Yacht Seal

Visit Cape Horn, Patagonia, Tierra Del Fuego, flights and expeditions to Antarctica, South Georgia, the Arctic. Over 600 pages and 1600 graphics of travel & tourism information on Southern Chilean culture, history, fauna, flora, anthropology, geography, archaeology, Chile facts, cruising, sailing, climbing & trekking.

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"A single glance at the landscape was sufficient to show me how widely different it was from anything I had ever beheld." ..... Charles Darwin, on Tierra Del Fuego

A tough aluminum sailboat to explore high latitudes
and support scientific and adventure expeditions ...

Seal dried out at low tide (the yellow webbing is lashing her to the scoot which we used to pull her out of the water for the winter).

Seal has a pivoting, ballasted centerboard for safety and ease of maneuvering in shallow areas and marginally charted regions. Both the rudder and keel lock down at sea, but when unlocked in coastal areas they can be lifted mechanically or will "kick up" in an unforseen grounding. Because they both pivot, rather than being permanently fixed or (even more vulnerable) lifting straight up into the hull, the chances of damaging the keel or rudder in an accidental grounding are greatly reduced. Seal is the first high latitude cruising boat to ever be successfully fitted with a kick-up rudder. We hit an uncharted ledge at 8 knots, and the rudder kicked up without even losing any paint. Most boats would have lost their rudders in a similar hit.

The ballasted lifting keel is a well-proven feature on several high latitude boats, but for the first time (as far as we know) it's being combined with a raised saloon, a popular configuration on fixed keel yachts. While these two features both sacrifice some interior space, they add enormously to the safety and comfort of the boat, particularly when cruising in cold climates.

The raised saloon is particularly exciting because it allows us to navigate, cook, eat, and lounge with a view of the surrounding world. In the high latitudes it is almost always too cold to eat on deck, and the most spectacular part of the day is usually missed while the crew huddle around the heater deep in the hull.

The ten raised saloon windows are made up of two glass layers -- a 1/2" heat strengthened triple laminate, a 1/4" air gap for insulation, and 1/4" tempered insulated glass on the inside. In bad weather, 1/2" Lexan storm covers can be fitted over each one.

Down below, two watertight bulkheads divide boat into three compartments for added security.

The interior is divided into five cabins, with enough double and single bunks to suit any combination of couples, singles or families. The forward cabins have work desks and all cabins have 120 VAC/60 Hz power for your laptops and charging equipment. (Nearly all 240 VAC laptops and video chargers, etc. will also run off 120 VAC. 240 VAC/50 Hz power is available at the charging station for cell phones, battery chargers, etc.)

Heat is provided throughout the boat by a radiator system driven off a reliable Refleks heater - these heaters can be completely filled with water and be running again in 15 minutes ... unlike most yacht heaters which stop working if any moisture creeps into the exhaust. (The hot water heater also runs off the Refleks, so hot showers are available at any time, unlike most yachts where the heater is plumbed to the engine and is only available while underway or immediately after.)

We have an extensive library with emphasis on high latitude regions: histories, biographies, natural history, field guides, etc.

There are several large bays down below to store your bulky expedition equipment - skis, pulks, climbing gear, or research equipment. Each cabin has numerous lockers for smaller items.

All Seal's voyages are "expedition style." All clients are considered members of the crew - standing watch, helping with sail handling and boat keeping to the extent of their abilities (no experience necessary).

Below decks, all crew members help out with food preparation and clean up, as well as look after their own cabins and equipment.

Length	56'	17 m
DWL	47' 3.5"	14.9 m
Beam	15'10"	4.9 m
Draft keel down	8'9"	2.7 m
Draft keel up	3'2"	0.97 m
Displacement	27.5 tons	24.9 m tons
Sail Area	1550 sq ft	144 sq m
Ballast	21460 pounds	9734 kg
Keel	9760 pounds	4427 kg
Internal	11700 pounds	5307 kg
Mast from deck IM	70'1"	21.4 m
Diesel	547 US gallons	2070 l
Petrol	53 US gallons	200 l
Water	402 gallons	1525 l
Propane	80 pounds	36.3 kg
Engine	Cummins 6B5.9M	115 HP
DC Genset	Yanmar 2GM20	140 Amps/24 VDC
Food	8 people for	100 days
Range under power	2500 naut miles	4630 km

There are a few individual spaces remaining in the season 2007/2008:

SOUTH GEORGIA 2007:

Date: 27 October - 8 December 2007 (42 days)
Cost: $16,000 USD per person
Start/Finish: Stanley, Falkland Islands
Level: Expedition with a 750 mile Southern Ocean passage each way (no experience necessary, although guests are expected to help with standing watches and boat keeping to the extent of their abilities.)

We'd been booked to do a seal research project in South Georgia next season, but unfortunately the scientists were unable to secure funding, so we are now offering a rare opportunity to spend six weeks visiting South Georgia. For us, that is an ideal length of time and the best season to visit this extraordinary island - and it's twice as long as some of the other charter boats spend over a visit.

At this time of year, we should see large numbers of elephant seals - mothers, pups and battling males. Many albatross species are beginning to nest at this time, and there may be opportunities of seeing Wandering Albatross courtship. Last year's Wandering Albatross chicks are now as large as the adults, but still a month shy of leaving the nest and learning to fly. The male fur seals will be returning to shore, but the females will not have arrived yet, so the males will be far less aggressive than they will be in a month's time, when they can make it very difficult to land on many of the northern beaches.

We will visit Grytviken, the administrative capital of South Georgia, and now the site of the South Georgia museum located in a former whaling station. Ernest Shackleton's grave is in Grytviken, and the hills behind the whaling station make for fairly easy hill walking without any specialist climbing gear apart from stout walking boots.

For the second half of our visit we will explore the SE part of the island. Hundreds of thousands of King Penguins are found at St. Andrew's Bay, with elephant seal harems scattered around the bay. Glaciers tumble into the sea in many places, and the mountains rise straight out of the sea to a height of nearly 10,000 feet (3000 meters). The scenery is particularly spectacular in this area, and the variety and quantity of wildlife is staggering.

There are dozens of anchorages along this coast of South Georgia. We don't specify anchorages or dates in our itinerary; we will chose the best one at hand based on the weather at the time. Our aim is to spend one or two days at anchor for every day on the move, in order to maximize our time with the wildlife. (Please note, the South Georgia government takes an active role in protecting the wildlife, and while we will endeavor to visit as many species as possible, certain areas may be closed off in the interests of protecting threatened species or colonies.)

The flights from Punta Arenas, Chile to the Falklands Islands are on Saturdays, so we're looking at 27 October - 8 December 2007 so you could join the boat directly from the flight. Our preferred departure date would be early on the 29th, which would give everyone a chance to get used to living aboard before setting sail; however the weather dictates everything there, so we could end up leaving on the 28th or the 30th. (We will shuffle these dates if Lan Chile changes its days; if you prefer to come via TriStar from the UK, then you'd need to get a B&B for the intervening days.)

VICTORY ADVENTURE EXPEDITIONS LTD.