Sailing SOUTH 2026 – Adventurers wanted!

After the expedition is before the expedition

Sailing SOUTH 2026 – sailors and adventurers wanted!

Sailing SOUTH 2024 is history. But the adventure continues!
We have not given up on our goal of reaching South Georgia and our dream is not over yet.
That is why we are now making new plans: We want to set sail again!
In 2026, I would like to make another attempt and organise two expeditions in the footsteps of Shackleton to the Antarctic Ocean.

Sailing SOUTH 2026

We want to sail through the furious 50s and set the course for South Georgia. At the beginning of the Antarctic spring, before the cruise season. When the natural paradise is just awakening from its winter sleep, it is still untouched and deserted. It is only populated by the countless millions of seabirds, seals, elephant seals and penguins that then head for the wild shores of this Antarctic oasis.

On a sailing expedition, we want to discover the inaccessible shores and bays of South Georgia, the spectacular glaciers and the unique biodiversity of this Antarctic oasis. We will then set course for the remote and countless islands of the Falklands. The archipelago in the South Atlantic is considered a challenging sailing area and attracts visitors with its magnificent landscapes, rugged coastlines and paradisiacal beaches. A fantastic natural paradise with sub-Antarctic wildlife is waiting to be discovered here too – you could say it’s a taste of the Antarctic: numerous penguin species, seals, elephant seals, whales, dolphins, albatrosses and other seabirds populate the islands.

A great adventure on a small sailing yacht in one of the most remote, wild and beautiful sailing areas in the world. This expedition offers a rare and extraordinary opportunity to get to know South Georgia and the Falkland Islands in an individual, very personal way and to explore them with plenty of time.

As in 2024, Selma Expeditions is on board as a partner: a proven expedition sailing yacht, built for extreme conditions, which has already covered countless miles in polar regions and has a proven team of skippers with a wealth of experience in the high latitudes, the Antarctic and on long trips in such remote areas.

A time slot has already been agreed and blocked.
However, the team is not yet complete, and so I am looking for more adventurous people with enthusiasm and excitement, curiosity and a desire to discover the unknown and a willingness to make this dream come true together. Interested?

Bad News: Avian Influenza (HPAI) in South Georgia

Bad news from the other side of the world

Bad news from the other side of the world: bird flu (avian influenza) has unfortunately also reached the remote regions of the Southern Ocean and Antarctica – the highly contagious virus was first detected on South Georgia back in October. This is particularly sad and poses a dramatic threat to the unique wildlife there.

Unfortunately, this issue also affects our project, as many of the possible landing sites have been completely closed by the administration (GSGSSI). The map shows all landing sites in South Georgia that are normally accessible to visitors and their categorisation and closure according to the GSGSSI biosecurity manual (yellow = open, orange = closed to tourists / reopening possibly possible, red = closed to all until the end of the season).
Map: 20 November 2023, source: GSGSSI / Polarjournal

As things stand, the situation on site has deteriorated further and the number of landing sites still open has been significantly reduced. Even South Georgia’s main port of call, Grytviken, is currently closed (level 2 = orange).

Whether we will be able to realise our plan to sail to South Georgia and explore in the footsteps of Sir Ernest Shackleton as planned, or at all, is unfortunately up in the air at the moment.

Further information can be found here:

https://polarjournal.ch/en/2023/10/24/avian-influenza-reaches-south-georgia/

https://polarjournal.ch/en/2023/11/30/high-mortality-among-young-elephant-seals-on-south-georgia/

https://gov.gs/highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza/

https://gov.gs/biosecurity/

An important step

We did it!

The contract has been signed and further planning can begin. Of course we celebrated that with a Shackleton.
There are still three places left – apply for this Antarctic adventure and become part of our team!

Wanted II

Successful Restart

“Difficulties are just things to overcome, after all.”

Sir Ernest Shackleton

After our originally planned skipper unexpectedly dropped out at the end of August, we were looking for a new partner.

And we have found one!

Already for many years in the Southern Ocean, in the Antarctic and on the oceans of this world: A proven expedition sailing vessel, built for extreme conditions, which has countless miles in polar areas in its wake and its proven team of skippers with a lot of experience in the high latitudes and on long trips in such remote areas.

Some fellow sailors have already found themselves who share this dream and who are willing to embark on this adventure with me.

However, the team is not complete yet and we are looking for more adventurous people with excitement and enthusiasm, curiosity and desire to discover and explore the unknown and willing to realize this dream together with us.

Are you ready to join us?