We live on a blue planet. The oceans cover nearly 70% of its surface, they define its climate and affect the weather. The oceans are so big that we still don't know everything about them. Equipping a full-scale expedition on a modern research vessel to conduct the ocean research is a really expensive business, normally requiring a few years of thorough preparation. Also, the large research vessels usually have constraints related to where they can be used.

As many areas of the oceans are difficult to reach, sometimes the marine research is conducted during sailing voyages or races. The "Citizen science" is a new and exciting way to research our planet, it gives everyone living on planet Earth a chance to contribute to the understanding of the ways our world works.

Maritime Practice is an educational centre, accredited by the International Yacht Training and the largest polar sailing company in the world. Since 2020 we organise polar expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctica on ice-class tall ships and yachts.

We also have an extensive experience of working with science teams and in 2022 we are starting a new line of our work – Science and Education at full sail. We will conduct marine research and environmental monitoring on behalf of various research institutes during our voyages.

Our sailing voyages usually take place in the remote and rarely visited areas of seas and oceans. The collection of scientific data in those places is very important for better understanding of the state of oceans, climate change or for the sea life observations as well as for the educational purposes. We want to make our contribution to help the preservation of the environment, using this new approach to the scientific observations.

Our advantages:
– we can organise data collection without the researcher being involved
– the sailing voyages are completely noiseless, so it is easier to observe the wild life
– any necessary equipment can be easily installed on a ship
– we can charter a sailing ship for any expedition and we can change our route in real time if needed

We also contribute to education by promoting and supporting the science in the community of the people who are interested in the sea. The research component makes all trainees involved in the research as we organise various educational events like lectures and seminars onboard and excursions ashore. As we prepare for our voyages, we also give talks about the topics of our future research.