Two weeks ago, we reached an agreement with our insurance company Pantaenius concerning the claim for the loss of Arruno.
The impact of this incident continues to vibrate in our minds. Not the nautical aspect, in the meantime I have already sailed across the ocean again, but the emotional value of a ship with which we have travelled for 6 years, the stuff, the memories,...
Now that this claim is behind us, we can in any case make further plans and pick up our journey again.
As many know my heart lies in the North. Norway, Iceland, Faroe, Spitsbergen, Greenland are all on my wish list. Combining this with hiking, skiing, nature and, last but not least, inspiring people is also the ultimate goal of Arruno Exploration.
Requirements for the vessel
In order to be able to organise trips to these destinations, we obviously need a ship that is suitable for the purpose. I see the most important specifications as follows:
- Steel or aluminium is a minimum. Polyester cannot withstand point loads and you could get into trouble in an ice field or similar. The disadvantages of both steel (corrosion) and aluminium (electrolysis) are known but are outweighed by the advantages of these materials. From another point of view, it is also important that the ship can be repaired anywhere. Steel and, in many cases, aluminium, can be repaired by local professionals. Welding can be done in most places in the world.
- Watertight bulkheads: Sufficient safety must be considered. The presence of watertight bulkheads gives you the advantage that, in the event of an impact/leakage, only one part of the ship can suffer water damage without the whole ship being in danger. Of course, we should not make the comparison with the Titanic here....
- Heating and insulation: In the North, good heating is essential. We must even work towards two or three systems that can operate independently of each other. This is to ensure that if one system fails, we will not have problems with the sometimes low temperatures. This also involves proper insulation. Keeping the heat in, keeping the cold out...
- Because of the voyages we want to organise, it is important that we can travel with the ship for 1 to 2 months without the possibility of bunkering. Water, diesel, electricity, food and drinks must be provided for the entire period in such a way that we can transport them in a sustainable way or, in the case of water, produce it.
- We focus on the right audience that wants to make a certain trip/expedition. To keep this all affordable, both for the participant and for Arruno Exploration, we need to have at least 8 to 10 sleeping places. This way it gives us the possibility to provide enough crew/passengers during our trips. The investment to keep the ship in full working order and to improve it requires a certain scale of activities.
Because sustainability is important to our organisation, we are initially looking at a second-hand ship. A ship with the above characteristics as a basis can be found and, to be honest, we have found it in the meantime.
We are not sitting still...