Recently I was invited to the Naming Ceremony for Aurora Expeditions’ newest expedition ship, Douglas Mawson, and to spend four days on her on a shake-down cruise from Sydney, Australia to Hobart, Tasmania. It wound up being more than a party and a short cruise. It was an opportunity to spend time with Aurora Expeditions’ founders and owners and to better understand and appreciate their collective ethos.
I came away with a few important perspectives:
- Aurora Expeditions is truly the passion project of its founder, Greg Mortimer, his expedition partner, Howard Whelan, and the three owners.
- There is an honest focus on being at the forefront of being environmentally responsible…and not doing so with the focus on selling more expeditions.
- Passion is the driver of Aurora Expeditions’ mission. There is a focus on immersive experiences and not on the delivery of a checklist.
- Peacefulness and Serenity are the essence of Aurora Expeditions’ low-key delivery of extraordinary experiences.
Yes, I know this all sounds like a sales pitch. But the reality is this is not lip service. It is really what Aurora Expeditions is about. And my time spent with Aurora’s founder, Greg Mortimer, and Howard Whelan, as well as the owners, just reaffirmed what I felt after my three prior Aurora Expeditions journeys.
Whether it was in a zodiac ride with Greg Mortimer, where he just casually pulled up to a squid fisherman that turned into a fifteen-minute casual chat,
or our exploring the Tasmanian shoreline, talking between us as if we were alone in the boat.
Me (repeatedly): I wonder what’s around that point.
Greg: Good question. Let’s see.
Another Guest: Are we within radio range? We should for safety’s sake.
Greg and Me (in unison): Naw! (but of course we were.)
Now, let’s take a step back and discuss the Naming Ceremony. Aurora Expeditions had arranged for a small group of travel writers and top travel agents to fly to Australia, staying at the Marriott at Circular Quay. As my Uber pulled up to the hotel, I immediately noticed that I had been on this street many times. Why? Because the Australian Export Finance agency (EFIC) was located right next door and when I was living in Brisbane I had spent years litigating against it when the Australian government attempted to take over the yacht-building yard I was managing and my then client’s 192-foot superyacht under construction that EFIC had provided financing for. Fortunately, I won the litigation, and my client received his superyacht, but a bit of PTSD did kick in!
But, alas, that was not the ship I was here to see begin her life at sea!
The Naming Ceremony was lowkey and short; very Australian. She was christened by the great-granddaughter of the explorer Douglas Mawson, but appropriately with a block of ice rather than a bottle of champagne.
After the celebration, those who would be sailing on her (including me) had to disembark while some press and Australian travel agents toured the ship. That gave me time to do some work and to head to The Rocks for some delicious Australian seafood.
Finally, late in the afternoon, it was time to reboard the Douglas Mawson for more celebration, and after dinner, an evening sail away past the Sydney Opera House.
Sydney Opera House
Douglas Mawson is an almost twin sister to Aurora Expeditions’ Sylvia Earle and an older brother to its very similar Greg Mortimer. The only substantive changes include lighter and brighter decor in the public spaces (everyone loved it), a slight modification of the mud room (not a fan), and some of the staterooms have two comfortable chairs rather than a sofa (mine did, and I like it a lot).
My time onboard Douglas Mawson was only a four-day shakedown cruise from Sydney, Australia, to Hobart, Tasmania, including one day on the Freycinet Peninsula. (I will write another article on my time in Tasmania, which included an additional three days exploring off the ship.)
What those few days gave me was invaluable and made me not only better appreciate Aurora Expeditions, but the people that make its expeditions be that special.
