Announcing eXXpedition Round the World 

eXXpedition Round the World 2019-2021 is an all-female sailing voyage and scientific research mission. Over 38,000 nautical miles and 30 voyage legs, starting and ending in the United Kingdom, eXXpedition crews will explore plastics and toxics in our ocean, via four of the five oceanic gyres and the Arctic.

Connected by a passion to protect our shared ocean, it will enable 300 women to go to sea as hands-on crew and experience first hand the challenges we face from single-use plastics, while contributing to cutting-edge scientific research and solutions-based thinking.

The organisers are inviting women from diverse multidisciplinary and cultural backgrounds to apply to take part – previous sailing experience is not a requirement.

“The plastic pollution challenge our ocean faces is a global one and it will take an inspired army of passionate, skilled and experienced people to tackle it,” says Emily Penn, eXXpedition Director and Sky Ocean Rescue Ambassador.

“This is our biggest project yet and by far the most challenging. We’re looking for amazing women with a passion to protect our oceans to come forward to join us.”

This summer, Emily returned from leading ‘eXXpedition North Pacific’ the highly-acclaimed research expedition through the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. In the four years since the first eXXpedition voyage across the Atlantic, over 100 exceptional women have sailed on missions and have gone on to create their own narratives about plastics and toxics, utilising their specific skills and their eXXpedition experience. These eXXpedition Ambassadors have undertaken hundreds of activities back on dry land to inspire action on ocean plastics in their communities and beyond.

Duration: 2 years / Starts: October 2019 / Finish: September 2021

Draft route plan: Plymouth, UK – Azores – North Atlantic Gyre – Antigua – Bonaire – Aruba – Panama – Galapagos – Easter Island – Pitcairn / Henderson – South Pacific Gyre – Tahiti – Cook Islands – Tonga – Fiji – Vanuatu – Cairns – Darwin – Perth – Indian Ocean Gyre – Mauritius – Madagascar – Cape Town – South Atlantic Gyre – Brazil – Barbados – St Lucia – Bermuda – Halifax – Labrador – Greenland – Iceland – Norway – London, UK.

Applications are now open for the first five voyage legs of Round the World. Voyages range in length from 5 to 23 days. Each successful crew member is responsible for providing a financial contribution towards the running of the vessel for their sail. To find out more and apply, visit www.exxpedition.com/apply.