Sailors Using Information from Trip Planning to the White Continent

2:36 PM Tue 15 Mar 2011 GMT

'Ice build-up on yacht sailing in Antarctica region.' Courtesy of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) Click Here to view large photo

Since IAATO launched a new public awareness campaign in 2010 for those hoping to visit Antarctica independently on a yacht or motor vessel with 12 or fewer people, it has shared its expertise and resources with many in this independent-minded community. Unlike the commercial tourism sector, where marketing, staffing and operational requirements make planning ? usually years in advance ? a vital necessity, the private yachting crowd can more often be described as spontaneous and spur-of-the-moment when deciding where next to point their bow. It is not unusual for a yachtsman to listen to the chatter in Ushuaia, Puerto Williams ...

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by Debra Kelman Loew