Sailing Expeditions Worldwide

What We Do

Pangaea Exploration operates expedition and research charters throughout the world’s oceans. In between these voyages, we offer up our superb platform and our excellent crew to the public for sail training and adventure sailing voyages.

If you’ve ever dreamed of crossing an ocean, visiting remote tropical islands, or just taking an out of the ordinary sailing vacation, this could be the opportunity of a lifetime. Our guests are normally split 50/50 between sailors looking for a bit of blue water and adventurers who have never stepped foot on a boat in their lives. We offer adventure sailing voyages ranging in length between 1 and 4 weeks, anything from coastal cruising exploring islands to crossing oceans and learning celestial navigation.

In our work as a research vessel, we have worked with some of the world’s leading researchers and institutions. Work conducted on board has spanned from microplastics to coral, and water sampling to whales. We were an integral part of discovering the existence of microplastic pollution in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, have supported many diving trips, whether to find un-charted seamounts off the coast of Brazil or help in the search for “super reefs” in the Pacific. We have been a film platform for television programs on humpback whales and marine toxicology, as well as spending time in fresh water, sailing to the center of the North American continent through the Great Lakes.

Our Mission

At Pangaea, we strongly believe in the importance of connecting people with the sea. To that end, we have two main priorities: research expeditions and adventure sailing voyages. First, we provide a more affordable and eco-friendly platform for researchers to reach remote regions. Traditionally, these types of projects would need to be conducted on board large ships, costing up to 10 times more per day to operate and consuming more fuel in an hour than we do in a year. Secondly, we feel strongly that if people get a chance to get out on the ocean and experience it the way we do, they will better understand the importance of the sea. With this in mind, we offer adventure sailing voyages that provide this opportunity to people who range from complete beginners to experienced sailors.

Our Crew & Experience

We have been operating Sea Dragon throughout the Atlantic and Pacific for the past 10 years building an excellent reputation for safe, effective & efficient sailing voyages. Our experienced crew has covered over 200,000 nautical miles – not only developing a strong background in sailing education but also the skills to effectively and safely sail anywhere in the world. With sailing experience from Chicago to Stockholm, Africa to Patagonia, Greenland to Japan – our crew are excited to have you on board and share their knowledge of the world’s waterways.

Sea Dragon

We sail throughout the world’s oceans aboard Sea Dragon, our 72ft expedition yacht. Sea Dragon was built as one of twelve steel ships for the British Steel Global Challenge, the toughest yacht race in the world. She has circumnavigated the world twice – both times upwind in the southern Ocean. Sea Dragon has gone through extensive refits in order to be more suitable as a teaching and research platform while maintaining her true rugged heritage. Sea Dragon can carry up to 15 people on unsupported voyages up to two months in length in any of the world’s oceans.

Ship's Log

12 Days at Sea

Today marks our 12th day at sea. For most on board this is the longest they’ve been at sea and slowly conversation is turning to what they’re looking forward to on land. The chance for the mind to wander to shore side delights is helped by the lack of wind we’ve been experiencing of late. This crossing of the North Pacific gyre is a bit of a tricky one in terms of tactics. To be honest I’m not sure I’ve played a blinder as the skipper, the engine having to be in use far more than I would wish on a sailing vessel. After a ‘sporty’, as the North Americans would say, shoot north from Hawaii, we waited until the wind switched and came from the West before heading east for Victoria. The Aleutian low and the North Pacific high are big factors when crossing the North Pacific, you want to avoid the lows too far north, it can be a little too extreme for most, and whilst motoring through the high is certainly the most docile way to go, it can be a bit dull. Whilst we’ve been crossing some lows have been establishing themselves and until they did so it’s been hard to pinpoint where the high will be, in hindsight we should have gone further north in order to reach more steady breeze rather than the fickle switching wind we’re getting. Despite that I live in hope that we may be able to get some gennaker sailing in tomorrow, before we have a hooley hit for our last couple of days heading for the Juan de Fuca Strait.
Having such light winds hasn’t been all boring though, the sextant has been out multiple times and celestial navigation has been taught to those interested. Unshockingly we lost the interest of most of our students when we pulled out the books for the calculations but for those that have persevered, they have a new found appreciation for the people that figured out this way of navigating! We’ve been for a swim in the ocean at 6000m depth, studied clouds-for meteorological reasons, deciding which we’d live on and the classic animal shape spotting- taught whipping, pulled a couple of winches apart and of course had time to appreciate the night skies. Maybe we’ve just been staring at the sky too long but there’s a definite movement towards believing in UFO’s and aliens after ‘suspicious’ stars have been sighted.
A game of Assassin has started from about 30 minutes ago. Each person has been allocated an object to assassinate another crew member with by handing it to them in a certain place without arousing suspicion. This object could be anything from a fender to a cabbage so immediately everybody has become very paranoid about accepting anything from anyone, it may not be very conducive to sailing but should keep us entertained until the wind hits!
5 more days until we should be alongside in Victoria, you can tell we’re closer to the PNW as the overriding color now is grey. We’re expecting breeze between 3 knots and 40+ knots between now and then so are savouring the last moments of peace and being able to read a book on deck. Fingers crossed the crew are now salty enough that Sea Dragon doesn’t once again become a vomit comet! Whatever happens they should all be very proud to complete this ocean crossing.

Adventure Sailing

Expedition Charters