Antarctica 2027

We begin on land in Ushuaia where the crew will board and settle into S/V Amundsen. After safety briefings, we will aim to set sail on our second day (weather dependent). We’ll cross the Drake Passage – one of the most formidable stretches of ocean on earth, where the Atlantic, Pacific and Southern Ocean converge. Along the way, we’ll deploy our sampling equipment, collecting data through waters that few research vessels have ever trawled for microplastics. While albatross wheel overhead, whales surface in the swell.

What greets us on the other side is almost impossible to prepare for. The Antarctic Peninsula: icebergs the size of buildings, glaciers that dwarf the boat, penguin colonies and a silence so total it changes something in you. This is the most remote destination you can sail to, and there’s no better place to find out what we’re really fighting for.

Life on board is a unique, challenging and transformational experience.

It’s a real adventure, not a relaxing holiday. You’ll be an active member of the crew, and the environment on board can be physically and emotionally demanding. Guest crew are expected to get involved with every aspect of life at sea. You’ll join a 24-hour watch system to help sail and run the boat in all weather conditions, day and night, including hoisting sails, steering, keeping the boat clean and tidy, cooking in the galley, and living life at an angle. Quarters are close and this is not luxury living: you’ll be eating, cleaning, and sleeping side by side with your crewmates, and you’ll get to know each other very well.

To reach and return from Antarctica, we sail across the legendary Drake Passage, one of the most formidable stretches of ocean in the world, taking around five days of continuous sailing in each direction. Expect cold, windy, rough, and wet conditions, and be ready for a challenging, sometimes uncomfortable crossing. Seasickness is common among guest crew, though most people find their sea legs within a few days.

For this expedition with our delivery partner, Pelagic, the professional crew on board will be three men. You can read more about life on board previous Pelagic expeditions to Antarctica here.

SV Amundsen is a 2024-built sailing schooner, purpose-built to take on the world’s most demanding polar waters. She measures 23.5 meters (LOA) with a 6.3 meter beam and 2.2 meter draft, powered by twin Yanmar 150HP engines for speeds of 8–10 knots, and is coded to MCA Category 0 — the highest safety rating for unrestricted ocean voyaging.

Her bare aluminum hull and deck structure are reinforced to push through brash ice without deformation, while a robust fixed keel with a solid machined aluminium centerboard allows safe navigation in shoal waters. Twin engines with well-protected propellers add both power and redundancy where it matters most.The schooner’s sail plan is engineered for manageable handling in high winds and rough seas, with two mainsails of equal size.

A forward workshop allows running repairs at sea, and a diesel stove in the spacious aft salooon and galley offers reliable, efficient heating against the freezing cold, backed by radiators and insulation carefully engineered throughout to combat cold and condensation.

Below decks, bamboo interior joinery and furniture strike a balance between comfort and durability, easy to maintain in demanding conditions. Amundsen carries 3 professional male crew and up to 10 guests, making her a true home base for exploring the ice.