Polar Pod is a huge vertical tower with a draft of 80 m! It is the 150 tons of ballast that will ensure the vertical position, Polar Pod floating on the water like a tumbler. At the top, a living cell will accommodate a crew on 4 levels. 8 people will be on board: 3 sailors, 4 scientists and a cook. This crew will be relieved every 2 months thanks to a fifty sailboat (sail + engine).
The objective of this scientific mission is to study the Southern Ocean. Polar Pod will make two circumnavigations of the Atlantic Ocean, drifting at an estimated speed of 0.7 to 1 knot. During this time, scientists will carry out analyses using this silent "boat". The interest of Polar Pod is to offer a perfect stability (which is not offered by the boats which navigate in these waters). The absence of engine is also interesting to make acoustic surveys, without disturbing the environment. Finally, by planning a 2-year campaign, the measurements can be carried out during the southern winter, when no boat sails there at this time of year due to the Dantean weather conditions that prevail.
Polar Pod will drift with the currents, but a set of steerable sails will allow to manage this drift and especially to deviate if a collision route with an iceberg should occur. As for energy, Polar Pod will be equipped with a wind turbine to recharge the batteries. There will be no wind problems in this region as the expedition is expecting an average wind speed of 25 knots..
For the relief of the crews, Polar Pod has planned to build a supply sailboat on which a semi-rigid boat is embarked from the back. This will allow the crew to secure themselves on the boat before it is launched. Once under the Polar Pod, the exchanges will be done with winches from the gangways. A bit like the way lighthouses were refuelled at sea in the old days. This offshore sailing boat will be designed by Olivier Petit and VPLP.
Today, the call for tenders is launched to find the builder of Polar Pod. The construction should start in January 2022 for a launch announced in June 2023. The launch of the mission to Antarctica is due to start in December 2023 and the second round-the-world voyage is due to end in December 2025, just to celebrate Jean-Louis Etienne's 80th birthday!
