Funds donated from 25/04/24 onwards will be forwarded to Polar Bears International and Ocean Conservancy, as thanks to generous support, the campaign is now fully funded. Thank you to every single person who got involved, it mean the world and I am forever grateful. Please consider donating straight to one of the two charities named above rather than to this page.
(Have a read of the updates page to see what's been happening since this fundraiser went live - as well as what's below!)
27 year old female British sailor embarking on a record-setting sail of being the first woman to solo circumnavigate the Arctic, non-stop.
The voyage is to raise awareness about global warming, climate change, the endangerment of Arctic wildlife, and the importance of pushing towards using alternative sources of power.
This fundraiser is to help me get to the start line of my trip - during which and after which I will be fundraising for Polar Bears International and Ocean Conservancy. Please donate - every little truly does help!
This fundraiser is to help me purchase the boat and make it ready for the trip. The boat itself, upon successful completion of this voyage, will be auctioned, and all proceedings from the auction will be donated to Polar Bears International and Ocean Conservancy. So this fundraiser will raise money for them, upon completion of the voyage and the boat being auctioned. I is not affiliated in any manner with Polar Bears International or Ocean Conservancy, in any of their programs, projects or websites. I simply believe in what they are both trying to achieve, and want to support them by both raising awareness about their respective projects, and raising money to help them continue their efforts.
Goals:
- Complete a solo circumnavigation of the Arctic, to set a record-breaking sail of doing it non-stop, unassisted. I'll be doing it in a self-sufficient vessel (wind power, solar power, water maker)
- Raise global awareness of the rapidity at which we are losing our ice caps, while fundraising for two charities both working to protect the Arctic environment, its inhabitants, and our oceans and coastlines at a larger scale.
Specifications
I am a 25 year old RYA accredited YachtMaster Instructor - one of the youngest women to hold such a high-level of instructor license. I now wants to put all the skills I have learnt to the test, while undertaking a solo-sailing adventure that will push me to my limits - mentally, emotionally, and physically. I feel passionate about how climate change is impacting our oceans, and want to bring awareness to the fact while embarking on this adventure.
I am fundraising to be able to buy a steel or aluminium hulled yacht to take me on this journey. This fundraiser is to help me buy the boat. The boat will be auctioned off at the end of the trip, and the proceedings from that will go to the charities I will fundraise for while sailing the circumnavigation. Please donate if you can - every little goals a long way! And share with family and friends.
Why the Arctic circle?
The Arctic is a rapidly-changing part of our planet that is under immense stress and at the edge of irreversible damage. What happens in the Arctic directly impacts the rest of the globe - as ice melts, it leads to rising water levels, which will wreak havoc on our coastlines.
As the Earth heats up and the ice disappears, scientists estimate that two-thirds of polar bears could be wiped out by 2050. Climate change has already removed at least 75 percent of Arctic summer sea ice volume at rates never before experienced in human history. Soon, the Arctic Ocean will be like other oceans for much of the year: open water that is exposed to exploitation and environmental destruction. Despite the Arctic Ocean’s unique vulnerabilities, it is still the least protected of all the world’s oceans. Less than 1.5 percent has any form of protected area status. The high seas of the Arctic — which belong to no single nation — are under no form of protection.
In 2008 the North-West and North-East Passage shipping routes through the Arctic were briefly navigable by boat in the summer for the first time since records began.
If we were doing our best to protect the Arctic, my intended trip wouldn’t even be feasible. The reality is that vast amounts of the Arctic are accessible, and unless something is done to put protection orders in place, shipping and oiling companies will be moving into the Arctic within the next decade.
Milestones
1) Buy and make-ready the sailing yacht - that's where I need your help to get to the start line.
In order to undertake a long, single-handed journey around our Arctic circle, I am searching hard for the right vessel. I am ideally looking for a steel-hull ketch, though I'm also looking at aluminium-hulled vessels. I've had a survey done on one yacht so far, proving it is the strong and sturdy vessel I had hoped for, but as the yacht is on the market, there are no guarantees it will be this yacht I end up with. This fundraiser is to help me purchase the right boat as soon as she can.
2) Funding and sponsorship
While I am a full-time employed sailing instructor teaching in the Solent year-round, based out of Hamble, I will need financial aid in order to ready the boat for the trip. Whether the contribution be in financial terms, or in equipment, during the next 2 years, I will be trying to raise awareness for her project, and gain help through people and companies who share my passion for our oceans, and for tackling the climate crisis. I will also be undertaking extensive personal training of my own before embarking on this voyage, such as Expedition First Aid training, DrySuit and Ice Diving, Welding, and Sail Repair courses.
If you believe in me and my goal, please donate to this fundraiser, or please contact me directly to offer assistance if you wish to offer equipment or training services, and to negotiate what promotional videos / social media content I can provide in return.
Every little helps!
3) Set Sail
I will be looking to set sail from Hamble-le-Rice in May 2024, as I will want to undertake her trip through the best of the Arctic summer (June-August). I predict it will take roughly 5 months to complete. The Arctic Circle, roughly 16000km in circumference, is an imaginary line located at 66º, 30'N latitude, and as a guide defines the southernmost part of the Arctic. I will be sailing around Iceland, Greenland, Alaska, Russia and Scandinavia, most likely in a clock-wise direction, which will see me undertaking both the NW and NE Passages.
The fact this trip can even be considered as feasible is testament to how quickly our Arctic ice is melting. It will be a record-setting sail for a young woman to single-hand circumnavigate what has long been considered one of the most unreachable parts of the planet. This is why I feel like it must be done - many people do not fully comprehend that the fact this route can and will be sailed by one person alone, is in itself part of the problem.
My journey will be an exciting, adrenaline-filled adventure of exploration, challenge, and hope. I will document every part of my journey from start to end, but need your help to get to the start line! Please donate if you can, follow the social media pages, and share with friends and family.
Should this fundraiser be unsuccessful in raising enough money for a boat, I will either hold the funds until sponsors help to purchase the right vessel, or, should that also not happen, I promise to donate the funds raised here directly to Polar Bears International and Ocean Conservancy instead, so the end goal of raising money for them is still upheld. Any amount raised will be safely held until one of the two aforementioned actions happens.
I will put the money raised here towards buying the boat, as well as getting the boat set up with everything she'll need for the journey - water marker, wet weather gear, dive compressor, dry suit, emergency equipment such as a life raft, as well as my own training in self-administered first aid and welding, so that I can be prepared for any mishaps that may happen along the way.
Any amount raised that goes above these costs will also be donated to Polar Bears International and Ocean Conservancy, along with the auction of the boat upon my return to England after my circumnavigation of the Arctic Circle.
If you would further like to be a part of this incredible journey of self-discovery, history-making, and awareness-raising, please contact me by one of the options below.
Phone : 07565218521
Email : [email protected]
Website: https://ellaat665n.co.uk/
Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ella.at.66.5N/
Instagram: @ella_at_66.n
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ella_at_66_5n
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ella-at-66-5n