Sir David is one of the best known British adventurers, and the first person in history to reach both the Geographic and Magnetic North and South Poles as well as summiting the highest peaks on all seven continents – a remarkable accomplishment known as The Adventurers Grand Slam.
In June 2016, David and his boat ‘Northabout’ left Bristol with the intention of circumnavigating the North Pole anticlockwise. In doing so, David aimed to demonstrate that the Arctic sea ice coverage shrinks back so far in the summer months that sea that was previously permanently locked up, now can allow passage. In the run up to the 5 month expedition, Victoria was an integral part of planning and logistics, brokering deals for David with a communications / satellite partner which provided all required equipment and bandwidth for the duration of the challenge, enabling the vital distribution of information for the crew and the expedition as a whole.
Victoria also provided support with all food and menu planning and supplies and organized a highly qualified yacht skipper for David within 24 hours of the request, who joined David on board to complete the expedition when the existing skipper had to return home at late notice. The prerequisite arctic skills narrowed the field, as well as the incredibly tight time frame.
Again, Victoria was pleased to lend access to her expert industry contacts to help David out with this exciting challenge. David will be taking another sailing expedition to the Arctic in 2017.
http://polarocean.co.uk/objectives/
Victoria is unique in that she has participated in several extreme expeditions herself, so has first hand experience of the vital importance of considering every eventuality and planning to the minutest level.
David Hempleman-Adams