Itajaí, SC, November, 2019. The scientific expedition that celebrates the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica will pass through Brazil this year. In Santa Catarina, the forecast is that the sailboat called Almirante Bellingshausen, with almost 24 meters in length, will reach the coast between today, December 2nd and 6th. The vessel will dock at Marina Itajaí and will be open for visitation.

The vessel left Estonia, with 12 crew members in July this year. Almost a hundred people and researchers in total will take turns on different legs during the expedition. The plan is to reach Antarctica in January 2020. The expedition will largely retrace the route taken by Admiral Bellingshausen at the time he discovered Antarctica, in 1820. The admiral was a native of the island of Saaremaa, in Estonia, former USSR.

“The intention is to carry out an expedition in a format similar to that of the time, with a similar vessel and stopping at the same destinations, but this time many other ports will be visited. One of the reasons that we will dock in Santa Catarina is because the discovery expedition also passed through the State. The choice for Itajaí is due to the fact that the infrastructure of the marina, in the port city, is much better for berthing”, explains the Honorary Consul of Estonia in the south of the country, Almir Maestri.

The scientific expedition organized by the Estonian Maritime Museum will last around seven months. Before Itajaí, in Brazil, the sailboat will dock in Recife and Rio de Janeiro. After Itajaí, the vessel will head to Montevideo, Uruguay.

knowledge on board

In addition to remembering one of the landmarks in the history of world exploration, another intention of the expedition is to draw attention to important topics arising from climate change. Throughout the trip, the crew will produce a documentary of all the places they went through. There will also be seminars for students organized at the stopping points of the trip. Altogether, nearly twenty scientists sail to share their knowledge on different maritime, climate and ecological issues.