Pen is one of the world’s foremost Arctic Ocean explorers.
In the summer of 2017, Pen led a sailing expedition by yacht towards the North Pole to demonstrate the new accessibility of the international waters around the North Pole (previously protected from surface vessels by the sea ice cover), and to highlight the consequential risks to our least explored, and now most vulnerable, ecosystem.
Pen previously led the award-winning US$10m international research programme, Catlin Arctic Survey (2008-2012) which investigated the rates, causes and impacts of the Arctic’s rapidly melting sea ice. In 2003 he became the first person solo, without resupply, from Canada to the North Geographic Pole – a feat unrepeated to date; and is the first Briton, without resupply to ski to both the North and South Geographic Poles from the respective continental coastlines.
He has written books, including the best-seller, Solo, self-filmed a documentary for National Geographic, presented a series on BBC Radio 4, and contributed to numerous TV documentaries and books about adventure and exploration. He is also a patron of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, the British Exploring Society, and the Scientific Exploration Society.
Chase Expeditions was honoured to help Pen in the run up to the grand departure of his Arctic Mission voyage with expedition planning and logistics, and was on hand to manage any necessary disaster and emergency comms and the UK ‘ops room’ whilst Pen and the team were sailing in the Arctic during the summer of 2017.
Chase is delighted to continue working with Pen as he plans the next phase of Arctic Mission for 2019 through to 2025.