Quark Expeditions took 208 explorers on two trips to experience something few on the planet will ever have: walking on sea ice to visit the remote emperor penguin colony on Snow Hill Island.
Quark Expeditions' technologically advanced expedition vessel, the Ultramarine, and its crew carried out these successful voyages to Snow Hill in November and December, while holding a special ceremony on board on the edge of Antarctica's Weddell Sea: the official announcement of the appointment of Dr. Sian Proctor as godmother of the Ultramarine.
Accompanied by the company's expedition leader, Shane Evoy, along with the ship's captain, Jurak Zekan, and the entire expedition team, as well as guests from Snow Hill, Dr. Proctor was named godmother. With her unique background as an artist, astronaut, educator, geoscientist, and advocate for inclusion, Dr. Proctor also boldly looked to the future as a pioneer and storyteller to guide the ship and its polar ambassadors in the years to come.
“My goal as an astronaut and artist is to inspire,” Proctor stated. “I am so honored to be the godmother of Ultramarine, a role that will allow me to lead by example and share personal stories that will inspire others to go forth, experience something new, and become, in their own amazing way, part of the next generation of explorers.”.
“It’s one thing to be the first to achieve the extraordinary, as we did almost 20 years ago when we landed on Snow Hill,” said Andrew White, President of Quark Expeditions. “But beyond being first, our passion drives us to do the extraordinary again and again, staying at the forefront of capability and technology and accumulating ever-increasing experience.”
During the Snow Hill expedition, Quark Expeditions guests aboard the Ultramarine approached within 20 nautical miles of Snow Hill Island, at the northern end of Antarctica's Weddell Sea. Small groups flew by helicopter to a staging point some distance from the emperor penguin colony. Each guest then hiked several kilometers across the sea ice to reach the colony.
Although this season's trips to Snow Hill to visit the Emperor penguins have now ended, Quark Expeditions reports that a profusion of penguins still awaits you in Antarctica, with limited last-minute availability for trips in the coming weeks.
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