Sir Ernst 

 

Tuesday 21st February 2023. They promised. And they delivered! The crew on Sir Ernst went to meet children and teenagers hospitalised at the Institute of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology (IHOPe) in Lyon to talk to them about their latest expedition in Chile’s Patagonia channels in January. The young patients had been following the adventures of the Boréal 47 and her crew, led (of course!) by Palmito and Patagonia, the two cuddly toy penguin mascots, the boat’s owner François Miribel, Fabrice Papazian and Thierry Leret from Yacht Club de Monaco.
It was during this visit that they presented a cheque to staff of the proceeds raised by the sale of their book ‘Sir Ernst, plus qu’un voilier en Antarctique’, a donation towards helping fight cancers in children.

 

One expedition – two projects 

The book of photos from their previous expedition was launched at the YCM Awards ceremony in December by the crew, the idea being to raise funds and get the children dreaming. “For the children and their families it is of interest because a trip like this brings people together,” says François Miribel.
Thanks to the internet, the crew sparked their imaginations, encouraging them to take part in photo and video competitions and providing educational materials for teachers who work at IHOPE, from kindergarten through to the Bac.
Sir Ernst was one of the first boats to participate in the Seabed 2030 bathymetry programme, in a partnership with the International Hydrographic Institute, taking depth measurements often in places where no data had existed before.