Antarctica virtual caches

[+GrandDaddyDom]

I am planning to take a cruise that includes cruising in Antarctica waters (Half Moon Island, Paradise Bay, Deception Island) areas.

 

I have checked out Antarctica caches and there are not any virtual caches that can be logged while on board a cruise ship.

 

The only virtual cache looks like it is GCA93C near McMurdo Station.

 

I know there is at least one virtual cache that can be logged while cruising via the Panama Canal so there are virtual caches that exist that can be claimed while on a cruse ship.

 

How might one establish a virtual cache in Antarctica that can be logged while on a cruise ship?

 

 

 

 

Edited February 16, 2020 by GrandDaddyDom
corrected typo in topic title

[+Crow-T-Robot]

Unless Groundspeak decides to go with another round of Virtual Rewards (and you are one of the lucky recipients), you won't be able to. Virtuals are a grandfathered cache type. 

[+Michaelcycle]

I would not want to claim that I geocached in a particular location unless I set foot upon said location.

[+cerberus1]

1 minute ago, Michaelcycle said:

I would not want to claim that I geocached in a particular location unless I set foot upon said location.

 

Agreed.  Though if I understand it correctly, those new virtual adventure cache things can/could be done at home too.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

5 minutes ago, Michaelcycle said:

I would not want to claim that I geocached in a particular location unless I set foot upon said location.

 

There's an earthcache in the Baltic Sea in between Denmark and Sweden that is intended to be "found" by moving vehicle,  the train or a boat.  

[RuideAlmeida]

7 minutes ago, cerberus1 said:

... those new virtual adventure cache things can/could be done at home too.

 

As a little reminder of the VR guidelines:

 

"The cache owner must have visited the location and any additional waypoints in the previous two months before submitting the Virtual Cache for publication. Placements near the cache owner’s home coordinates are encouraged."

[+cerberus1]

16 minutes ago, cerberus1 said:

… those new virtual adventure cache things can/could be done at home too.

 

7 minutes ago, RuideAlmeida said:

As a little reminder of the VR guidelines:

"The cache owner must have visited the location and any additional waypoints in the previous two months before submitting the Virtual Cache for publication. Placements near the cache owner’s home coordinates are encouraged."

 

To be clear, I incorrectly called it "virtual", it's the Locationless Adventures.   

[+Michaelcycle]

23 minutes ago, NYPaddleCacher said:

 

There's an earthcache in the Baltic Sea in between Denmark and Sweden that is intended to be "found" by moving vehicle,  the train or a boat.  

That does not change my philosophy. I have cached (by bicycle) in both those countries so I would not have a problem claiming that earthcache, except for the rather dangerous maneuver of taking a photograph on a bridge while driving!!

Edited February 3, 2020 by Michaelcycle

[+Touchstone]

An Earthcache might be an option, but as mentioned earlier, the location visit must be relatively recent. 

[Keystone]

1 hour ago, cerberus1 said:

To be clear, I incorrectly called it "virtual", it's the Locationless Adventures.   

 

There's no such thing anymore, per this post in the thread you linked.  So, let's not conflate apples and oranges.  The thread is about establishing a Virtual Cache in Antarctica, requiring a physical visit both for hider and finder.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

3 hours ago, Michaelcycle said:

That does not change my philosophy. I have cached (by bicycle) in both those countries so I would not have a problem claiming that earthcache, except for the rather dangerous maneuver of taking a photograph on a bridge while driving!!

 

The cache listing strongly recommends not taking the photograph while driving, but something a passenger could do.  I took the train (between Copenhagen airport and Malmo, Sweden).  I had previously found caches in Copenhagen and found several other in Malmo (the EC is listed as in Denmark).  My point was simply, if one is "finding" a cache as intended, making an exception in ones philosophy seems reasonable to me.

 

I don't take this game serious enough to have a strict philosophy  about caches that I find.  

[+Korichnovui]

12 hours ago, NYPaddleCacher said:

 

There's an earthcache in the Baltic Sea in between Denmark and Sweden that is intended to be "found" by moving vehicle,  the train or a boat.  

 

There's also this one (GC6T00G) near my home that encourages you to observe a phenomenon while traveling in a vehicle at 60 mph down the highway.

 

To the OP, one concern I would have about your set up is the regularity of cruise ship routes. Do they go to *exactly* the same spot over and over again? I'd be worried that folks may hope to get to the virtual area, only to discover that the cruise ship went to a slightly different spot. If, however, it is the case that cruise ships visit the same spot with exceeding regularity and reliability, then you might be able to create an Earth cache. But be warned, that's no easy feat either. It took me a couple of months of back and forth with my reviewer before my own Earth cache was good enough for publication (granted, I'm no geologist). I'm thankful to that reviewer for their patience and for elevating my Earth cache idea to something respectable. I would recommend doing a lot of research before you go, especially studying the guidelines of what topics are acceptable for Earth caches, and have several ideas ready to go before you visit the spot. And even still, after all that, you may face heavy resistance over what has already been brought up in the thread, that simply arriving by cruise ship without setting your feet on solid ground is somehow "not good enough" (though clearly several examples have now been brought forward that show some shades of gray in that area) (but remember, in submitting your project to a reviewer, that they are not beholden to any precedent).

[+NYPaddleCacher]

10 hours ago, Korichnovui said:

 

There's also this one (GC6T00G) near my home that encourages you to observe a phenomenon while traveling in a vehicle at 60 mph down the highway.

 

To the OP, one concern I would have about your set up is the regularity of cruise ship routes. Do they go to *exactly* the same spot over and over again? I'd be worried that folks may hope to get to the virtual area, only to discover that the cruise ship went to a slightly different spot. If, however, it is the case that cruise ships visit the same spot with exceeding regularity and reliability, then you might be able to create an Earth cache. But be warned, that's no easy feat either. It took me a couple of months of back and forth with my reviewer before my own Earth cache was good enough for publication (granted, I'm no geologist). I'm thankful to that reviewer for their patience and for elevating my Earth cache idea to something respectable. I would recommend doing a lot of research before you go, especially studying the guidelines of what topics are acceptable for Earth caches, and have several ideas ready to go before you visit the spot. And even still, after all that, you may face heavy resistance over what has already been brought up in the thread, that simply arriving by cruise ship without setting your feet on solid ground is somehow "not good enough" (though clearly several examples have now been brought forward that show some shades of gray in that area) (but remember, in submitting your project to a reviewer, that they are not beholden to any precedent).

 

Interesting earth cache.  BTW, I heard a thing on NPR the other day talking about regional differences of the term used when describing the geological  feature for that EC.  In the west, "pass" or "saddle" is commonly used to describe the area in between mountain peaks.   In the north east  "notch" is used to describe the same type of feature.  In the south,  "gap" (e.g. Cumberland Gap) is common.   So, the fact that this feature is called Wallula Gap is somewhat unusual.

 

I've never gone on a cruise but I'm aware that some cruise companies basically own private islands or resorts developed specifically for their cruise ships to stop.  For example, Labadee, Haiti is owned by Royal Caribbean and, yes, there is a geocache located there.   Castaway Cay is owned by Disney,  Half Moon Caye (Bahamas) is owned by Holland America.  

[+hzoi]

We have an earthcache at the mouth of the Nærøyfjord in Norway, that we planned while on a ship.  Most folks log it from a ship as well.  So, yes, it's doable.  And the bonus is that we didn't have to figure out landowner permission, as the coordinates were in a fjord that's openly navigable.

 

If there aren't any earthcaches for you to find by sea, consider placing one yourself to add to the game for those who follow you.  If you're going to do this, though, I recommend you do some research ahead of time to identify a potential earthcache lesson and location, then submit it after you have visited the locale. 

 

If you identify a potential earthcache subject, I would recommend you run it by the geoaware that covers Antarctica beforehand, GeoawareANZ2, to scope the lesson and make sure they are on board with your concept.  It may help speed along publication later.  But looking through the unpublished earthcaches for Antarctica, the main hurdle appears to be that some folks who submit earthcaches for Antarctica have never been - so showing up is important.

[+STNolan]

On 2/4/2020 at 10:47 AM, hzoi said:

If you identify a potential earthcache subject, I would recommend you run it by the geoaware that covers Antarctica beforehand, GeoawareANZ2, to scope the lesson and make sure they are on board with your concept.  It may help speed along publication later.  But looking through the unpublished earthcaches for Antarctica, the main hurdle appears to be that some folks who submit earthcaches for Antarctica have never been - so showing up is important.

 

I own an Earthcache in the frigid south... I'll add my own two cent to this as well: the Geoaware I worked with was exceedingly thorough and wanted some proof that you had been to the location. No issues there, but make sure you're ready for that. Additionally if your'e setting up an offshore Earthcache while it's POSSIBLE to do, you'll also have to prove the uniqueness of that location. That was one of my biggest hurdles to my cache publication - how was this one location unique in the geology/cryology vice a location 2 miles distant? 

 

Just things to think about... feel free to join us over in the earthcaching forums if you want to discuss it even more! Also, welcome to the Polar Explorers club!