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?

Time to start packing

Happy New Year 2024!

The year – among hopefully many other joyful things and events – of our Sailing SOUTH 2024 expedition.
Time is running out – time to get the equipment and gear sorted for the first time … It’s still a bit too much, but that can still be reduced.
Fortunately, some of the equipment is already on board.

Permit No 1

Next important Step

Hooray!
We have received the first of many needed authorisations: the permit from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which allows us to sail into the Antarctic waters of the Antarctic Treaty area. Poland because the Selma sails under the Polish flag.

Crew Meet-Up

Crew meeting – not only virtual

Crew meeting last week in Berlin. The first time we met as a full team in real life (and not just online).
Karen from Alaska had the longest journey.

The program included: getting to know each other, exchanging ideas, planning, discussing, defining common goals and toasting Sailing SOUTH 2024.

Planning Process

Good news! The Sailing SOUTH team is complete!

Further planning has begun.
First of all, we are mentally travelling on the map … We consider route planning, possible destinations and landing sites on the Antarctic Peninsula, the South Shetland Islands and in South Georgia. We rummage through maps and books and browse through the travel notes or logbooks of some of the sailors before us.

Many things are possible, some are set, Elephant Island is the mother of the first idea and the centrepiece of the expedition…

Will we be able to set foot on the windswept island like Shackleton?
We don’t know, we can only prepare well and remain flexible. Nature has the last word in Antarctica – wind and weather will ultimately decide.