Introducing Ella at 66.5N

Ella Hibbert has already accomplished many things in her 25 years; a career in equestrian care, qualifying as a Divemaster and, more recently, as a Yachtmaster Instructor. Her passion for sailing was ignited at a young age when she started in a laser on her local reservoir and the flames were fanned with trips on her family's Moody in southern France and across to Corsica. After trying scuba diving with her father as a teenager, the underwater world captivated Ella and she went on to become a PADI Divemaster. However, after leaving school her path took her in another direction, to the world of horse racing working in Australia and Germany at a racing stables and then for an Olympic dressage rider.

In the end, though, the call of the sea brought her back to boats and she spent 4 years in the Mediterranean and Caribbean working on superyachts. Some aspects of the superyacht industry didn't align with Ella's values so she looked for another way to carve a career in the marine industry, using her enthusiasm and passion for the sea and sailing to inspire others through teaching, and as one of the RYA's youngest female Yachtmaster Instructors.

Ella's always pushing forward though, and despite having achieved far more in her quarter of a century than many have in a lifetime, she's preparing for the adventure of a lifetime with a circumnavigation of the Arctic Circle above 66.5 degrees north. 

"The ocean is where I feel the most at home - whether sailing, scuba diving, or just sitting at the shore, I couldn’t imagine my life without the sea playing a huge role in it.
However, climate change and global warming are putting huge amounts of strain on the thing I love the most. As human-caused climate change increases, the Arctic sea ice is melting. The ice-free seasons are becoming longer and longer, and some scientists have estimated that by 2040, the Arctic summer could be ice-free.

The ice melting is having devastating impacts on the Arctic’s inhabitants. Research has shown that unless we greatly reduce carbon emissions and stabilize our climate, we could lose nearly all polar bear populations by the end of this century. On top of this, commercial activity in the Arctic is increasing as the region becomes more accessible. Oil and gas exploration, shipping and tourism, as well as mining, are all activities pushing in to the Arctic, increasing the risk of hazardous oil spills, disturbing the wildlife unique to the Arctic, and increasing pollution in the Arctic circle.

I feel passionately about doing my part to help protect this incredibly diverse, unique environment. I have decided to attempt to sail around the Arctic circle, alone, non-stop, in an eco-friendly vessel. While that in itself will be an incredible challenge, should I be successful in making it the whole way round, it will be a very bittersweet feeling: I will have accomplished a challenging, difficult feat, and yet will have proven a very important fact - that we are not yet doing enough to protect the Arctic. The fact that this trip should be considered feasible, is in itself part of the problem. There should be enough ice that it would be an impossible journey."

Ella is currently in the process of purchasing of a suitable yacht for her voyage with the aid of a crowdfunder to raise the neccesary funds. From there, she'll prepare the yacht for the Arctic using as many sustainable and environmentally benign systems and equipment as possible such as electric propulsion and solar and wind generated power.

Her expedition isn't just about raising funds for her chosen charities - Ocean Conservancy and Polar Bears International - Ella is aiming to raise awareness of the Arctic's fragile eco systems and the effect it's exploitation would have on the rest of the world and our place on it with the hope that this will improve legislation and protection for the region. She plans to slip lines at the start of summer 2024 and on her return to Hamble, will be auctioning off the boat and equipment to raise more funds for the charities.

Here at boatfolk, we share Ella's passion for ocean conservation, sustainability and education as well as inspiring the next generation of boaters with our #boatgen campaign and are delighted be able to support Ella on her journey as much as we possibly can. We'll keep you updated with her progress and you'll be able to hear more from Ella about her expedition and the reasons she's undertaking such an intrepid voyage on our Folk Tales podcast very soon!

Find out more about the expedition and sponsoring Ella on her website - www.ellaat665n.co.uk