SiteGround Hosting EOOD, Sofia, Bulgaria: SiteGround in support of The Shackleton Mission

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A small row boat, a giant leap for the Planet

The crew of the Shackleton Mission were aiming to challenge what’s humanly possible, but their mission went beyond that. It is true evidence that with the right team, the right partner and support, we can accomplish anything.

That’s also true for the mission’s even greater goal – to prevent the overexploitation of the once pristine marine environment of Antarctica. The petition started by the crew calls for the designation of new marine protected areas of at least 4,000,000 km2 in the Southern Ocean – the largest marine protection in history. Given that over 90% of the large marine species in the oceans are already in danger of extinction, united we can stop this. Read more and sign the petition: www.change.org/SouthernOcean

The Shackleton mission 2023: whatever you do, do it with meaning

The crew of the Shackleton Mission included 6 leading explorers and adventurers from 5 countries - captain Fiann Paul (Iceland), Lisa Farthofer (Austria), Jamie Douglas-Hamilton (United Kingdom), Brian Krauskopf (USA), Mike Matson (USA) and our home-country representative Stefan Ivanov (Bulgaria). The expedition departed across the Southern Ocean from the Antarctic King George Island to South Georgia Island aboard their boat, Mrs Chippy, on January 11, 2023. Their journey passed across what is regarded by many as “the most dreaded bit of ocean on the planet”. It was meant to retrace the voyage made by Sir Ernest Shackleton and 5 of his crew in 1916 that saved the lives of all 28 members of Shackleton’s previous Endurance expedition. 

On January 17, 2023, the mission was completed and the team landed safely on Laurie Island (South Orkney Islands) after rowing 777 km (420 nautical miles) in the Southern Ocean in 6 days. The row was declared a success by the Ocean Rowing Society and won 8 Guinness Records:

First human-powered rowing expedition from the Antarctic

First human-powered rowing expedition on the Southern Ocean South to North

The first human-powered expedition completed entirely within the Southern Ocean 

First human powered rowing expedition on the Scotia Sea

Southernmost start of a rowing expedition

Fastest row on the Southern Ocean

Fastest Polar row

Longest distance rowed on the Southern Ocean

SiteGround support for entrepreneurial spirit and a stand for the Planet

The  Shackelton mission resonated deeply with the inherent values of the SiteGround team – to challenge yourself, raise the limit of what's possible and live with purpose. But it also highlighted our need to care and take action for our planet and our personal and collective responsibility for its protection. In the words of our co-founder, Ivo Tzenov, "The courage to keep doing what you believe in, despite that everyone tells you it's impossible, is no stranger to us. It's exactly what's been driving our work and success at SiteGround from the start. But the mission had our support also because of their cause and stand for the environment, which is also something that we at SiteGround firmly believe in".

The Antarctic Treaty required the Shackleton Mission ocean rowing expedition to be accompanied by a supervising vessel.  That role was executed perfectly by the 20-meter sailing boat SELMA with its 4-man crew lead by skipper Piotr Kuznar.  It transported the 6 rowers across the Drake Passage (from the tip of South America to Antarctica), accompanied the row from King George island to Laurie island and brought the team back to South America.  During the crossing of the Southerн Ocean, one of the rowers of the Shackleton Mission suffered from acute sea sickness and was evacuated and recovered successfully on SELMA.

Three photographers and cameramen: Adam Nawrot, Danya Schwertfeger and Ewan Harvey accompanied the Shackleton Mission on SELMA and captured possibly the most spectacular ocean rowing photo and video footage in history.  Their visual pieces of work enhanced the hundreds of TV interviews, press articles and social media posts of the expedition members and helped raise social awareness about the pressing need to designate new marine protected areas in the Southern Ocean.

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