Extreme objective
Port Charcot as a base. The Antarctic Peninsula as a corridor. And at the end, a latitude that few sailing yachts have approached without an icebreaker, without assistance, without an easy way back.
The Antarctic circumnavigation closes the loop beyond 60°S. But the expedition also carries a secondary objective, further south still: pushing toward 70°S from Port Charcot, along the peninsula, until the pack ice permanently closes the passage. Not a crossing, not a speed record. A methodical descent to the limit of what a sailing yacht can reach alone.
This southward push is different from the circumnavigation. It goes nowhere, except to the wall. It requires advancing while knowing you will turn back, stopping not because a target has been reached, but because the sea decided. It is the inverse of the circumnavigation: not closing the loop, but knowing when to stop before the loop closes on you.
The route follows the Antarctic Peninsula: Lemaire Channel, Crystal Sound, Adelaide Island, Alexander Island. Each stage is a narrower bottleneck, denser ice, a longer retreat window to climb back north. Satellite data (NASA/NSIDC) shows open passages in some seasons. Nothing guarantees they will be open when ARION passes.
Theoretical projection based on satellite data December 2025
In Antarctica, nothing is guaranteed from one year to the next. Pack ice can close a passage in hours under favourable winds. The waypoints below illustrate the main challenges of the route, not a confirmed itinerary. The decision to continue or turn back is made in real time, on board, according to conditions.
Route south
Port Charcot
65°03'S, 64°02'W
Safe anchorage, starting base for the southward push. Natural protected harbour, used historically by Charcot himself. Cumulative distance: 0 nm. Exit to the Lemaire Channel often blocked by drifting icebergs. Unpredictable katabatic winds from the glaciers.
0 nmLemaire Channel
64°48'S, 63°30'W
First bottleneck. One to two kilometres wide, rock walls and ice on each side. ~20 nm south. Pack closes with south-westerly winds, sometimes within hours. Zero visibility in fog. Retreat to Gerlache Strait possible but slow.
~20 nmCrystal Sound
66°00'S, 66°30'W
Transition to dense ice. The sea begins to change colour, consistency, logic. ~60 nm south. Pack compression with east-west winds, impassable ridges possible. Only shelter: Pourquoi-Pas Island. Northward retreat long and exposed if sudden closure.
~60 nmAdelaide Island — Rothera area
67°34'S, 68°07'W
Start of real isolation. ~150 nm south. Katabatic winds exceeding 100 knots reported, pushing ice toward the coast. No reliable shelter to the south. Retreat to Marguerite Bay long and exposed. This is where the decision to continue truly commits the return.
~150 nmAlexander Island — Charcot Island
70°00'S, 75°00'W
Entry into the Amundsen Sea. The target latitude. ~300 nm south. Unstable glacial fronts, constant massive calving. Pack closes with westerly winds without warning. Zero shelters, unprotected islands. Retreat nearly impossible without early turnaround. This is where the journey stops, or where the sea decides for you.
~300 nmThwaites Glacier Front
74°00'S, 105°00'W
Theoretical objective beyond 70°S. ~550 nm south. World's most unstable glacier, constant giant iceberg calving. Extreme winds close the pack in minutes. No shelter, sheer cliff coastline, no bases. High collision risk. Northward retreat of 200+ nm in impossible waters.
~550 nmWhat it produces
Every mile sailed south between 65°S and 70°S is a mile of rare data: high-resolution weather, in-situ ice observations following WMO standards, passive acoustics, and cetacean observations in areas that institutional campaigns do not cover continuously. This data feeds the AION Data Hub, accessible to researchers.
The objective is not to beat a number. It is to go as far as the sea allows, measure what can be measured, and come back with something useful. The ice wall is not a failure: it is exactly the point that was aimed for.