The sailing research vessels Malizia Explorer and the Why from Under The Pole are reunited again for the final days of their joint mission in Antarctica…  and what a journey it has been!

After setting sail on the 7th of January 2026, the crew onboard the Malizia Explorer headed south, the bow of the vessel pointed toward the Western Antarctic Peninsula. While some team members were still tucked away below deck, recovering from their first days of finding their sea legs, Dr. Lea Olivier from the Alfred Wegener Institute was keeping a close watch on the horizon. She was looking for fog, which often accompanies the “Antarctic Convergence” and signals the transition into polar  waters.