Latest blog from SA Agulhas

Second blog from Anton Bowring aboard the SA Agulhas: It’s Sunday and we have now been at sea for 10 days. The weather has been very good. We are now in the trade winds which blow pretty constantly and provide the north easterly air flow that enabled the sailing ships such as Cutty Sark to run before the wind, sometimes at great speed. For us in our motor ship the trade winds are less important…

All, You may be interested in the following link which shows the current sea ice conditions around the Antarctic continent. Unfortunately there has been a recent satellite failure which is preventing us getting the normally available high resolution pictures – so this is the best at the moment. http://www.polarview.aq/images/25_SSMIS/latest/antarctic.gif For those that are interested, it’s wort…

Spencer Smirl is the Ice Team’s lead mechanic (and a proud Canadian). He will be flying out to Cape Town later this month: “Enjoyed an interesting day of medical examinations on Tuesday in London. We spent the day participating in a variety of tests to provide a base measurement for the human studies we will be completing in Antarctica. The eye tests were the most interesting. We had very…

“I can only wish you God speed and every possible good fortune in this wonderful, dotty adventure. I’m somebody who greatly admires the kind of intrepid explorer activity undertaken by Ran and others and at the same time to raise money for a remarkable and worthwhile cause of preventable blindness around the world.”…

Sir Ranulph Fiennes and his specially selected cold weather clothing is featured in this month’s Trail Magazine (current issue is dated Jan 2013). There’s also some excellent coverage in this month’s Top Gear magazine. So if you fancy a little extra…

Since leaving London on Thursday we have had a variety of weather conditions. In the Straits of Dover we were hit by a force 9 (severe gale) from the South West which slowed us up. Despite the strength of the wind and the lumpy sea, The ship remained very stable and the expedition team on board (Anton Bowring, Jill Bowring, John Parsloe and Heather Webster) all slept soundly and comfortably. T…

Thank you to all the people who made yesterday possible, and to everyone who has supported us so far. It’s been a long time coming, but the SA Agulhas’s departure down the Thames yesterday afternoon marked the beginning of an epic adventure, and is the first major milestone of many more to come. Thank you also for all of the wonderful messages of support and praise which you have showered our…

Here is the first ever publicised photograph of The Coldest Journey’s Ice Team. Standing proudly in front of the eye-catching logo of our charitable initiative, Seeing is Believing, they are: (left to right) Richmond Dykes, Dr Rob Lambert, Ian Prickett, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Brian Newham and Spencer Smirl. You make us proud guys!

39 million people in the world are blind; 80% of blindness is avoidable; It costs less than £19 for cataract surgery. Change someone’s life by donating now to Seeing Is…

Check out this amazing stop-frame video of the SA Agulhas making her way up the River Thames yesterday, complete with sailing through Tower Bridge and docking alongside HMS…