Cold Climate Sailing

Classic Sailing Book Club – Recommended reading for Antarctic Voyages

Recommended literature for our Antarctic voyages

Part of the excitement of a big trip is reading about Antarctcia before you go. 

Antarctica, a guide to the wildlife’ by Tony Soper. A small and handy booklet on the most common birds, seals, whales and penguins. ISBN 1-8983-2347-X.

Albatrosses, Petrels and Shearwaters of the World (Helm Field Guides) by Derek Onley, Paul Schofield. A&C Black , ISBN 9780713643329.Paperback, 224 pages.

A complete guide to Antarctic wildlife by Hadoram Shirihai. Pictures and stories on the wildlife in and around the Southern Ocean. Princeton University Press, end of 2007. ISBN 951-98947-0-5.

Birds of southern South America and Antarctica by Martinde la Peña and Mauriced Rumboll. ISBN0-00-220077-5.

Whales, dolphins and porpoises by Mark Cawardine. In our opinion this is the best identification guide for whales worldwide. ISBN 0-7513-1030-1.

Lonely Planet Antarctica by Jeff Rubin. Read the Antarctica experience from one of the travellers on board EUROPA on page 173 in this 4th edition. ISBN 978-1-74104-549-9.

’Whales, Dolphins and Seals – a field guide to the Marine Mammals of the World’ by Hadoram Shirihai en Brett Jarrett. A&C Black Publishers ltd., 2006. ISBN 0-71367-037-1.

“SOUTH” sir Ernest Shackleton. Expedition, report from Shackletons last voyage from 1914 – 1917.ISBN 9-04500-343-0.

‘Antarctic Oasis – Under the spell of South Georgia’ by Tim and Pauline Carr. A travel account of South Georgia with excellent maps and photographs. In the bookstore under ISBN number 0 393 04605 2.

‘Last of the Wind Ships’ by Alan Villers is one of Debbies favourites to get you in the mood for sailing a tall ship in the Southern Ocean.

British Antarctic Survey Charts

If you want to take a chart with you to record your journey and anchorages Classic Sailing have a South Georgia chart and another chart covering the whole of Cape Horn, Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia and Weddell Sea. 

Cold: Sailing to Antarctica – Photo book by Thijs Heslenfield

This hardback book about a Cape to Cape Voyage on Europa in 2007 includes the sumptuous travel images of Dutch photographer Thijs Helsenfeld. The book is now out of print and second hand copies sell for silly money on ebay. If you really want a copy Classic Sailing may have a few copies if you ask nicely.

 Wanderlust Magazine

“Between Heslenfeld unique photos of life on and off deck, Captain Klaas Gaastra (who looks exactly as a Captain should) writes the ships log, an engaging tale of near misses, whale encounters and ventures ashore.” Lizzie Matthews. Aug 2008

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