Press Releases
DARWIN200 is Halfway Through It’s Voyage Around The World and Heading for Sydney Harbour in November
AUGUST 15th 2024 marks one year since the departure of the iconic DARWIN200 voyage which set sail from Plymouth Harbour, UK, on an epic two year planetary conservation mission aboard historic Dutch Tall ship OOSTERSCHELDE retracing Charles Darwin’s most famous sea voyage, training 200 young environmentalists along the way.
YouTube Video explainer of DARWIN200 with Stewart McPherson and Dame Jane Goodall (10mins)
Click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=shared&v=1V9nJKr5v8w
PRESS KIT
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Xi1OMq6YZgOsYvJpKIfb40eYxzOg32fZ
RECENT PHOTOS
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1LXFzj9W4NXM2fR46qid3_0-TwO7L5DNx?usp=sharing
B ROLL FOOTAGE YEAR 1
B ROLL FOOTAGE GALAPAGOS
NOTES ON BROLL
https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:EU:115816c4-333e-4181-98e2-c498bc4abdd8
KEY DATES
Arriving Auckland New Zealand on 1st October 2024
Arriving Sydney Harbour Australia on 14th November 2024
DARWIN200 Oosterschelde in Tahiti August 2024 high res link here
Since its departure from Plymouth, one year ago, the historic tall ship Oosterschelde has sailed 19,500 nautical miles (around 36,000 kilometres), docked in 20 ports, and hosted 78 exceptional DARWIN Leaders representing over 40 countries. The work carried out has covered a rainbow of critically important conservation projects from endangered giant tortoises to howler monkeys, golden lion tamarins, orchids, penguins, albatrosses, reef fish, dolphins and more. Thousands of children around the world have visited the Oosterschelde and many have sailed aboard her on day trips, attended live events and tuned into our weekly educational broadcasts ‘The World’s Most Exciting Classroom’ all inspired by Charles Darwin’s HMS Beagle voyage that famously ignited a scientific revolution almost two centuries ago.
Oosterschelde Director Gerben Nab says,
Now that we are halfway through the journey, have sailed almost 20000 miles and half a globe away from Oosterschelde’s home of Rotterdam, the realisation is dawning on us that we are on an epic journey. Half a globe behind us but also half a globe ahead of us. The story is far from finished!
The magnificent Oosterschelde has navigated across the Atlantic, south along the coast of Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, to the Falkland Islands, through the Straits of Magellan, north through the glacier-strewn Chilean Fjords and along the arched western coast of South America. In May the ship finally arrived in the Galápagos Islands, the place that famously inspired Darwin’s theory of natural selection, which became the foundation of evolutionary biology.
DARWIN200 is now sailing between islands of the immense South Pacific and has just left Tahiti heading for the Cook Islands, Tonga and Fiji and is expected to arrive in Auckland New Zealand on 1st October ahead of its grand arrival in Sydney Harbour on 14th November 2024.
Stewart McPherson, Director of DARWIN200 and Sydney resident says
As we approach August 15th – the halfway mark of the 2 year DARWIN200 voyage, we look ahead to our ship’s arrival in my hometown of Sydney. It fills me with immense pride and excitement that the 107-year old historic tall ship Oosterschelde will visit New South Wales. Our time in Sydney holds deep personal significance, as it’s not just a homecoming but also a vital step in our mission and efforts to showcase Darwin’s important discoveries and adventures in Australia. We will also be looking at how the natural landscape has changed over the last two hundred years, and we have an incredible range of Darwin Leader projects planned to enable young people from across the world to learn from many of Australia’s most inspiring conservation initiatives. We have planned an exciting rainbow of educational projects and outreach activities to engage the community during our time in Sydney and to promote the protection and preservation of Australia’s unique natural environment.
When Charles Darwin arrived in Sydney on January 12, 1836, during his voyage on HMS Beagle, he encountered a rapidly growing colonial city that was still in its early stages of development. Darwin observed the social and environmental changes brought about by European settlement, including the impact on the indigenous population and the landscape. He also noted the introduction of European plants and animals, which he found interesting in the context of his studies on natural history. Darwin’s observations in Sydney contributed to his broader understanding of species adaptation and the effects of colonisation on native ecosystems.
Research projects during the voyage include surveys of seabirds, so far, over 300 species have been recorded via thousands of observations over the last year, as well as studies of cetaceans, ocean plastics, coral reef health surveys and a comprehensive survey of invertebrates across the Pacific, which has resulted in the discovery of several new species that children around the world will shortly select names for.
Sailing Schedule: https://www.dutchtallship.com/sailing-schedule/
Social media: DARWIN200 on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube
Social media: Oosterschelde on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube
This Chapter PR represents press and media for the DARWIN200 and tall ship Oosterschelde. For further information, interviews, images, videos please contact
Alice Dogruyol +44 7939031030 alice.dogruyol@thischapter.co.uk (UK)
Larissa Clark info@thischapter.co.uk
DARWIN200 Ltd and Shipping Company Oosterschelde are both not-for-profit organisations. Darwin Leader places are fully hosted by DARWIN200 and supported by fundraising, grants and sponsorship.
The route: Plymouth, Great-Britain > Tenerife, Spain > Mindelo, São Vicente, Cape Verde > Fernando de Noronha, Brazil > Salvador de Bahía, Brazil > Rio de Janeiro, Brazil > Punta del Este, Uruguay > Puerto Madryn, Argentina > Stanley/Las Malvinas > Punta Arenas, Argentina > Concepción, Chile > Valparaíso, Chile > Callao, Peru > Puerto Lucia, Ecuador > Galápagos Islands, Ecuador > Rapa Nui/Easter Island, Chile > Mangareva, French Polynesia > Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia > Rarotonga, Cook Islands > Tonga > Fiji > Auckland, New Zealand > Sydney, Australia > Hobart, Australia > Christchurch, New Zealand > Stanley/Las Malvinas > Cape Town, South Africa > Saint Helena, United Kingdom > Ascension Island, United Kingdom Horta, Azores, Portugal > Horta, Azores, Portugal > Falmouth, UK
BACKGROUND NOTES
Darwin Leaders: Young conservation leadership programme
https://darwin200.com/leaderboard/
Staying on board, while the ship is moored at key ports for one week at a time, will be small groups of the world’s most capable, young naturalists and conservationists, called ‘Darwin Leaders’. Aged between 18 – 27 years old, they are being chosen to complete a life-changing and immersive leadership training programme based on their outstanding demonstration of conservation action. The multinational Darwin Leaders are mentored by local conservation experts who will guide and oversee their efforts. The intention is to drive a valuable exchange of skills, so that the Darwin Leaders return to their home countries empowered with experience and ideas which they will use during the course of their careers in conservation. Darwin Leaders will select a species of animal or plant, assess its population status and how it has changed in the two centuries since Darwin’s visit, learn about conservation initiatives currently in place to protect it and investigate their own ideas to better conserve the chosen species in the future.
Dutch Tall Ship Oosterschelde
https://www.dutchtallship.com/
Oosterschelde is a three mast tall ship, and one of the world’s finest, fully restored historic tall ships and the largest sailing vessel ever to be restored in the Netherlands. She is registered by the Dutch Government as a monument of great cultural and historical value. The ship is one of the oldest and most authentic ships in the international fleet of Tall Ships. Oosterschelde relaunched after a major refurbishment in 1996 and was recommissioned by Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of The Netherlands. She is a bastion of Dutch ship building and is described by the ship’s Director and Captain Gerben Nab as having had at least five lives, starting in 1917 as a cargo vessel. Over the past 30 years Oosterschelde has welcomed thousands of sailors and adventure seekers on board including royalty, politicians, presidents and pop stars, even once hosting a birthday party for Sir Tom Jones! Oosterschelde was the first Dutch commercial tall ship to sail to both the north and south poles and successfully tackle the infamous Cape Horn, a rocky headland on Hornos Island, in southern Chile known for its hazardous waters. During the pandemic when the world was locked down, a team of Dutch ship builders worked tirelessly to elevate Oosterschelde to the next level in preparation for DARWIN200. As part of the DARWIN200 voyage Oosterschelde will once again navigate Cape Horn, considered the Mount Everest of sailing. Oosterschelde’s Director Gerben Nab says, “I’ve worked all my life to preserve one of the very few truly historic sailing ships left in the world. We can’t wait to set sail on this incredible DARWIN200 voyage and share it with as many people as possible around the world, inspiring change-makers into action to protect our beautiful planet”.
Patrons and Supporters
DARWIN200 has been ten years in the making. Patrons and supporters include Dame Jane Goodall, Dr. Sylvia Earle and Dr. Sarah Darwin, Charles Darwin’s great-great-granddaughter.
Dame Jane Goodall, Patron of DARWIN200 says
I believe that this project is tremendously important. It comes at the right time. We all know we’re in the midst of the sixth great extinction with a lot of doom and gloom about the problems facing the environment, climate change and loss of biodiversity. This voyage will give many people an opportunity to see there is still time to make change. We all have a role to play. We can all help make a difference. But for those young environmentalists who are selected, this is an incredible opportunity to become real leaders that protect the planet and the environment for future generations.
Adventure seekers can sail the ship
https://www.dutchtallship.com/sailing-schedule/
The voyage legs range in duration, from a single day, to the longest being an epic 5,300 nautical miles and taking 48 days to Cape Horn. Previous sailing experience is not required for those wanting to join in but a passion for adventure is a must. From Chile’s glacial fjords to the tropical islands of Polynesia, it will enable over 640 sailors and adventure seekers to go to sea over 32 voyage legs as hands-on guest crew, 24 at a time, sailing, steering and navigating the ship alongside researchers on board one of the world’s most beautiful historic vessels. They’ll sail the three-masted schooner Oosterschelde from port-to-port across four continents, taking part in citizen science initiatives along the way to some of the most beautiful corners of the world.
The World’s Most Exciting Classroom
https://worldsmostexcitingclassroom.com/
In continuation of Charles Darwin’s work aboard HMS Beagle, the DARWIN200 ship offers a unique platform to support research into many of the world’s most critical environmental problems. This includes eight engaging research projects, featuring real-time data feeds, informative results presentations, interactive online lectures, and insightful interviews with the talented teams of researchers driving each initiative. Four research projects will be undertaken aboard the tall ship Oosterschelde while it is sailing, the other four will be undertaken in the ports that we visit. Through these research projects, DARWIN200 aims to captivate global audiences, particularly students, enabling the public to delve into and gain deeper insights into some of the world’s most critical environmental challenges.
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