Southern Ocean Delivery Passage from Port Stanley in the Falklands to Cape Town March 29th to April 28 2025 on board the Pelagic 77 Amundsen

An opportunity for accelerated learning to build sea time and miles and to practice ocean navigation and seamanship for both RYA Yachtmaster Ocean and Offshore qualifications. A visit to the island of Tristan da Cunha is a possibility enroute weather permitting. The passage is roughly 3,500nm.

View video of the 2023 delivery passage on board Vinson of Antarctica from Puerto Williams to Cape Town covering the Theory Syllabus for RYA Yachtmaster Ocean qualification and the taking of sights towards the final examination.

THE PACKAGE

In the course of this package Pelagic Expeditions, on board the Pelagic 77, Amundsen, is offering two components:

1. The RYA Ocean Yacht Master Theoretical Syllabus. A five day shore based instruction course plus one day's assessment covering celestial navigation, meteorology and passage planning. Click here for details of the RYA Ocean Theory syllabus

Shorebased navigation theory and practice

2. 21 to 23 day transatlantic from Port Stanley to Cape Town. This will include hands on experience for:

• Routine celestial navigation
• Sail handling and trim, rigging for heavy weather
• Passage planning and routing, Weather forecasting
• Radar, setup and use of
• Use of paper charts, pilot guides, chart plotters and apps
• Familiarisation with the vessel and its systems before setting out on the ocean crossing
• Management of vessel systems enroute

This is a unique opportunity to acquire sea miles with ocean and storm sailing experience and skills at pace in a tough High Latitudes environment.

"I believe this will make for a much more enjoyable and relevant experience, during what is a unique combination of instructional course work and the experience of a long ocean passage ending in the Tavern of the Seas." Skip Novak

Later after completion of the voyage, a potential candidate has the option of independently sitting for an 'Oral' exam with a RYA Yacahtmaster Ocean Examiner where the sights are scrutinised and they are asked about all aspects of the passage and the 'Celestial Navigation'. If the examiner is happy, they 'Pass' their RYA Ocean 'Practical'. Please note that to take the RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Practical, the candidate must hold a valid RYA Yachtmaster Offshore practical qualification. However as the sights and passage record are valid to sit the Ocean practical for 10 years after the voyage takes place, therefore there is a 10 year window to acquire an RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Practical license if a student is not already so qualified.

Navigation briefing for the 3,500 mile journey

Please Take Note: This is a hands-on situation and is not a leisure cruise. Crew members will be required to stand a watch throughout, take turns at cooking, cleaning and maintaining the vessel. A reasonable degree of fitness and vitality is necessary for making this an enjoyable experience. In order take part in this shorebased training and subsequent voyages it is essential that the student is fluent in spoken and written English.

Experience Required: This is not a voyage for beginners. Every crew member is expected to have a reasonable degree of offshore experience to fully benefit from the course. An RYA Day or Coastal Skipper qualification as a minimum or other equivalent is the level we are looking for. Every prospective crew must submit any qualifications they have, plus a sailing CV in order for Pelagic Expeditions to judge whether he or she is suitable for this specialized voyage. Sadly, due to a previous accident, the age limit for this programme is 70 and under. We stress again that in order to benefit from this passage and the course, a reasonable degree of fitness and a high level of self-motivation is required.

ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION POLICY ONBOARD

Amundsen is run as a "dry ship" when at sea and possibly at some anchorages when there is a real possibility of having to 'up anchor' and move off. This is at the Skipper's discretion. In port reasonable amounts of alcohol can be consumed but excessive alcohol consumption that leads to situations which put people at risk, or where the harmony of life on board is disturbed to an extent that other guests are made uncomfortable will not be tolerated. If this situation arises, the Skipper reserves the right to return to port and to disembark any Charterer at an intermediary port, or disembark the entire group in a group charter if necessary.

Amundsen's sistership Vinson of Antarctica under sail

TIMING AND ITINERARY

Students will arrive in Port Stanley March 29 via a LATAM flight from Santiago, Punta Arenas and on into Mount Pleasant Airport in the Falkland Islands. Joining crew can immediately go straight on board

Having moved on board, on March 29 , the next day the students begin the five day RYA Ocean Theory course in a classroom onshore in Port Stanley. On or about April 5th Amundsen will depart Port Stanley for Cape Town.

On a good day, Table Mountain can be seen from 50 miles offshore and our ETA is expected there about 28 April. Cape Town Tavern of the Seas!

VISAS AND TICKETS

Crew must make sure they have visas, if required, for Chile and the Falklands and South Africa. Photocopies of these visas and proof of a return ticket out of South Africa will be required by Pelagic Expeditions. It is essential that you have at least two clear pages in your passport BEFORE entering South Africa.

COST

GBP 10,000. This cost includes:

• Provisions while on board
• Use of all navigation and sailing equipment on board
• Use of safety equipment including life harness, PFD and Musto foul weather gear
• Use of Starlink communication system on board
• All port fees and local taxes for the vessel
• Fuel for the vessel
• All RYA course materials and navigation tools.

Not included:

• Travel costs to point of departure and arrival
• Meals or entertainments ashore
• Cost of Inmarsat communications

EQUIPMENT

Equipment List 2 - For the Atlantic Deliveries.

Please  e-mail Skip Novak to reserve a place