We are a team of penguin researchers, but here in South Georgia each morning starts with a different type of wildlife encounter… every day on our way to visit the penguin colonies we must pass through the fur seal gauntlet. […]

Some days ago I understood what Skip once mentioned; “there is still pioneering territory in the polar regions”. That is what we felt heading towards the Joubin Archipelago, neighbouring the Anvers Island southwestern tip. […]

The Antarctic Peninsula and nearby islands are experiencing some of the most dramatic environmental changes on Earth. In combination with commercial fishing of their prey, this is placing enormous pressure on penguins in the region. This project will contribute to understanding the likely impacts of climate change on penguins. […]

[…] We headed into the Paso Mackinley in a lovely, sunny, and extraordinarily calm afternoon. Chilean Navy ships passing by talking to us on the radio to congratulate the trainees for their trip. As soon as we could see the village through the binoculars, we spotted the optimists and the other boats sailing towards us. The rest is history, many emotions, and ship horns blowing long and strong.

My companions on watch appear. It is still hard for words to come out, the body is waking up. I bring the thermos’ flask and mate close to a light to see how water falls. A new day begins aboard the Vinson. […]

[…] In any case, these are confusing times. We entered the Falklands, Manue and José hoisted the yellow flag, this time probably with its origins connotation. We are in quarantine. May we be released very soon.

A morning walk through a ghost city in the Arctic.

The majesty of the marine skies was there, following the vessel. I could feel my heart beat. The moment was silent, intime, almost secret. I shoot some photos but I laid the camera down to enjoy the spectacle bare-eyed. […]

Yet, Life is blooming. It is blooming in the plankton, an elusive microcosm of tiny drifting organisms, which makes the deep blue ocean a truly astonishing universe for anyone who observes it through a microscope. […]

[…] But we really like the traditional thread and needle jobs. If you own a boat and you like the DIY jobs, go and get this machine. They are very difficult to find second-hand, as once you have it no one wants to get rid of it. […]

How and Why and When neurons and brains evolved is one of the greatest unresolved mysteries. According to our team research (Prof. Leonid Moroz Lab research), the answer exists in the sea, and in open oceans. […]

Since our sailing began, I have dedicated myself to observing the sea, the life on board, and the particular features of this vessel. Thus, during the first days at sea, I have been reminded of Bernard Moitessier, who said that his real job as a navigator was to listen to the whispers of his yacht, which, like all sailboats, spoke only in monosyllables. […]

To make a very large task achievable, it helps to split it into little ones. This is how our mind works, only step by step we reach the end of a long project. Building and preparing Vinson of Antarctica for the Southern Ocean, has been this kind of challenge for everyone involved. […]

Third day at sea. We sail along the northern coast of Brittany. A few weeks ago, when Kenneth, the Vinson’s Skipper, proposed to me the idea of dusting off the sextant and […]

Whoever likes puffins has those images in mind; hundreds of them standing, flying nearby cliffs, with a bill full of sand lances. The chance to see them was one of the highlights of sailing in the Arctic. […]

Time passed too rapidly! The expedition CASE 22 is already over but we would like to keep you updated about the last days on board of Vinson of Antarctica. […]

[…] Behind the white curtain, gently the fog began to indulge us with scenes: First the outline of the island with a distinctive navigation sign of stacked red timbers. Then, out of the middle of that cloud, as if in a dream, a family of walruses appears huddled together.

[…] Keeping our distance we stopped the boat and watched with binoculars (all pairs in play) as this giant who revealed himself as a big male, swam ashore, easily climbed a steep scree slope up on to the moraine and then went straight for the hut.