Team primed to leave Docklands on epic Antarctic voyage
A team of intrepid explorers is preparing to set out from the Docklands with the aim of completing the first winter shipping crossing of the Antarctic.
The SA Agulhas is being loaded at Wood Wharf before departing on its 2,000 mile journey tomorrow (Thursday) – 100 years to the day since the death of Captain Scott in the Antarctic.
“The coldest journey” across the continent of Antarctica is expected to take six months to complete, with temperatures set to reach as low as -90 degrees centigrade.
The intrepid team of 20 is to be led by legendary explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBE, who said: “I am doing this for many reasons, some of which I don’t fully understand. “That there is an inner urge is undeniable.”
The group are aiming to raise $10m for Seeing is Believing, an organisation which aims to tackle avoidable blindness.
They will not return until late 2013, close to a year after setting out from the Docklands.
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