En route for the Far South
Published on 24.10.2007 - General Info
After some difficulties in getting things underway, Dixie Dansercoer's expedition, 'In the Wake of the Belgica', has now departed and is heading for the Far South. Next stop: Ushuaia.
On 11th October the sailing yacht 'Euronav Belgica' finally left the Belgian seaside resort of Nieuwpoort. Major repairs had to be made to the boat before the crew tackled its crossing of the Atlantic from north to south. The problem had been too much play in the mechanism that operates the retractable keel. Because there can sometimes be such fierce storms in the doldrums (a 200 km stretch either side of the equator), safety first had to be the order of the day and it was thought more reasonable to ensure the safety of the crew and the boat itself before setting sail for the Far South.
Expedition leader, Dixie Dansercoer, sailed with the yacht as far as Brittany to check that everything on board was shipshape and to see for himself whether the Euronav Belgica was finally ready to continue its voyage. Dixie disembarked at Camaret sur Mer, leaving just three men on board, skipper Michel Tordoir and his two crewmen, Rumen Grozev and Frans Doomen, whose job is to sail Euronav Belgica all the way down to Ushuaia.
The whole crew is scheduled to be reunited at the beginning of December in Ushuaia, capital of the Argentine province Terra del Fuego. At 54°48' south and 68°18' west, Ushuaia is the most southerly city in the world.
