23 November 2007
Sinking feeling
Sometime earlier today the MS Explorer sank just off the Antarctic Peninsula. A quick click on the posts for February 2005 will show that I sailed to that very area in the same ship two years ago, and I found the news pictures of the vessel lying on its side haunting and mournful.
The Explorer was a ship with a history. It was functional and cosy, and it took me on one of the most memorable trips of my life, but even I'm surprised at how saddening I find the thought of its loss. All the passengers and crew were saved after only a short time in lifeboats and Zodiacs, and the ship itself was only a hunk of metal after all.
I interviewed the owner Bruce Poon Tip while I was on the cruise. He was fretting a little about the cost of the ship's recent refit, and only half-jokingly asking people to take care of his brand new carpets. I wonder what he's thinking now.
After another full day as a filing clerk, moving data from voice recording to database, I'm off for a quick drink with a group of friends and acquaintances known as the Idle Journalists. But I'm going to raise a glass to the Explorer.
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1 comment:
This is a very moving image.
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