Meet the Crew: Life Aboard the Amazone and Eldorado
Meet the Crew: Life Aboard the Amazone and Eldorado
When you imagine a sailing expedition to Antarctica or Greenland, the first images that come to mind are probably enormous icebergs, penguin colonies, whales and mountains rising directly from the sea.
But on a small expedition yacht, the people you travel with are just as important as the landscapes outside.
Aboard Amazone and Eldorado, there are no crowds and very little separation between “passengers” and “crew.” You live together for days or weeks, share meals, explore remote coastlines together and gradually become part of a small community at sea.
This is one of the defining ideas behind MoreTime Expeditions: you don't simply watch a polar expedition from the deck. You experience it alongside the people who make it possible.
Who Is Behind MoreTime Expeditions?
MoreTime Expeditions grew out of a long tradition of sailing and maritime education. Its team began working aboard famous tall ships including Sedov and Kruzenshtern, and today the company organizes sailing expeditions in Antarctica, Greenland and other high-latitude destinations.
The team has conducted more than 120 training voyages, trained more than 3,000 people in sailing and delivered over 100 educational programs aboard sailing vessels. Since 2020, MoreTime Expeditions has focused particularly on voyages to the Arctic and Antarctica.
That background explains why the atmosphere aboard Amazone and Eldorado feels different from a conventional expedition cruise.
The people running the voyage aren't simply hospitality staff. MoreTime's captains and instructors are professional sailors with thousands of nautical miles behind them, including extensive experience in Arctic and Antarctic waters. The company's instructors include IYT-certified professionals, Yachtmaster Ocean sailors and former naval officers.
Who Is Part of the Crew?
Running an expedition yacht through polar waters requires a surprisingly diverse team.
Depending on the voyage and vessel, the core crew includes a captain, mate, engineer, cook and polar guide. MoreTime lists five crew members aboard Eldorado and six aboard Amazone on its current charter program.
Each person has a different responsibility, but aboard a small ship these roles are much more visible than they would be on a large cruise vessel.
You'll see the captain studying weather forecasts and discussing the next day's route. You'll see the crew handling sails and maintaining the vessel. The polar guide may spend the morning leading a landing and the evening explaining what you saw over dinner.
And, importantly, you'll get to know these people.
The Captain: More Than the Person at the Helm
In polar regions, the captain's job goes far beyond navigating from point A to point B.
Weather can change quickly. Wind direction, visibility and ice conditions can transform the possibilities for a particular day. A planned anchorage may become unsuitable, while an unexpected weather window may create an opportunity to explore somewhere else.
That's why flexibility is fundamental to small-ship polar expeditions.
The captain continuously evaluates conditions and can alter the planned route or timing when necessary. MoreTime expeditions explicitly notes this flexibility in its voyage information: weather at sea can change rapidly, and the captain may adjust routes and departure times accordingly.
For guests, this means the itinerary isn't simply a timetable that must be followed regardless of conditions.
The goal is to make the best possible decisions with the information available that day.
The Polar Guide: Understanding What You're Seeing
Seeing a glacier is impressive.
Understanding how it formed, why it is changing and how it shapes the surrounding ecosystem makes the experience much richer.
The polar guide helps connect the landscape outside the yacht with its wildlife, geology, history and science.
During shore landings and Zodiac excursions, guides help guests explore safely and responsibly. Back aboard the yacht, conversations and lectures can continue in a much more informal environment than on a large expedition ship.
MoreTime Expeditions also places a strong emphasis on science and education. Its programs include marine research and environmental monitoring conducted in cooperation with research institutions, lectures about polar environments and opportunities for guests to participate in citizen-science activities.
So the experience isn't simply about photographing an iceberg or spotting a whale. It's also about understanding the environment you're traveling through.
The Engineer: Keeping the Expedition Moving
Some of the most important work aboard happens almost invisibly.
Expedition yachts operate for extended periods in remote areas where there isn't a marina or repair facility around the corner. Engines, generators, heating, electrical systems, water systems and navigation equipment all need to function reliably.
That's where the engineer becomes essential.
While guests are watching icebergs from the deck or preparing for a Zodiac landing, the technical side of the ship is constantly being monitored and maintained.
On a polar expedition, comfort and safety depend just as much on this behind-the-scenes work as they do on navigation.
The Cook: The Center of Life Onboard
After several hours outside in cold wind, few things feel better than returning to a warm ship and sitting down for a proper meal.
Food therefore becomes an unexpectedly important part of expedition life.
Aboard a small sailing vessel, meals aren't anonymous buffet experiences. Everyone gathers in the same shared spaces, and dinner becomes one of the moments when the entire group reconnects.
Guests talk about what happened during the day, compare photographs, discuss wildlife encounters and hear stories from the crew.
Over the course of an expedition, the dining table often becomes the social center of the ship.
Life Aboard Eldorado
Eldorado offers one of MoreTime Expeditions' most intimate expedition formats.
The 38-meter, two-masted schooner carries just 12 guests with a crew of five. It is equipped for high-latitude Arctic and Antarctic navigation and for autonomous voyages of up to 35 days. Guest accommodation consists of double and quadruple cabins with private bathrooms, heating and air conditioning.
With only 17 people aboard when operating at full guest capacity, you quickly recognize everyone.
There is no disappearing into a crowd after a landing.
You share the same deck, the same views, the same weather and the same excitement when someone spots a whale.
And on sailing voyages, guests can become much more involved in life aboard. MoreTime's sailing programs invite participants to keep watch, take the helm, work with sails and ropes, learn nautical knots and understand traditional navigation and log keeping.
You don't need to arrive as a sailor.
The crew is there to teach you.
Life Aboard Amazone
Amazone has a different personality.
The classic Dutch schooner was built in 1963, originally served as a commercial vessel in the North Sea and was later converted for sailing voyages. Today it is an ice-class expedition vessel capable of operating in demanding polar environments.
Amazone accommodates up to 18 guests with a crew of six, creating a slightly larger social environment while remaining tiny compared with conventional expedition ships.
MoreTime Expeditions has been operating regular voyages aboard Amazone in the Arctic and Antarctic since 2021. The vessel has been used for Antarctic expeditions, Arctic voyages and transatlantic training crossings.
Aboard Amazone, the ship itself becomes part of the experience: a traditional sailing vessel operating among some of the most dramatic modern wilderness on Earth.
You Don't Have to Be a Sailor
One of the biggest misconceptions about traveling aboard Amazone or Eldorado is that you need sailing experience.
You don't.
Professional sailors remain responsible for operating the vessel and for safety. MoreTime's team includes professional instructors specifically accustomed to teaching people with different levels of experience.
How involved you become depends partly on the expedition.
Some travelers are happy watching the crew work while enjoying the landscape. Others want to understand every rope, sail and navigational decision.
For those who want to participate, sailing with a small crew creates opportunities that simply don't exist aboard a conventional cruise ship.
What a Typical Day Feels Like
There isn't really a completely typical day in the polar regions.
You might wake up anchored beside a glacier and eat breakfast while ice drifts past the windows.
Later, everyone prepares for a Zodiac landing. The polar guide briefs the group, the crew launches the boats and within minutes you're heading toward shore.
After returning aboard, there might be lunch followed by several hours under sail. Someone spots whales and suddenly everyone is outside.
In the evening, the captain may explain tomorrow's options based on the latest weather and ice information.
And because you're traveling with such a small group, these aren't announcements delivered to hundreds of passengers.
They're conversations.
From Guests to Expedition Companions
This is perhaps the biggest difference between life aboard a small expedition schooner and life aboard a large cruise ship.
With 12 or 18 guests, anonymity disappears quickly.
The person sitting opposite you at breakfast might later help you into a Zodiac. The captain you spoke with over coffee may spend the afternoon explaining navigation. Your polar guide might join everyone at dinner after leading you through a penguin colony.
MoreTime Expeditions describes its philosophy as making travelers the protagonists rather than observers of the journey. That idea is particularly easy to understand once you're living aboard a small sailing vessel.
You're still a guest, but the experience feels shared.
Why the Crew Matters So Much in the Polar Regions
Antarctica and the Arctic are unpredictable environments.
A beautiful morning can turn windy. Ice can block one route and open another. Wildlife doesn't follow schedules.
Technology matters, but experience matters even more.
A good expedition crew knows when to continue, when to change plans and when the safest decision is to wait.
They also know when conditions have unexpectedly created an opportunity worth taking.
On a small yacht, you see those decisions being made. Instead of experiencing only the polished final itinerary, you begin to understand what expedition travel actually involves.
MoreTime Expeditions: Sailing as Part of the Journey
MoreTime Expeditions deliberately builds its voyages around small groups, professional seamanship and active exploration.
The company's vessels are equipped for high-latitude expeditions, scientific work and sailing education, while its broader philosophy combines polar exploration with environmental research and learning.
That combination is important.
Amazone and Eldorado aren't simply floating hotels that happen to visit Antarctica or Greenland. They're working sailing vessels, and life aboard them remains connected to the traditions of ocean exploration.
You feel the wind change.
You watch the sails go up.
You see the crew respond to weather and ice.
And if you want to, you can learn how it all works.
Final Thoughts
The icebergs, glaciers, whales and remote landscapes may be what first convince you to book a polar expedition.
But the people aboard often become one of the things you remember most.
Life aboard Amazone and Eldorado means traveling with a small professional crew, sharing experiences with a handful of fellow adventurers and seeing how a real sailing expedition operates from the inside.
They're your captains, guides, teachers and expedition companions—and for a few extraordinary days or weeks, you're all aboard the same ship heading toward one of the wildest places on Earth.