Getting Ready for the World’s Most Dangerous Sea

Sailing around Cape Horn and crossing the Southern Ocean aboard Bark EUROPA is getting very real. I’m preparing for 52 days at sea, figuring out camera gear, expedition clothing and what I actually need to bring. In just a few weeks, I’ll leave for Auckland, New Zealand, where I’ll join Bark EUROPA for a voyage across the Southern Ocean, around Cape Horn, and on to Ushuaia, Argentina. Now I have to get ready. In this episode, I’m working through some of the practical realities of preparing for the voyage: cold-weather clothing, merino wool layers, camera and audio equipment, and how I’m going to document this expedition while actually participating in it. There’s a lot to figure out. I need equipment that can survive weeks at sea, but everything I take has to earn its place. And while I want to come home with a great film, I don’t want to experience the Southern Ocean entirely through the back of a camera. This is the beginning of the preparation. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be documenting the process of getting ready, saying goodbye to home and eventually travelling to New Zealand to step aboard EUROPA. Then I’ll take you with me as far as I possibly can on the voyage itself. If you’re interested in sailing, Cape Horn, the Southern Ocean, traditional sailing ships, adventure travel, expedition filmmaking, wooden boats and figuring out how to keep having adventures as we get older, consider subscribing to John Fraser’s Wild Life. BECOME A CHANNEL MEMBER If you’d like to help me produce these films, becoming a channel member is one of the most direct ways to support the show. Membership helps with the very real costs of producing the channel — camera and audio equipment, travel, editing, storage and everything else that goes into documenting these adventures. Members also get a more informal look behind the scenes as I prepare for Cape Horn and work on future films. You can join using the Join button on the channel or below the video. HELP THE CHANNEL GROW If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a comment, or share the video with someone who might enjoy coming along. Those simple things help YouTube find the audience for these films, and they make a genuine difference to a small independent channel. Thanks for watching — and for coming along. CHAPTERS 0:00 Preparing for the big journey 1:05 Upgrading my recording setup 3:28 Surviving the Southern Ocean 6:55 Trying on the sailing kit 13:34 Final checks before departure Inspirational Elegance - YWHPKIRF2H8E8GIB Inspiring Achievements 6R4RXLBSEKRARIJZ Pieces of Hope FCPZW1BYGBKR63ZZ Forward Charge UFIXZG5TB5JXPO0J Inspired Storytelling CKQAQH56RH5JHJ94