Day 13: NAVAL RSV 421 Sets Off for Strait of Gibraltar

At 0900 hrs CET sharp on January 8, the Bulgarian naval research/survey vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii (NAVAL RSV 421) set off from the Spanish port of Cartagena on course to the Strait of Gibraltar. RSV 421 is sailing southwest, with a 13-14 m/s headwind and a swell of around 3-4 degrees Douglas.

The ship is on her historic first voyage to Livingston Island in the South Shetlands in support of the 31st Bulgarian Antarctic Expedition. NAVAL RSV 421 is expected to reach her destination in some 40 days. She sailed off from Varna on the Black Sea on December 27, 2022.

Departure was delayed by some 12 hours due to labour-intensive loading. On January 7, the crew managed to load all the material intended for the Spanish Antarctic Stations of Juan Carlos I and Gabriel de Castilla, and secured the cargo in compliance with the safety requirements for transportation as ordered by the ship's Commanding Officer Nikolay Danailov.

The ship is scheduled to cross the Strait of Gibraltar in daylight on January 9 and then she will head southwest towards the Canary Islands. Hopefully, the weather will be fine as a cyclone is currently subsiding in the archipelago area. The ship may encounter residual cyclone fluctuations in the form of a stronger swell on the starboard side. The crew is ready to change course between the Canary Islands to shelter from bad weather.

Afterwards, the Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii will pass by Cape Verde, where her combat readiness level must be raised to fend off a possible pirate attack.