was on top of the engine - I'm not entirely sure of the purpose but it looked cool! |
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| We also had a chance to visit the control room where the engineers and those reporting to the captain explained the old but incredibly reliable computer systems. |
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| I'm just making sure we're on course... |
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| Vicky found a stowaway on board! |
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| Climbing the ladder in the mudroom because…why not! |
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| Vicky makes this look way better than I do! |
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