#SALTEES CRUISE CALL – The Saltee Islands off Co. Wexford was where the small cruiseship Expedition (1972/ 6,334grt) made an anchorage call yesterday, writes Jehan Ashmore.
The 140 passenger vessel which underwent a $13 million refit in 2009, specialises in cruising to some of the world's most remote regions. As usual for this type of cruiseship, a fleet of Zodiacs are provided for expedition excursions. Large common areas and observation decks provide panoramic views. As for all her cabins they too feature ocean-view windows or portholes and private en-suite facilities.
Expedition was a former Baltic Sea ferry which was sold in 2008 to G.A.P. Shipping Co. Ltd for their G-Adventures cruises having served as Ålandsfärjan for Viking Line's Mariehamn- Kapellskar on the Åland Islands route. The archipelago situated at the mouth of the Gulf of Bothnia form an autonomous Swedish-speaking region of Finland.
Prior to her Baltic Sea career she served P&O's subsidiary Normandy Ferries on the Dover-Boulogne route as their N.F Tiger which followed her original back-round as the Kattegat built for a Danish operator four decades ago.
The cruiseship retains her distinctive bright red hull colour inherited from her Viking Line years. Intriguingly when the company had to choose what colour to use for their first ferry Apollo, the answer found was rather novel as one of the owner's relatives produced her lipstick!
