Her Planet Earth to join Panexplore for all-female North Atlantic Sailing Expedition
by Her Planet Earth 23 Apr 10:41 UTC
5-21 August 2026
SV Sea Dragon in Iceland © Her Planet Earth
From Iceland to the Faroe Islands, a team of women will cross one of the world's most demanding oceans - where resilience, sisterhood, and purpose meet the raw power of nature.
In August 2026, Her Planet Earth will lead an all-female offshore sailing expedition across one of the world's most demanding oceans - not only to test human limits, but to raise funds and awareness for the protection of critical marine ecosystems.
Crossing more than 550 nautical miles of the North Atlantic from Iceland to the Faroe Islands, a team of 15 women will navigate isolation, cold exposure, and rapidly shifting weather systems in one of the most unforgiving stretches of the North Atlantic - where survival depends on resilience, trust, and the ability to perform under constant uncertainty.
A curated team of women from across industries and backgrounds will take on the crossing alongside an experienced all-female offshore leadership crew.
This is a high-stakes mission carried out through an extreme expedition.
Taking place from 15-21 August 2026 aboard the expedition vessel SV Sea Dragon, this physically punishing and mentally unrelenting crossing will unfold in volatile open-ocean conditions - far from land, far from immediate support, and entirely dependent on the strength of the team.
The expedition supports a women-led seaweed initiative with Conservation International in Fiji - helping coastal communities build sustainable livelihoods while restoring and protecting fragile marine ecosystems.
This journey marks Her Planet Earth's 19th global expedition - and a defining evolution of its adventure portfolio.
While the organisation has sailed before, this will be its first true open-ocean crossing aboard a high-performance expedition yacht - leaving coastal routes behind for a significantly more demanding, technical, and immersive experience.
"This expedition is about far more than navigating a remote stretch of the North Atlantic. It is about what happens when women step into environments that demand resilience, trust, and leadership - and discover what they are truly capable of," said Christine Amour-Levar, Founder of Her Planet Earth.
A different kind of expedition
This is not a cruise.
It is a working offshore passage.
Participants will become active crew members - learning to steer, navigate, handle sails, and stand watch through shifting conditions, day and night. Life onboard demands focus, adaptability, and trust.
No prior sailing experience is required. But one thing is essential:
a willingness to step fully into the experience.
Her Planet Earth has taken women to sea before. But this journey is different.
This is the open ocean - where there is no coastline in sight, no easy reset, and no shortcut through discomfort.
Only wind, water, and the team beside you.
The Route
The expedition will begin in Reykjavík, Iceland, before departing eastward across the North Atlantic toward Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands.
Covering approximately 553.5 nautical miles, the route will take the team through a windswept and exposed corridor of ocean known for rapidly shifting weather systems, cold temperatures, and powerful seas.
Far from coastal shelter, this crossing offers a rare opportunity to experience the North Atlantic in its truest form - vast, volatile, and deeply humbling.
The ocean as teacher
The North Atlantic is not forgiving.
Weather systems shift rapidly. Temperatures drop. Sleep is fragmented. The rhythm of life is dictated by wind, waves, and watch rotations.
And that is precisely the point.
There are few environments left in the world that strip away distraction so completely.
At sea, there is no noise - only clarity.
This is where resilience is built.
Where leadership becomes instinctive.
And where a group of individuals becomes a crew.
A mission beyond the horizon
While the journey itself is deeply transformative, its purpose extends far beyond the Atlantic.
This expedition supports a women-led seaweed initiative with Conservation International in Fiji, helping coastal communities build sustainable livelihoods rooted in marine ecosystems.
Women in Fiji are sustainably harvesting and processing seaweed using generations of local knowledge, supported by training, infrastructure, and improved market access. These initiatives strengthen both economic resilience and environmental stewardship at the community level.
This is climate action in its most grounded form:
- Local
- Regenerative
- Women-led
The expedition contributes through awareness, advocacy, and direct funding support.
Leadership at sea
The expedition will be led by an experienced all-female offshore sailing team, under the leadership of Sandra Marichal, a Franco-British offshore sailor with over 40,000 nautical miles of experience - nearly twice around the world.
A former senior corporate executive turned ocean adventurer, Sandra has raced across the world's most challenging waters, participated in elite sailing campaigns, and led expeditions focused on both performance and purpose. Today, she is the founder of Panexplore, a global expedition yacht company, and is committed to reshaping the sailing industry through sustainability, access, and gender equity.
"The ocean has a way of stripping things back to what really matters. Out here, there is no room for hesitation - you learn quickly to trust yourself, trust your team, and step into leadership in a very real way," said Sandra Marichal, Mission Leader of the expedition and one of the Founding Partners of Her Planet Earth.
Under her leadership, participants will not simply cross an ocean.
They will learn to navigate it.
Rewriting the narrative
For generations, offshore sailing has been a male-dominated space.
This expedition challenges that narrative.
It places women not as passengers, but as navigators, decision-makers, and crew.
It reframes adventure not as escape, but as engagement.
And it demonstrates something powerful:
When women are given the space to lead in extreme environments, they do not just rise to the challenge - they redefine it.
More than a journey
Over the years, Her Planet Earth has taken women across some of the world's most remote and demanding landscapes - from deserts and mountains to polar regions and coastlines.
This North Atlantic crossing continues that legacy.
But it also marks a shift.
From exploration to immersion.
From witnessing nature...
to working within it.
More than a journey, this is a test of resilience - and a reminder of what becomes possible when women step fully into the unknown.