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Polar Route: Marseille to Antarctica via Patagonia | AION
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PREPARATORY ROUTE

From Marseille to Antarctica.

Mediterranean, Atlantic, Patagonia, Drake. The route that brings ARION to the starting line, below 60°S.

8stopovers · Marseille → Antarctica
1transatlantic · Cape Verde → Patagonia
60°Sstarting line
BRIEFING

Voyage overview

The descent to Patagonia is what tunes ARION and the crew before the deep South: sea trials, technical stops, trade winds, transatlantic. Dates remain indicative, weather and logistics will set the pace.

August 2026
Departure from Marseille Old Harbour, first miles and sea trials.
August 2026
Ibiza, routine stopover after technical checks and adjustments.
September 2026
Las Palmas, resupply, weather assessment, sails and autonomy optimisation.
October 2026
Mindelo (Cape Verde), last warm stopover before the transatlantic.
Oct.–Nov. 2026
Transatlantic, heading for South America, sea routine and systems management.
November 2026
Argentina, logistics, provisioning, preparation for the far South.
Late Nov. 2026
Patagonia, weather windows, ARION fine-tuning, Antarctic configuration.
December 2026
Drake Passage, then arrival on the starting line offshore South Shetland.
Interactive map

The track, stopover by stopover

Click a stage below to zoom on the map. ARION runs the full track on a loop.

Stopovers

Eight stopovers, one route

01

Marseille

Old Harbour. Departure, sea trials and first adjustments.

02

Ibiza

Technical stopover. Checks and adjustments.

03

Las Palmas

Resupply, weather, sails and autonomy optimisation.

04

Mindelo

Cape Verde. Last warm stopover before the transatlantic.

05

Buenos Aires

Arrival in South America. Logistics and preparation.

06

Ushuaia

Gateway to the South. Final preparation before the Drake.

07

Drake Passage

Crossing the southern seas towards Antarctica.

08

Starting line

Off the South Shetlands. Entry into Antarctica, start of the circumnavigation.

What comes next

The circumnavigation

Once below 60°S, the preparatory route turns into something else: a polar loop, without crossing back north of 60°S. Dedicated map, chapters, waypoints and guided reading.

What the Screaming Sixties actually are →

Day to day

The route, day by day

The expedition log tells the preparation, the stopovers, the weather calls, life aboard ARION. Updated at every stage.

Read the expedition log