Aboard 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…

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…

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…

Dear Members of the Public, As you may have realised by the website’s homepage countdown, the launch date is very fast approaching. The SA Agulhas, our expedition ship, is due to arrive in the Docklands tomorrow and then move to moor alongside the HMS Belfast on Monday. She will then set sail at around 5.30pm/6pm on Thursday, 6th December following an on-board media event during the day. We would…

“If you have ever jumped with a parachute you will know how, at first, when the parachute opens, your descent seems slow. It is only as you get close to landing that you realise how fast you are going and suddenly you hit the ground hard. That’s how I feel at the moment. For the past five years that we have been planning the expedition, progress was slow but constant. Now we have only a few days…

Expedition ship SA Agulhas is currently due south of Bournemouth in the English Channel. She should be in London around midday on Thursday. Exciting times ahead! Sourc…

On behalf of Sir Ranulph and the entire team, we would like to extend a heart-felt thank you to all our supporters who have sent messages of support both here and on our Facebook page. Your kind words mean a great deal and help us get through the difficult days. During the traverse they will no doubt be all the more important! Please forgive us for not responding to all messages individually.

Ian Prickett, caboose builder, welding expert, polar explorer and all round nice guy, lays claim to his favourite bunk. Fair enough though, he did help prepare them. Ran is a little miffed, he reckons the guys are saving the worst one for him. As if they’d be so…