We have offered small ship sailing adventures to Antarctica for the past two seasons, and they have proved very popular. Now, we are offering Antarctic expeditions aboard the ice-strengthened research vessels Grigoriy Mikheev and Aleksey Maryshev. These two ships, while not physically small, carry only about 50 passengers, which means they offer a true small ship experience. And, being motorized, they reduce the time spent on open ocean and can offer a complete Antarctic experience to people with limited vacation or holiday time.

Would you like to spend 50 days at sea? How about an Atlantic Crossing that will take you from Ushuaia and the Antarctic Peninsula to The Netherlands? Or, you can disembark along the way on Ascension Island or Cape Verde Islands and fly home. Check out our Atlantic Odyssey 2006.

Rannoch Adventures is proud to offer our clients luxury and tall ship sailing aboard one of the finest sailing ships in the world today. Stad Amsterdam was built by the City of Amsterdam (Holland) and private Dutch interests in 2000. While Stad Amsterdam is in every way a true square rigged sailing ship, she was built new from the keel up. This allowed her owners to incorporate modern safety and comfort features not often found in older sailing vessels. Stad Amsterdam winters in the Caribbean, where she is truly in her element, offering casual luxury and the thrill of an active vacation.

Discover unspoiled, beautiful uninhabited islands that boast of turquoise waters and miles of powdery white sand. See islands with rugged terrain, deep valleys, and rich mountainous jungle. You even can spend Christmas Day at an exclusive resort that is the definition of paradise. 

Escape the cold with our "Dressage by the Sea" in Bahia, Brazil. A great trip for the serious rider or equestrian enthusiast, this adventure features fantastic Lusitano dressage horses, outstanding accommodations, warm people, and great instruction. Or visit Chile, for either adventuresome backcountry riding in Patagonia or luxury riding/multiadventures in Patagonia and the Atacama Desert.

In Newsletter No. 19, we discussed some of the basics of taking photos from horseback. The issue we discussed as “Catch 1” was your personal safety. Catch 2 is getting the shot you want when the opportunity presents itself. That is, how to get your camera out, aim it from the back of an animal that may not want to stand perfectly still, and get that prize shot.

There are a couple of challenges. First, most horses want to follow the herd, so if you want to stop and take a picture while the others in your group are moving on, the horse is likely to resist. By pulling up on the reins, you may get the horse to stop moving forward. But, what I have found is that even if the horse is not moving forward, it may start doing a little jig or turning around in a circle while you are trying to compose your photo.

Remember that you cannot safely let go of the reins; so you cannot use both hands to steady the camera. You do have two choices: The safest is to get off your horse, have someone else hold the reins and wait while you take photos. This works, but if you want to take pictures often, this can consume a lot of everyone else’s time.

The other approach is to do the best you can, holding your camera with one hand. To get the best photos one-handed, it is best to have a light camera, use a high shutter speed and take several photos of each scene. This way you are bound to have a few good ones at the end of the trip.

Many of our friends have written us following the TRAINS magazine article about the Wolsztyn Experience steam locomotive driving course. As the article (July issue) described, this is truly a one-of-a-kind adventure for people who like or even think they might like the thrill of driving a real, full-sized steam locomotive on a real mainline railroad.

The problem is that places for the Wolsztyn Experience fill up early. There are only spots for six participants each week and the course does not operate during July and August, traditional vacation times in Europe. Our American friends especially are surprised to find Wolsztyn Experience books up approximately six months in advance, even into the winter months. It turns out that a lot of European rail enthusiasts already know about Wolsztyn Experience and make it part of their holiday schedule every year.

We urge anyone who wants to experience this exciting course to book ASAP! The course is currently booked through the end of this year, and early 2006 is starting to fill. If you are considering this trip, don't wait: e-mail us now and let us hold a place for you.