The specially adapted Oyster 885 Firebird recently undertook an icy expedition to the southern polar regions of South Georgia Island and the Antarctic, to retrace the footsteps of the legendary Sir Ernest Shackleton rescue mission.
In partnership with British expedition and apparel company Shackleton and endurance athlete James Norbury, the 90-foot bluewater cruising yacht set sail to the highest latitudes on earth. An 800 nautical mile journey from the Falkland Islands to South Georgia Island saw them exposed to the elements, including navigating around one of the world’s largest icebergs, battling extreme polar storms and encountering the Antarctic’s diverse wildlife.
Photography by Aaron Rolph for Shackleton
The route mirrored that of the Shackleton Traverse, the same perilous route taken by Sir Ernest Shackleton in 1916 during his desperate, last-ditch mission to save the 27-man crew of the doomed Endurance. Shackleton himself had just sailed across 800 miles of ocean in an open-topped 22.5-foot-long boat as the crew lay stranded on Elephant Island.
Sharing the modern-day trip through their Instagram channels, Norbury and Firebird sailed via the most dangerous ocean on the planet, the Southern Ocean, and faced iceberg-infested, storm-lashed seas before making landfall near King Haakon Bay. A difficult crossing that was led by Firebird’s experienced and dedicated crew, who comfortably and safely guided her through the challenges towards the safety of South Georgia.
Photography by Aaron Rolph for Shackleton
Oyster 885 Firebird is one of the most heavily customised models in the fleet, with bespoke and unique reinforcements that allow the yacht to sail safely in the polar high and low latitude regions. She is a well-travelled yacht, who has spent extended periods exploring the high latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere – sailing around Cape Horn and through the Drake Passage – as well as the high latitude areas in the north of Svalbard and Greenland. In early 2025, she also crossed the Atlantic Ocean to spend time in the Caribbean, before traversing the Panama Canal and exploring The Galapagos Islands and French Polynesia.
Watch the full story below.
