ODYSSEY OF AION
ARION doesn't leave alone. Before departure, a team of volunteers works on her preparation — ashore and at sea. Their role: to make sure everything that can be anticipated, is. Because south of 60°S, there is no one left to catch what was forgotten.
Coordination & logistics
Departure is set for 16 August 2026. Every delayed supplier, every undelivered part, every incomplete administrative file eats into the margin — and on an expedition like this one, the margin does not come back. Ingrid is the pivot of this preparation: overall scheduling, supplier coordination, critical deadline tracking. She holds the organisation together when problems pile up — and they always pile up.
AshoreSea trials & safety
A yacht that hasn't been put to the test before departure will be put to the test by the sea — at the worst moment, far from everything. Jeff runs trials in real conditions: night manoeuvres, heavy weather, emergency procedures, behaviour under reduced canvas. His seafarer's eye anticipates what is going to break — before it breaks at 60°S. What he flags in trials, we fix in the yard. What he doesn't see, we find out the hard way.
Sea
Technical preparation
Turning a bluewater yacht into a polar tool is detail work: reinforcing load points, optimising the ergonomics of manoeuvres for gloved hands in the cold, making the systems that cannot fail at sea utterly reliable. Amaury works on ARION with one simple rule: in Antarctica, you repair fast — or you don't break. Every modification he makes is designed to be maintainable aboard, with the tools available, under difficult conditions.
WorkshopIf you have skills in aluminium welding, marine electronics or offshore rigging and want to contribute to ARION's preparation, we want to hear from you. Departure is in August 2026 — there is still work to be done.
Offer my skills