wo centuries after HMS sailed around the world with Charles Darwin on board, the 1918 Dutch three-masted schooner is retracing the wake of that. Darwin 200, as the project is called, aims to continue Darwin’s work: the ship is now a floating, sailing, research lab, supporting a wide range of environmental projects, with the aim to combat some of the world’s most problematic ecological crises. Having departed in August 2023, ’s 40,000+ nautical mile voyage is fully underway. She successfully rounded Cape Horn and has sailed up the coast of South America, before heading west into the Pacific to reach the Galápagos archipelago. ’s arrival there, at the site of Darwin’s development of his , is pivotal to the voyage. The islands serve as a symbol of all of Darwin’s work, and a reminder of ’s mission. Next stop on the ship’s pioneering environmental voyage is Easter Island, 1,900 nautical miles west of Chile. The ship’s captain, Gerben Nab, said: “We have proven that it is possible to do something outside the box and make it into a success. Connecting to the Darwin 200 project, we hope to empower that project in the same way, and show the world that with a clear vision and spirit of adventure it is possible to achieve the impossible.” See our full story at .
