Alex Preston
Alex is from Toronto, Canada; about as far away from any of Canada’s oceans as physically possible. After over twenty years working in Toronto’s restaurant industry, he decided to try and mix his experience, and love of travel, into a paying job.
Joining Quark in 2005 he did his first season in the Antarctic as a Barman on the Lyubov Orlova. After this taste of adventure, he decided to commit himself full time to life on board, exploring the Polar Regions. Now in his eighth full season working for Quark, he has sailed on six different ships. Including the icebreakers: Kapitan Kalebnikov, and The Fifty Years of Victory; and the adventure ships: Lyubov Orlova, Ocean Nova, Akademik Ioffe, and the Clipper Adventurer.
His travels have taken him to the Antarctic Peninsula more than sixy times( including Snow Hill), south of the Antarctic Circle, North of the Arctic Circle, the North Pole, Franz Josef Land, the Canadian High Arctic, the fabled Northwest Passage, Norway, Iceland, Greenland, and The Falklands/South Georgia. His favorite pastimes include: photography, writing and driving zodiacs in any kind of weather. Alex is on board as Assistant to the Expedition Leader, and as a Zodiac Driver/Naturalist
Pres has joined these expeditions:
What skills do you bring to the job?
"I speak French and English - and a small amount of Spanish. I have First Aid training and I am a skilled Zodiac driver."
What keeps you coming back season after season?
"The unspoiled majesty of the north and south. The abundance of wildlife, and the excitement of life at sea and all that entails."
If you could time travel, which historic expedition would you join and why?
"My hero is Captain James Cook. The ultimate voyages of discovery, charting much of the world as we know it today. With such a degree of accuracy that his charts not only helped win wars, but were also used for centuries afterwards without any significant changes made."
Alex's advice for Polar Travelers
"Bring a decent camera, and lots of storage (film if you use it). Either bring extra memory cards for your camera, or bring a supplemental drive to store your photos on. Chances are it is the one opportunity to visit the region. Take lots of pix to remember it by. Also, be out on deck when you are not doing a landing. You will never see an orca, penguin, polar bear or albatross in the library or your cabin."
