Saturday, November 1, 2008
XPLORE kicks off second season!
Xplore Expeditions kicked off its second season with a 10-day voyage through Tierra del Fuego; beginning in Ushuaia, Arg. and voyaging through the spectacular fjords and glaciers of the Beagle Channel, to Punta Arenas, Chile.
The second leg featured a return along the same route and back to Ushuaia for provisioning and preparations for the upcoming epic passage to South Georgia Island, slated for 9 Nov.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
June 1st 2008, Xplore is currently in the Beagle Channel, Ushuaia Argentina for winter.
Many would feel that a warm climate would be better suited after the demands of a season in the Southern Ocean and Antarctica, however for Xplore, with its creature comforts and heating, this is a perfect place to un-wind, continue maintenance and prepare plans for next season.
If you are dreaming of an adventure at any time during October 2008 to April 2009, now is the time to contact us as enquiries and bookings are moving along fast.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
XPLORE accepted as full IAATO member at annual conference
PUNTA DEL ESTE, URUGUAY -- XPLORE EXPEDITIONS has been inducted as a full member of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators [IAATO] at the annual meeting here 28 April - 1 May, 2008.
IAATO was founded in 1991 to advocate, promote and practice safe and environmentally responsible private-sector travel to the Antarctic. There are currently 80-members of the organization, ranging from ship operators, land-based operators, ship agents, travel agents, one government office and travel companies that charter ships and airplanes from existing operators.
Reports XPLORE founder and skipper Stephen Wilkins, from Uruguay: "The meeting has been interesting, and an eye opener to many issues within IAATO and the industry."
IAATO has established extensive procedures and guidelines to ensure appropriate, safe and environmentally sound private-sector travel to the Antarctic: regulations and restrictions on numbers of people ashore; staff-to-passenger ratios; site-specific and activity guidelines; wildlife watching; pre- and post-visit activity reporting; passenger, crew and staff briefings; previous Antarctic experience for tour staff; contingency and emergency medical evacuation plans; and more.
The voluntary membership is resolved to set the highest possible tourism operating standards in its effort to protect Antarctica. For more information, please visit the IAATO website here.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Season Report: Austral Summer 2007 / 2008
If there were no dreams then this world would be a very dull and boring place for us all of us. However for those who joined Xplore during this season, the realisation of dreams has been a very special part of what we aimed for and have achieved during our first season in the south.
The 10 month re-fit of the custom 67-foot yacht Xplore has paid off with dividends of delight as clients relaxed and enjoyed the warmth, comforts and incredible foods whilst basking in the wonders of the southern lands, amongst the amazing sounds of wildlife and untouched nature.
Skipper and expedition leader Stephen Wilkins, with eight expeditions to Antarctica, quotes, “Xplore meets all of my expectations of a comfortable and very safe yacht for these regions, the combination of fast sailing capabilities, strength when under motor and the creature comforts to make even long voyages in the cold south means that she has been a winner for all who stepped onboard”
Guests on our expeditions to Antarctica this season - A White Christmas in December and The French Mountaineers in February - returned with amazing stories and thousands of photos.
Tierra Del Fuego, and the Beagle Channel’s glaciers thrilled a group of seven ladies from Italy who vow to return; and the German team from Lufthansa whose sights were on landing on Cape Horn and experiencing the rawness of the Southern Ocean, were also certainly not disappointed.
Raphael Robillard, Project Manager Ecostream France quotes:
I would like to say that the cruise we did with you to Antarctica was absolutely fantastic, for me probably the best trip I made so far, an awesome experience. The photos that I distributed around raised my status within the company quite a bit, and even resulted in some new friends ! But most importantly it was an amazing experience for me. So I cannot be grateful enough to you for having taken us there.
As for me: I certainly get a large amount of pleasure by sharing this very special region with people. You can’t wake up in the mornings without a spring in your step, each day is extraordinary and unique.”
If your life needs some adventure, then Xplore! Visit our website, www.xplore-expeditions.com, for next season’s programme, or contact us directly for that special project you have been dreaming of.
Stephen Wilkins
Skipper and Expedition Leader
stephenwilkins@hotmail.com
Nicolas Pichelin
Project Manager
nicolas@xplore-expeditions.com
Friday, February 15, 2008
Friday, November 16, 2007
XPLORE EXPEDITIONS JOINS IAATO; PROMOTES SAFE, RESPONSIBLE ANTARCTIC TOURISM
Xplore Expeditions has been accepted as a member of the prestigious International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). Founded in 1991, IAATO promotes safe and environmentally responsible tourism practices in the remote, wild and delicate Antarctic region.
Xplore Expeditions is an adventure sailing outfitter specializing in high latitude voyages to the Antarctic peninsula, sub-Antarctic Islands, the Falkland and South Georgia islands, and Tierra del Fuego. The company offers individual berths on scheduled trips; customized charters; and Royal Yachting Association (RYA) accreditation sails.
A relative newcomer to the Antarctic arena, Xplore Expeditions was founded in 2006 when skipper Stephen Wilkins, after three seasons and six expeditions to Antarctica, decided to launch his own yacht and adventure sailing firm with friend and “The Race” winner Nico Pichelin. As a result they’ve found the benefits of IAATO to be many, Wilkins says: first and foremost the “credibility” of affiliation with this leading industry group, and the associated governments and scientific foundations.
Plus, Wilkins adds, “We get constant updates on landing location information and do’s and don’ts as locations change or get too much impact from visitors. It gives us a network of sister vessels and shore-based resources we can call on in an emergency situation; and there’s the gathering of a statistical database of tourism information.”
Procedures and guidelines advocated by IAATO and honored by Xplore Expeditions include regulations and restrictions on numbers of people ashore; staff-to-passenger ratios; wildlife watching; pre- and post-visit activity reporting; contingency and emergency medical evacuation plans; and much more.
Xplore Expeditions offers a variety of passages, spotlighting ice formations; unexplored coastlines; native birds, marine and wildlife; and cultural, geographic, and historical attractions. Other trips focus on photography, documentary film-making, and support for land excursions. Trips take place in the Austral summer (November through March) when temperatures can reach into the 70s, and periods of clear, fine weather are common.
Originally a racing yacht that proved herself in two circumnavigation races, the flagship Xplore was refitted and re-launched in Plymouth UK in April 2007. She carries up to 12 passengers and crew, and can venture into remote anchorages large ships cannot. A fast heavy-weather sailing yacht, she is also swift under power, with generous fuel and water tanks, heat and hot water systems, and a full galley, making her comfortable and self-sufficient at sea for extended periods of time.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
XPLORE co-skipper Nico Pichelin takes early lead in Transat Jacques Vabre
Nico Pichelin and Bruno Jourdren, aboard the Class 40 Vecteur Plus/Groupe Moniteur, have taken an early lead in their 28 boat division in the Transatlantic Jacques Vabre, after just two days of racing.
The race, which began 3 Nov., takes competitors 4,340 miles across the equator from Le Havre, France to Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. Sixty boats, in four monohull and multihull divisions, were entered.
Pichelin, Co-Skipper and Project Manager for Xplore Expeditions, took advantage of the Antarctic off-season to compete in the challenging Transatlantic contest. Winner of the round-the-world race “The Race” on the maxi-catamaran Club Med, Pichelin was also a member of the French campaign for the America’s Cup in 2003, and part of the world championship team aboard the 60-foot trimaran Groupama.
On Day Two of the Jacques Vabre, race officials noted the contestants were, “trying to find their way amid challenging weather conditions in the Channel. The crews have to deal cautiously with a high-pressure system in the Bay of Seine and beyond to avoid losing ground.”
After their win in the Prologue race, Pichelin/Jourdren, were recognized as a team to watch; and by the second day of the Jacques Vabre had a slim lead over a pack of six frontrunners, with the balance of the division trailing. In addition, the 40-footers were said to be “on the heels of the IMOCA 60” class according to race organizers. A turning tide, with shifting winds that increased to 16 knots, helped them sail a more direct course to the mark. But they fleet will continue to be tested as another high-pressure system looms: bringing lighter winds from the west-northwest.
Meanwhile, Xplore Expeditions Skipper and Founder Stephen Wilkins held down the fort in Uruguay, where Xplore is being provisioned and prepared for the Austral summer sailing season.
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