The polar explorers of Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University have concluded the first and only day off of their trip. Both the "newcomers" and the veterans shared their impressions of the flight and Cape Town with Forpost.
Anatoly Ozhigin, design engineer at the Scientific Center “Arctic”:
"I won’t hide it: an expedition to Antarctica has been my chief boyhood dream. After watching many films about polar expeditions and reading more than a few books, I often imagined myself as one of the heroes of those stories. And now, flying over the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula, I’m trying to grasp that my long-held dream is about to come true. But I now realize that the journey began right here, outside the window: when you see with your own eyes the Great Rift Valley or the boundless sand seas of the deserts, knowledge about the size and geology of the Earth ceases forever to be dry facts from textbooks—they become the tangible, grand backdrop of your path.
And against that backdrop, the anticipation of the main thing—people—feels especially vivid. After all, an expedition is also a unique community. I can’t wait to meet those who will share this ship and this continent with me: oceanographers, biophysicists, glaciologists. I dream that, in a simple conversation over tea or in an informal lecture, I can satisfy my sincere curiosity and learn what questions these passionate people live by—what they see in the data from their instruments and in the Antarctic landscapes. This flight is only the first step into a world that has always drawn me with its austere beauty and the mysteries awaiting its researchers".
Ilya Shuklin, research engineer of the field team:
"We arrived on board the vessel a few days before its departure for Antarctica. We were assigned to four-person cabins, and experienced polar explorers gave us a tour and pointed out the nuances of work and daily life on the ship. Fortunately, we had a free day to visit local attractions. We saw a colony of African penguins on a beach near Cape Town and visited the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden at the foot of Table Mountain. South Africa impresses with its incredibly beautiful nature and pleasantly surprises with its developed infrastructure, cleanliness, and the friendliness of the locals. Here, traditional African culture coexists very harmoniously among the skyscrapers of the business center. Now we have about two weeks on the ship on the way to Antarctica, during which the details of the upcoming fieldwork will be discussed".
Sergey Yurtayev, chief driller of the field team:
"Excellent impressions. I especially liked the sightseeing tour of Cape Town with Russian interpretation. The city is modern, though low-rise. The business center is set apart in a separate district. The city center has been preserved in a colonial style. Very beautiful. Here elite neighborhoods coexist with ghettos. A city of contrasts. And yes—traffic is left-hand. Both on the roads and in pedestrian areas. On my first outing into the city I even ended up walking against the flow. Toward evening, folk groups appear—singing and dancing. The national color is impressive".
Artem Zaprudsky, research engineer of the field team:
"After a year of preparation within the walls of the Mining University for the new seasonal work of the 71st RAE and a long, strenuous flight, we have finally reached our last stop on the way to Antarctica. Traditionally, for polar explorers, this place is one of the three capitals of the Republic of South Africa, namely the legislative capital, Cape Town. For the second time, I am amazed at how richly endowed with indescribable natural beauty this city and its surroundings are, as well as by the good-natured, cheerful people who are open to any conversation. Upon boarding the ship that has become like home to us and is affectionately called ‘Fedya’ (Akademik Fedorov), we settle into our cabins, receive the list of duties and the watch schedule, and begin to take an active part in shipboard life. But we were lucky to have one day of shore leave in the city. Splitting into groups, we managed to visit several tourist spots. One group went to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden and visited Boulders Beach with its penguins; another climbed to the summit of Lion’s Head; and a third took a sightseeing tour of Cape Town. In the evening, we exchanged impressions and began preparing for departure from the Port of Cape Town".
Alexey Bolshunov, head of the field team:
"Each visit to Cape Town before the trip to Antarctica is a breath of warmth that you remember in the sunny yet cold polar summer. In addition, Cape Town is the last outpost of civilization on the way to Antarctica, with all its amenities—a welcome respite during work at the Vostok and Progress stations".
The team’s task is drilling operations at Vostok Station and, for the first time in Antarctica, bedrock drilling in the area of Progress Station. The project’s scientific supervisor is the Rector of Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University, Vladimir Litvinenko.