Ocean Warrior Project's #Resolute Expedition is a pioneering, high Arctic waters expedition, which is looking for intrepid travellers.

The expedition has the patronage world-renowned yachtswoman, Tracy Edwards - who skippered the first all-female crew to sail around the world - and will set sail in June 2023 on a journey from Svalbard, via London and Plymouth, and on to the ultimate destination of Resolute Bay, Nunavut, Northern Canada, before its return journey.

Just 144 intrepid travellers will be given the unique opportunity to join the Ocean Warrior Project #Resolute Expedition, which will be split into eight legs lasting between nine and 31 days, covering a total distance of 10,000 nautical miles.

Up to 18 guests will join each leg, travelling from Svalbard to Plymouth, followed by legs to Iceland, South Greenland, Resolute Bay via Baffin Island and back to Nuuk, then on to West Greenland, Nararsuaq in South Greenland, Reykjavik, and finally back to Plymouth via the Faroe Isles.

Sleeping on board in the comfort of this iconic vessel, participants joining the journey will help sail the wind powered SV Linden in what will be one of the most sustainable and important expeditions of its kind ever undertaken.

Designed by one of the world's most experienced and respected explorers, Jim McNeill, the voyage's goal is to monitor the pulse of the planet using citizen science. This will be implemented by would-be explorers sailing and staying on board Europe's largest three-masted wooden Schooner, SV Linden; itself modelled on a ship of the same name from the 1920s.

This citizen science focussed voyage will collect critical 'ground truthing' scientific measurements to help deliver 'the holy grail of oceanography': understanding how much carbon is stored in our oceans, and how this is impacting on acidification, pollution, and species in our oceans.  Jim's past work on ground truthing has helped the likes of NASA build a better understanding of the Polar Regions.

Individuals interested in joining the #Resolute Expedition need to apply before the end of February.

While no previous experience is required, aspiring explorers will need to show initiative, resilience, tenacity, and good humour, all of which will be required on the journey, and will be assessed during a series of challenges on an optional pre-selection weekend, the first of which will be held on 10 February.

Successful participants can also look forward to experiencing extraordinary seascapes and to making a real scientific difference to our understanding of the health of the planet's oceans.

Explorers on the voyage will also learn new and potentially life-changing skills, including:  

• guidance on fundraising to help pay for the expedition
• on-vessel training in sailing and the use of scientific equipment to measure the pulse of the planet
• training in maritime safety, resulting in a certificate in Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping; (STCW: A V1/1-1 and 1-4); required by all crew on commercial vessels over 24 metres
• team building and resilience in the face of adversity

Commenting on the Ocean Warrior #Resolute Expedition, Jim McNeill explained: “My goal is to share the gift of exploration with individuals from all walks of life, helping those from ordinary backgrounds achieve the extraordinary.

“Adventurous travellers, be they students on a gap year, individuals on a sabbatical, professionals sponsored by companies, or retirees looking for a new challenge, will join my crew and ten lucky inner-city would-be explorers who I'll be sponsoring personally on this scientifically significant and life-changing endeavour. They will enjoy an unparalleled experience at the same time as making an invaluable difference to our understanding of the health of our oceans, through the collection of data for scientific bodies.”

Depending on the length of the leg, prices range from £8,000 for the shortest ten-day leg, through to £18,000 for the longest 31-day leg. A deposit of 25% is required, followed by full payment by 1st

May, giving individuals time for fundraising. Tickets for the optional selection weekend cost £200.

The Voyage - detail

Leg 1:  Svalbard to London, and on to Plymouth – 22 days (25 June-16 July): £14,000

Leg 2:  Plymouth to Reykjavik – 11 days (17-27 July): £8,000

Leg 3:  Reykjavik to Nuuk – 12 days (28 July-9 August): £10,000

Leg 4:  Nuuk to Nuuk via Baffin Island and Resolute Bay – 31 days (10 August- 10 September): £18,000

Leg 5:  Nuuk to Upernavik – 10 days (11-20 September): £9,000

Leg 6: Upernavik to Narsarsuaq – 10 days (21-30 September): £8,000

Leg 7: Narsarsuaq to Reykjavik – 10 days (1-9 October) £8,000

Leg 8: Reykjavik to Plymouth – 15 days (10-24 October) £8,000

Link to full details of the legs here.

To find out more information about Ocean Warrior Project, the #Resolute Expedition, its selection process, and how to join as a self-funded, or fundraised participant, visit https://www.warrior-ocean.com/ or https://www.ice-warrior.com/.

-Ends-

Media contacts

Ewan Davy/Genny Madeira

Absolute PR and Marketing, Tel:  01392 680 740,

ewan@absoluteprandmarketing.com 

genny@absoluteprandmarketing.com

Editor's notes

About Jim McNeill:

An environmental scientist to begin with, Jim McNeill had a career in both the Army, and the Royal Household, before pursuing his passion for polar exploration. A veteran of more than 30 years of polar exploration and expeditions, Jim has led expeditions to Antarctica, High Arctic Canada, Svalbard, and Baffin Island among many others.

Jim has led two attempts to reach the Northern Pole of Inaccessibility in the Arctic Ocean – the last true world first in polar expeditioning and one of the last unexplored parts of Earth - and will embark on a third attempt in 2024, for which special equipment is being developed and taken on board SV Linden as part of its journey to Resolute Bay, during the ocean exploration.

In addition to leading expeditions and training aspiring explorers, Jim is an extreme safety expert and has advised on some of the BBC's most prestigious and award-winning natural history series, including Frozen Planet, and Human Planet working with luminaries such as Sir David Attenborough. Jim has also consulted on numerous expeditions including many of Sir Ranulph Fiennes' expeditions.

Ocean Warrior's Scientific work:

Partnering with some of the world's top scientific organisations, which will be announced later this year, precise and empirical data on the health of the oceans will be gathered, ready to be analysed by scientists and academia, informing society about the condition of the ocean. The expedition will also be used to sustainably transport equipment for Jim McNeill's third attempt to reach the Northern Pole of Inaccessibility, an expedition which will take place in 2024.

The importance of ground truthing:

Jim has used ground truthing in his previous Ice Warrior expeditions. His work has helped NASA gain a better understanding of sea ice physics and has also provided data that has enabled the calibration of satellites based on 'on the ground' data. His expeditions have unearthed immediate anecdotal evidence that is helping to build a picture of how long it might be before irreversible environmental damage is done to the planet. 

Talks about Ocean Warrior:

To help raise the profile of the Ocean Warrior Project, its goals, and to encourage individuals to put themselves forward for the selection process, Jim will be embarking on a national speaking tour in 2023. He is asking venues across the UK to invite him to speak, on the understanding that all money raised will go towards funding further free places on the project.

About Global Warrior:

Climate change is the defining issue of our time, and we are at a critical moment.

For well over half a century we have known that the world's extreme environments convey the health of the Earth. They are our early warning system, or barometer, for change.

Without exploring these regions how do we know anything we do to help mitigate climate change is working?

In the last 21 years, Jim McNeill's Ice Warrior Project has:

• trained over 450 novices to be modern-day polar explorers
• conducted 7 major expeditions
• been cited in scientific publications and magazines around the globe for their contributions
• enabled ordinary, everyday people wanting to help scientists gauge the health of the planet

Ice Warrior was always the model to extend into all five extreme environments: Ice, Ocean, Desert, Mountain, and Jungle Warrior strands.

Global Warrior is the initiative and Ocean Warrior is the latest strand. Desert Warrior, Mountain Warrior, and Jungle Warrior will follow.

Jim is determined to make this the most extensive ground-truthing our planet has experienced.

• Thousands of miles of exploration
• Hundreds of ordinary people from many nations trained to take part
• Gathering millions of pieces of critical scientific evidence
• Putting a crucial finger on the pulse of our planet
• Please see the film “No time to Lose”