24.11.2025 - NEWS LETTER NOVEMBER 2025
South Georgia Dads and Kids Shackleton traverse - Short and medium notice opportunities for The Antarctic and RYA training - Interesting customer comment on our style of voyaging.
It was wild and windy, but we pulled off the ‘Dads and Kids Shackleton Traverse’ right at the end of the five week junket. See below to view the video presentation of September 2025 South Georgia expedition photo gallery.
Also check out the blogs on the Vinson site for the narratives:
https://www.vinsonofantarctica.org/en/blog
Shackleton Traverse journey's end for Dads and Kids team
Carpe Diem - Jan and Feb 2026 Antarctica Trips and Mar/Apr 2026 RYA training Voyages
There is a pre-Christmas carpe diem decision to make. Due to a cancellation, we have one spot left on the 28 day Antarctic Peninsula cruise led by Stephen Venables, on board Amundsen. It starts on January 1st! If you are experienced in ski randonee and glacier travel or just wishing to visit the wildlife sites with Zodiac and vessel cruising, and kayaking, you are welcome. See prospectus of trip at: https://www.pelagic.co.uk/pdfs/2026_02_00_Antarctic_Ski_prospectus.pdf
and contact me direct for more info on skipnovak@pelagic.co.uk
For more medium-range planning there are two places left on the February 6th to March 7th Antarctic cruise for the wildlife and the ice. A superb time of year to head further south to the Antarctic Circle and beyond. See https://www.pelagic.co.uk/prog_ant2026.asp
Our RYA training programmes are seeing varied success, no doubt due to the change of venue from Chile to the Falklands. But let me assure anyone who has doubts about the validity of the Falklands. It is a paradise and you will not be disappointed. Two programmes are on offer in Mar/Apr 2026:
Yachtmaster Offshore Theory, plus Falkland cruise, plus passage to Cape Town. 42 days https://www.pelagic.co.uk/prog_del2026_amundsenoffshore.asp
Yachtmaster Ocean Theory and passage to Cape Town, navigating with celestial all the way, via Tristan da Cunha as a mark of the course. 31 days https://www.pelagic.co.uk/prog_del2026_vinsonocean.asp
RYA Ocean Yachtmaster training on passage Falklands to Cape Town
Enquiries about these trips please contact Skip direct on skipnovak@pelagic.co.uk
Interesting Guest Comment
Finally, a very satisfied guest of ours just came back from South Georgia. Friends of hers were on a cruise ship at the same time.
“During our trip, I sent them photos of what we were seeing & doing. They were very envious and said, ‘In our hearts we always knew we should have gone with Skip’. I know they’d have loved it. This makes me wonder, given how (relatively) comfortable the boats are, whether you might think of making sure this is obvious to people looking at your trips? You understandably focus on the adventure elements, but perhaps reassuring people that whatever they get up to and whatever the weather, there is a warm welcome inside with delicious food, unlimited snacks, hot showers etc plus a couple of choice photos….. just a thought. I remember in my first ever email to you, I worried that I might not be suited to the trip, given I wasn’t a strong, young and male. This was the impression I’d gleaned from a brief look at your site.”
We have taken that good advice on board and will highlight this point on the Pelagic web site. We are never too old and complacent to learn! I agree that the boats are damned comfortable, at least to my standard!
Cheers, Skip
