As the new year approaches, we reflect upon an incredible year. Keeping sustainability, conservation and responsible tourism at the forefront of our philosophy, we countdown the top ten highlights of 2018!
1. With a name of historic proportions, we proudly welcomed our newest vessel, RCGS Resolute, to the fleet in October 2018 with a lively event in the Port of Sydney, Nova Scotia. Did you know RCGS Resolute is the first vessel in history to be granted the Royal Canadian Geographical Society ship prefix?
2. One Ocean Expeditions and global conservation organization Ocean Wise announced our official partnership with the intent to expand our joint educational programs. Research and microplastics sampling is being done with Ocean Wise scientists and specialized scuba divers aboard our vessels.
3. Scientist Ari Friedlander from the California Ocean Alliance led the first successful suction cup video tagging of a minke whale during our ‘Marine Mammals in Antarctica’ voyage. The analysis of the data allowed researchers to learn more about the feeding behavior of these elusive whales.
4. For the second time in Canadian history, we contributed to the discovery of a long-lost vessel. The Nova Zembla, a Scottish whaling ship, was wrecked near Buchan Gulf off the coast of Baffin Island in 1902 and its discovery will shed new light on Arctic history.
5. The popular ‘Baffin Island – Jewel of the High Arctic’ voyage was granted the prestigious Canadian Signature Experience designation, joining the previously inducted ‘Fins and Fiddles’ voyage for the special honour.
6. New voyages that explore the Chilean Fjords, Central America, Scotland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands were announced, and will take a front seat for 2019 programming.
7. Our new golf expedition cruise ‘Fiddles and Sticks’ sailed on her inaugural voyage, taking golfers and non-golfers alike on an impressive journey to some of Canada’s finest golf courses and picturesque islands.
8. We announced the creation and installation of our custom-built scientific container lab. The ‘One Lab’ is a specialized laboratory that provides an inclusive space for scientists to conduct their work onboard, whilst sharing and integrating knowledge with guests.
9. The Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS), our exclusive marine travel partner in education, environmental science, and exploration, had numerous fellows travel on board, including famed adventurer George Kourounis, filmmaker and explorer Jill Heinerth and explorer Adam Shoalts.
10. Celebrating art from the remote corners of the planet, we are proud to celebrate their partnership with the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, the custodian of the Cape Dorset archives. Guests will have the unique opportunity to travel with Inuit art experts and curators on the new ‘South Baffin Explorer’ voyage in 2019.
Thank you for being there with us. We can’t wait to see what 2019 brings!