Quark Expeditions Provides Logistics for Ireland’s Crossing the Line Films

Travelers get a behind-the-scenes look at documentary film making in Antarctica

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May 07, 2010, 08:47 ET

WATERBURY, Vt., May 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Ireland’s Crossing the Line Films will be filming an ambitious project about the 20th century race to the South Pole on Quark Expeditions’ icebreaker, Kapitan Khlebnikov. Travelers aboard the Weddell Sea and South Georgia expedition cruise, November 6 to December 5, 2010, will experience an authentic behind-the-scenes look at the business of documentary film making. Filming will occur in the air from onboard helicopters, on the ship’s decks, and on the frozen sea ice.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100507/NE00945 )

The expedition celebrates the heroes of the 1914-17 Antarctic expedition led by Sir Ernest Shackleton. After their ship Endurance sank, Shackleton led his men across the frozen Weddell Sea to Elephant Island, then sailed a lifeboat 800 miles by dead-reckoning to South Georgia. There he affected the rescue of his men left behind. One of the men who sailed with Shackleton in that tiny boat was Tom Crean.

Managing Director of Crossing the Line Films John Murray described Crean, “He was a hill farmer from County Kerry, Ireland, who became a stalwart of both Robert Falcon Scott and Shackleton. Crean played a central role in some of the biggest dramas of Antarctic exploration, including Scott’s attempt to reach the South Pole before Amundsen.”

Quark Expeditions itinerary includes a visit to Elephant Island, an in-depth exploration of the seldom-visited east coast of the Weddell Sea, plus landings on South Georgia. On the island, participants will pay their respects to the Endurance heroes at Shackleton’s graveside in Grytviken.

In addition to an insider’s glimpse into documentary making, travelers will participate in aerial sightseeing, enjoy fine dining, visit remote research stations and explore Emperor Penguin rookeries. The expedition begins in Ushuaia, Argentina and ends in Santiago, Chile. Per person prices for this End of an Era, 30-day one-of-a-kind icebreaker adventure start at $21,990.

Visitors to the Weddell Sea in 2010 earn Arctic savings in 2011.

Travelers aboard the Weddell Sea expedition will be entitled to save 6% off the cost of Quark Expeditions’ Arctic Passage in 2011. John Murray will be special guest aboard Khlebnikov’s historic final transit of the Northwest Passage. His passion for the Northwest Passage quest compelled John to back the Irish-Canadian Franklin Search Expedition that sought the underwater location of Erebus and Terror, Franklin’s lost ships.

SOURCE Quark Expeditions