East Greenland Expedition

It never occurred to me that I could miss sea travel and sea people so much… This trip to Iceland and Greenland on the Wylde Swan tall ship was just a breath of joy and freedom. I think I was even overloaded with impressions. There were mast climbs from where you could see the ice-filled fjord. There were jokes, landings at an abandoned American military base and Greenlandic villages. There were whales, icebergs, whales against icebergs and so on!

Experimentally we found out that night watches have an amazing soporific property: before and after them you don't want to sleep at all, but during the watch you have to fight for who will go to check the engine room to cheer up. All in all, it was an incredibly joyful adventure, even considering that on the way back we got caught in a storm and someone (I) spent a day and a half in bed! I'd say it was an essential part of the voyage. But it's better to be on this trip in person and experience your own emotions, because every trip is unique!

The trip was amazing! Many thanks to the team: for their dedication to the ship, professionalism, desire to teach and learn, for a sense of humor in any situation. Thanks to the participants of our hike: it was fun, reliable and very interesting with you! Thanks to Iceland and Greenland for the pristine beauty presented, for the people they met, for icebergs and whales, for mountains and waterfalls. It's worth seeing!

This week was exceptional as so many different people became a whole, connected to each other and have done an amazing exchange of ideas, energy, experience, knowledge. We worked, and played, and learned and listened, and talked to each other. Steered the wheel, set the sails, kept watches and participated in lectures, learned knots, rode dinghy, played the guitar, sang, connected. I thank the destiny for this opportunity.

Nothing could possibly have prepared me for how incredible this week has been, and no words will adequately capture the memories you've helped me make. This was literally one of the best weeks of my life. Each day we did so many fun, exciting, challenging, and memorable activities that I can hardly keep track of them. After all the uncertainty and negativity in the world during recent events, the uplifting positivity, and teamwork aboard your ship is such a wonderful contrast. My time aboard was the first time in a long time when I truly felt joy.

It was an unforgettable journey. These are must-see places before the global warming final consequences.

It was an incredibly beautiful and unforgettable journey.
The freedom we were given was wonderful, and I experienced some of the most special moments of my life in Antarctica.
The group was great, and the crew was kind and supportive throughout the trip. Special compliments to Maria, she clearly put in a lot of effort, which was very much appreciated.
We could visit a several research stations, islands with penguin colonies, sea leopards and, of course, the whales. We were lucky to sail with a very professional crew — they made it possible to sail through the iceberg field. That made us feel to visit an other world in all shades of blue.

I’d like to share my impressions from an Antarctic sailing expedition in 2022. As I told my friends that I’d like to SAIL to Antarctica (and I don’t have any licenses and only a very little sailing experience), there were 2 opinions, either "Oh, cool!!", or "You're crazy!!". Now I can say that both were right. It was a really cool, but a little bit crazy expedition. To sail through the Drake’s passage — it’s a unique experience! As a reward after 4 days you see the shore…

We could visit a several research stations, islands with penguin colonies, sea leopards and, of course, the whales. We were lucky to sail with a very professional crew — they made it possible to sail through the iceberg field. That made us feel to visit an other world in all shades of blue.

I’m travelling a lot since my childhood. I saw the geysers of Iceland, deserts of Mongolia, landscapes of “Lord of the Ring” in New Zealand, waterfalls of La Reunion, Bahá’í Gardens in Israel, lakes of Canada, bears of the Arctic, old timers on the roads of Cuba, volcanos of Kamchatka and many other fascinating places of the world. But the trip to Antarctic in February 2022 is difficult to exceed, actually impossible. Extraordinary experience with fantastic people on the sail boat. It is like a trip to another planet full of pinguins, seals, whales, dolphins and seabirds. As the backstage for them are the breathtaking landscapes of ice mountains and meditation peace. And as a company – small family of sailors, who shared with me the night shifts, ice swimming and pancakes (mmm, our cook – it is a separate topic:)) middle of the nowhere. And the worst thing about it – I wish to do it again even more, than I wished before (it was my dream since 20 years).

Happy Holidays from Antarctic Science Camp on King George island. Lots to see and do! Great program for those who want to experience a different side of Antarctic Life! Glad I signed up for this adventure!

This was a great and rare opportunity to see part of Antarctica in detail. It was a unique experience to really get to know the coast and landscape of this area and enjoy the wildlife of penguins, seals and elephant seals. Staying at the Bellingshausen Science Station adds context and understanding to an extraordinary Antarctic experience.

You can tell it in a colorful and lengthy way. To put it briefly: Thank you (with a capital T!) to Marine Practice and personally to Konstantin Popov for the unique opportunity to fulfill a childhood dream of 'becoming' a polar explorer in my mature years!!!
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