"The nearest watersports shop is 900 miles away from their home base," explains Captain Kenneth, adding: "And it's not even a good one." On top of that, it would be difficult to find equipment in the right dimensions in a normal accessories shop.
On the "Vinson of Antarctica", everything is a little bit bigger. The reason for his statement is a Rocna anchor, which is still lying in its original packaging in the forepeak, weighing 110 kilograms, and which the visitor has just thundered against with his foot. "It's a spare." I see. A thing like that costs around 5,000 euros.
Wherever you look on the expedition yacht, everything speaks, no, screams one language: remoteness, ice, extreme sailing conditions. This is as good as it is understandable, because their home base is Puerto Williams at the lower end of Chile, the southernmost city in the world. And from there, the voyages go even further south. And apart from the infamous Drake Passage, there is only South Georgia and Antarctica. It's incredibly beautiful there, but also incredibly inhospitable if you're unlucky.
The "Vinson of Antarctica" is made for adventurers
And the "Vinson of Antarctica" not only has to enable owners with endless amounts of time to survive there, it also has to keep to schedules and earn money. She is not a yacht, she is a professional ship. "Scientists, filmmakers and tourists are our target group. Above all, it should be a base for education and research. Ideally, the voyages with paying guests should cover the running costs," reports Skip Novak. The five-time circumnavigator and Whitbread veteran has laid the foundations for this ship, which is called "VoA" by those involved in the project, with his "Pelagic" yachts.
More about expedition yachts:
Novak's experience of travelling to the high latitudes had a significant influence on the design. He was the project manager, he will take over the management of the ship and he convinced the financier in the background to go ahead with the new build. He has not yet seen or sailed his ship. Covid has prevented that.
The expedition yacht is designed for high winds
His eyes and ears on site belong to Captain Kenneth. He has now confirmed the good sailing characteristics. And during the trip on the IJsselmeer, the aluminium hull also shows a thoroughly pleasing side: the "VoA" weathers a fresh 5 Beaufort with full sail in cold blood. Novak says: "Good performance in light winds is one of the hobbyhorses of designers. But we don't attach any importance to that at all. Where we ride, there is either a lot of wind or none at all. And then the engines have to work, because we have a timetable. In this respect, we really had to convince the designer to come up with a ship that doesn't sail particularly well in light winds."
The design is therefore geared towards a lot of wind. Understandable. This is also reflected in the sail plan of the expedition yacht. The sail area is distributed over two masts, as is typical of a schooner, with the carbon stays appearing rather squat. The genoa, jib and cutter are on the front mast. The sail area can therefore be optimally adapted to all conditions.
She weathers the 20 knots on the test day with genoa, main and mizzen. At the helm, it feels as if another ten knots would not cause any problems. However, the mizzen has to be furled to drop. This is somehow pleasing, as it shows that even with a wet weight, i.e. with full tanks, of 65 tonnes, active sailing and sensitive steering are definitely required.
Sailing is fun despite its size
Speaking of steering: Of course, it would have been easy to give the expedition yacht a hydraulic transmission from the wheel to the quadrant. However, the decision was made in favour of a cardan connection. The result: you can feel the boat. No, that's not a typo. Gusts provide pressure, you can luff and climb along the wind edge, not necessarily with agility, but certainly with some pleasure. Driving pleasure in an omnibus - that's unexpected.
Anyone who is not over two metres tall is standing somewhere next to the helm and cannot see anything that is happening in front of the ship. It is not possible to look out over the deck saloon; only the genoa's windward threads are visible. The problem: Captain Kenneth doesn't even reach 1.80 metres. The shipyard helps and welds a platform on which he can stand behind the wheel and see where he is going. Nice.
On the way back to the shipyard, the wind picks up again. The narrow fairway towards Makkum is unsailable in a northerly wind. It is crossed. The "VoA" sails on the shallow IJsselmeer for the first time. The small numbers on the echo sounder make the crew visibly uncomfortable. The tacks take a moment, as the genoa has to pass the cutter stay. It has to be furled for this. As the ship is driven entirely without electric assistance, this is quite a slog. So we've seen enough. She can handle a lot of wind and sail quite well, although that was not the focus of the design. The ergonomics when working on sheets and halyards are excellent.
The two Yanmar diesels quietly push the ship towards the berth. Modern common rail technology has been deliberately omitted, as it is too prone to errors. This is extremely annoying in the Antarctic.
Many exciting details await below deck of the expedition yacht
Time to look around below deck. But where to start? So many exciting details. Unlike the predecessor ship "Pelagic Australis", which was recently sold to Greenpeace, the "VoA" has a fixed keel with an integrated centreboard; "Australis" had a lifting keel. As a result, the keel box is located in the centre between the guest cabins. This has now been removed, making the cabins wider and therefore more luxurious. The companionways to both the forward sleeping quarters and the aft mess room are more like stairs at home. Steep? No, because that's not suitable on rough seas - the risk of injury is too great.
There are handrails everywhere, and that is no exaggeration. The shipyard has installed a total of 82 metres on the expedition yacht. To keep the distances short, where there is nothing in the way to hold on to, a net can even be stretched in the aft mess. In the deck saloon, ladder-like tubular structures are installed between the floor and ceiling. "We call them Zimmer frames," says Novak. The Anglo-Saxon is familiar with these devices as walking aids for the infirm. It's somehow fitting, because walking is difficult when the "Zimmers" are really needed.
Everything is taken care of on board the expedition yacht
The seats in the second navigation corner in the aft saloon, which is specially equipped for communication, have folding armrests. Small sleeves are embedded in the tables. They fit perfectly with pins at the bottom of the baskets for vinegar, oil, pepper and salt; one click and everything is securely in place on the tables. A 15 centimetre high border surrounds the pantry. This keeps food and plates in place, even in rough seas. The sinks are of course extra deep, so nothing spills out.
The cooker with only two plates is mounted along the longitudinal axis. It swings to starboard or port and is fuelled by gas. Induction, which is certainly possible given the size of the battery and the ample generator, is out of the question. The ship must remain manoeuvrable even without any electrics and offer a survival space. That's why the decision was made in favour of gas. Hence the large diesel stove in the mess room and no electric winches.
The "Vinson of Antarctica" is safe and well thought out
Keyword survival: It almost goes without saying that the expedition yacht has five watertight compartments. The berths can either be tilted using a pulley or have a leeward sail. Another special feature here is that there are no crew cabins; the crew simply occupy one of the guest cabins. No separation, everyone is important. There is certainly no owner's cabin. "This is good for the spirit among the crew on the often long journeys," says Novak. Attention has been paid to this atmosphere: "There are many places to retreat to - the saloon, the deck saloon, the sheltered cockpit and your own cabin. If you want to be alone and seek peace and quiet, you'll find it," says the mastermind behind the project. Life below deck is therefore - somewhat predictably - quite pleasant, even in bad weather. Ultimately, this is exactly the task of a ship: no matter what is going on outside, it should offer a sense of security inside. We would love to try this out on the 24-metre yacht.
The deck is also a good place to be. It is well protected under the aft end of the deck saloon. Two sliding hatches allow you to walk upright to the low door to the inside of the ship. This is so small that it can remain open for long periods at sea. Little heat loss and the reduced likelihood of water finding its way inside were in favour of this solution.
Quick response on board
The sliding hatches are closed if waves could roll up to them. It's hard to imagine the inferno through which the ship would have to make its way for this to happen. The central workstation, where many lines are operated and which provides information about the condition of the engines and the position, is also located under the cockpit roof - perfectly visible from the wheel. The helmsman also has access to the main and mizzen sheets from there and can therefore quickly initiate evasive manoeuvres on his own if necessary, which is very important when sailing in waters where a growler or whale could be on a collision course.
The high coamings, which are pulled far aft, also offer a high degree of safety. The huge winches at the top of the frames are easy to operate from both sides while standing. This is also necessary, as four strong arms are needed to hoist the genoa tightly in windy conditions despite the thick drums. This also applies to the grinder in front of the deck saloon. This is where the main is set and reefed if necessary.
The area in front of the saloon is also surrounded by a coaming, making it safe to work there too. However, if things get really rough, the boat can be sailed with just the foresail and mizzen. Both can be operated directly from the cockpit so that the crew remains protected. The many lines are colour-coded to avoid confusion. The red colour indicates the largest step or the largest sail, such as the genoa. One step smaller is green, then blue. This applies equally to headsails and the reefing steps of the main and mizzen. Confusion? Actually impossible.
The expedition yacht also impresses on a technical level
A word about the reef: the reefing line runs through the sail again under the reefing thimble, so that the excess cloth is automatically tamed when the sail comes in. Very practical. "When we ordered this at Skip Novak's request, the sailmaker said: 'Ah, a Skip reef', without realising that the ship was actually made for him," reports shipyard manager Eeuwe Kooi from the construction period.
Incidentally, he is travelling along on the test run in a very relaxed manner. Even at the end of the construction phase, the shipyard and client still get on very well. "That's how it should be," agree the captain and shipyard boss.
When the expedition yacht is back in front of the shipyard, it's time to admire the centrepiece of such a vehicle: the engine room. Accessible directly from the saloon through a watertight door, it houses the two Yanmar diesels, a generator, the central heating system and a whole host of other technology.
Naturally, the fuel system is designed for maximum redundancy and functional reliability with various filters and a day tank, including a hand pump. All outlets on the entire ship end in standpipes well above the waterline. It goes without saying that the bunkers are also huge and the "VoA" produces its own drinking water. Incidentally, this can also be pumped from the tank using a foot pump, without electricity.
"Vinson of Antarctica"- A strong project
The way in which the project was planned and built therefore demonstrates a great deal of experience. As the ship will also be managed under the aegis of Skip Novak, it can be assumed that a trip to the chandlery will not be on the itinerary in the next few years. Especially as they won't have the right equipment anyway.
Travelling with us is no problem, given a little time and the necessary budget. Travelling to South America is currently difficult and always involves quarantine in a hotel. For this reason, the focus is initially on research groups who are willing to put up with this. After that, however, it will be the turn of paying guests. A four-week trip costs just under 20,000 euros per person. That's expensive, but unique. The "Vinson of Antarctica" plays its part.
Technical data "Vinson of Antarctica":
- Designer: Tony Castro
- Shipyard: KMY, Makkum
- Total length: 23.52 m
- Width: 6.31 m
- Draught: 2.15-4.30 m
- Frame spacing: 0.40 m
- Weight: (empty/loaded) 49/65 tonnes
- Sail carrying capacity (empty/loaded): 4.4/4.0
- Construction costs: 3.6 million euros
