The cruise ship anchored in Thunder Bay, and guests came in on the passenger tenders, traveling under the 2nd Avenue Bridge in the Thunder Bay River, and docking behind the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center, which houses the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary administrative offices.

Dr. Damon Stanwell-Smith is the head of Science and Sustainability for Viking Cruises, a Norwegian cruise line that offers international expeditions. Stanwell-Smith is based in Cambridge, United Kingdom.

“We want to make it engaging and fun and exciting, as all good science communication is,” Stanwell-Smith said. “We’re all professional scientists, and so we have a joint mission both to ensure our guests have an amazing experience, but also continuing to work with our partner scientists.”

He said the guests, many of whom are retired, well-educated Americans, enjoy learning about science while cruising the Great Lakes.

News Photo by Darby Hinkley The Viking Octantis cruise ship visited Alpena on Saturday for the first time this season. In addition to carrying up to 378 guests, the identical cruise ships Octantis and Polaris carry 261 crew members, including many scientists who conduct vital research onboard. Pictured, from left, are Jason Hayden, chief scientist on the Viking Octantis, Dr. Damon Stanwell-Smith, head of Science and Sustainability for Viking Cruises, and Jeff Gray, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary superintendent.

“The vast majority of my work is related to our expedition ships, which are both vessels for guests to go sailing on and having expedition adventures, and also our state-of-the-art research platforms,” Stanwell-Smith said. “We have … a professional science team on board, and we also work with various partner institutions, most notably, of course, National Marine Sanctuaries.”

Jason Hayden is the chief scientist on the Viking Octantis. He is from the Cape Town area of South Africa.

“I am in charge of all the science operations on board,” Hayden said. “We have a number of different projects.”

One of those projects is partnering with the National Weather Service to release weather balloons into the stratosphere, which they did on Saturday night in Thunder Bay.

“The weather balloons are for the U.S. National Weather Service,” Stanwell-Smith said. “And that relationship, also, was established through our relationship with NOAA.”

He said they launch weather balloons all over the world.

“When we’re in North America, especially this region, this contributes to the weather forecasting and climate modeling for the National Weather Service,” Stanwell-Smith said. “As far as I understand, we are the only civilian vessels in the world that are National Weather Service weather balloon stations.”

“We do a lot of science on board, not only here, but everywhere we sail, all over the world, so from Antarctica all the way here, into the Great Lakes, and now, into the Arctic, as well,” Hayden said.

They also conduct research using baited remote underwater video systems.

“We have these instruments we put down on the lake bed that measure fish biodiversity, biomass, and behavior,” Hayden said. “So, we have a lot of different scientific programs happening all at the same time, which is really exciting to do, all in this area.”

Hayden said Viking guests enjoy watching the science projects, such as the weather balloon launch held on Saturday.

“It is extraordinary,” Stanwell-Smith said. “When we put a weather balloon up, it goes up, 20 miles up into the stratosphere, and it starts as the size of a beach ball and ends up the size of an RV.”

He said guests who view the weather balloon launch and other science then feel like they have a better understanding and connection with the research being done.

“It changes their perception of how weather forecasting works,” Stanwell-Smith said.

“They have a sense of ownership to the science that’s happening on board,” Hayden added.

Stanwell-Smith said science is underway on every expedition.

“For us, that’s a really important part of the guest experience,” Stanwell-Smith said. “We have a 400-square-foot laboratory on board, as well, that guests can get involved with.”

He said all the science is used for research purposes.

“We don’t do anything for show,” Stanwell-Smith said. “This is genuinely data … being used for NOAA’s mission, for support of the Sanctuary, for the Weather Service.”

Both guests and scientists enjoy visiting Alpena.

“I’ve been here for the last three seasons, in and out,” Hayden said. “I like Alpena a lot. Unrelated to science, I’m always on a mission to go to Nowicki’s to get a sausage.”

That’s not the only reason he likes Alpena.

“I’m also a diver, so anything shipwreck-related, this place is a treasure trove of history, and I think it’s a fantastic stop on our voyage because these guests are the type of guests who really like being educated,” Hayden said.

“We’re the thinking person’s cruise, not the drinking person’s cruise,” Stanwell-Smith said, adding that fine dining, drinks, and amenities are a part of the Viking cruise, but their guests tend to appreciate a more educational environment. “That translates into travel for the intellectually curious.”

The Viking ships visit Alpena because of a partnership with NOAA.

“We first established a relationship with NOAA in 2020,” Stanwell-Smith said. “And that was with NOAA GLERL (Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory) in Ann Arbor, covering the Great Lakes. And then, through that initial conversation, we started a conversation with the Marine Sanctuaries, specifically Alpena, because it’s also a lovely stop for us.”

He added that in addition to the research opportunities in Lake Huron, guests enjoy visiting the city and going on various excursions in Northeast Michigan.

“I first came here in 2022,” Stanwell-Smith recalled, noting that it was April when he visited Alpena. “I’ve been lucky enough to come relatively regularly ever since … One of the things that we’ve been particularly grateful for is that we’ve also had a science retreat here in the summer of 2023, in the facility here, bringing the scientists from the different vessels together, and we’re planning to do it again.”

That science retreat is scheduled for June in Alpena.

“Yes, we’re a cruise ship,” Hayden said. “We have an amazing spa, and everything you could imagine, from amazing food to a snow grotto … But, we’re also an expedition vessel, which we have designed specifically to come here. We fit — just barely squeeze — through the Welland Canal, to be able to get here,” Hayden said of the ship canal in Ontario, Canada, which is a part of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway. “We are specifically designed to go to hard-to-reach places … We’re not just a cruise ship. We’re not just an expedition vessel. We are a fully capable research vessel.”

Viking cruise ships will return to Alpena 18 more times this year, including another visit on Friday. Both the Viking Octantis and Polaris will be in Alpena on the same day on June 21.

“We love coming to Alpena,” Stanwell-Smith said. “It feels like it’s thriving … We get fantastic feedback from the guests. The guests love coming, so long may it continue.”

“In Antarctica, we say that when you’ve been to Antarctica, you return an Antarctic Ambassador,” Stanwell-Smith said. “Because you love what you know, and you protect what you love. And I would hope that we are creating Alpena Ambassadors, too.”

Darby Hinkley is Lifestyles editor. She can be reached at 989-358-5691 or dhinkley@TheAlpenaNews.com.

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