End of an Era: Kapitan Khlebnikov
End of an Era: Kapitan Khlebnikov
By Blog.Admin
Our flagship, the icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov, retires as a polar expedition vessel in March 2012.When we announced the End of an Era, the response to our package of celebratory itineraries was overwhelming and bittersweet. People who had sailed on the ship were quick to book their favorite cabin or suite on their preferred final voyage or voyages. Those who had dreamed of sailing aboard Khlebnikov, but never had, were inspired to turn their dream into reality. This is the first entry of a new on-going blog about the ship and the End of an Era. You'll learn about our special guests; voyages that are sold out such as Epic Antarctica in 2010; and who the Expedition Team members will be as that news is made available. Northwest Passage: West to East The first End of an Era expedition is through the Northwest Passage, from Russia to the Canadian Arctic. The special guest aboard the 19-day voyage, July 18 to August 5, 2010, is Andrew Lambert. Andrew wrote The Gates of Hell: Sir John Franklin's Tragic Quest for the North West Passage. We asked the Laughton Professor of Naval History three questions:
Q 1: What was the single most surprising insight that you gained while researching Franklin and the search for the Northwest Passage?
A 1: That Franklin's final expedition was sent to study terrestrial magnetism, with the Northwest passage as a secondary objective.
Q 2: How did your time aboard Kapitan Khlebnikov (in 2004) impact your decision to write the book?
A 2: After a full on fortnight (2 weeks) of overland expedition across King William Island traveling on the Khlebnikov gave me the time and the space to reflect on what I had seen, to experience a wider range of Arctic experiences, and profit from the ship's polar library.
Q 3: What lesson about the cult of celebrity could 21st century people learn from the Franklin story?
A 3: The curious afterlife of Captain Sir John Franklin suggests that celebrity is fleeting and fickle, and that we are as likely to be remembered for things we did not do as those that we did. Fame and fact are not the same thing.
Please feel free to post questions and comments pertinent to Khlebnikov's End of an Era. We'll do our best to find answers to the questions and to reply promptly to the comments.
Prisca Campbell Director, Marketing
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Khlebnikov sails the North-West Passage from east to west in 2011. It will the ice breaker's 18th and final transit. Kapitan Khlebnikov has sailed Amundsen's Route to Asia more often than any other vessel on the planet!