The Blog

Dear Members of the Public, As you may have realised by the website’s homepage countdown, the launch date is very fast approaching. The SA Agulhas, our expedition ship, is due to arrive in the Docklands tomorrow and then move to moor alongside the HMS Belfast on Monday. She will then set sail at around 5.30pm/6pm on Thursday, 6th December following an on-board media event during the day. We would…

“If you have ever jumped with a parachute you will know how, at first, when the parachute opens, your descent seems slow. It is only as you get close to landing that you realise how fast you are going and suddenly you hit the ground hard. That’s how I feel at the moment. For the past five years that we have been planning the expedition, progress was slow but constant. Now we have only a few days…

Expedition ship SA Agulhas is currently due south of Bournemouth in the English Channel. She should be in London around midday on Thursday. Exciting times ahead! Sourc…

On behalf of Sir Ranulph and the entire team, we would like to extend a heart-felt thank you to all our supporters who have sent messages of support both here and on our Facebook page. Your kind words mean a great deal and help us get through the difficult days. During the traverse they will no doubt be all the more important! Please forgive us for not responding to all messages individually.

Boots fitted at 7.30am at Snow and Rock in Covent Garden. The boss, Fraser Bannatyne, and Martin, the expert boot fitter, arrived very, very early just for me which was extremely kind of them. Am glad I also set out before cock’s crow, since navigation from Trafalgar Square and the ski shop proved extremely difficult as every one way street went in entirely the wrong direction (luckily there ar…

Ian Prickett, caboose builder, welding expert, polar explorer and all round nice guy, lays claim to his favourite bunk. Fair enough though, he did help prepare them. Ran is a little miffed, he reckons the guys are saving the worst one for him. As if they’d be so…

Sir Ran made his first visit to the warehouse today and then spent the next five hours in a sponsor photo shoot. Great organisation skills by Vicky Lewis and Isabel Castle ensured they guys hurtled through the hundred of so sponsors on the to-do list. In this pic we see our wonderful photographer Harriet Wooltorton snapping away at Brian Newham, Robin from Zarges, Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Jo…

It’s 7am on Saturday, 24th November. I’m checking my emails before heading out of the door to meet Ian Prickett and Brian Newham at the warehouse for 9am. The cabooses and sledges are arranged in a train down the centre of the massive space. The rain drips from the cracks in the roof as is hammers down outside. No breaks and no tea for the first 5 hours. I crack on with building the scienc…

Very exciting day yesterday! We have taken over the warehouse at the docklands and started taking delivery of the heavy equipment. With the help of a 50-tonne crane, the fabulous removal men from Revells and about half a dozen extremely capable and patient truck drivers we managed to squeeze everything in and lock up by 6pm. Lots more on the way today and tomorrow… We will be uploading loads…