The Polar Pod

29 August 2021     Editor    2 Comments.

Polar Pod
Polar Pod
Polar Pod
Polar Pod

GALLERY | Click images to enlarge

This is the Polar Pod - a research platform which is intended to circumnavigate Antarctica by drifting along with the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.

The craft is technically a multihull sailboat; it has four hulls - one of which is above the waterline.  It’s fitted with ten vane-like sails; these will help the craft avoid encounters with icebergs and the like.

The Polar Pod was originally proposed by the French explorer Jean-Louis Etienne in 2013.  Earlier this year, after research and fundraising efforts, etc, Etienne announced that the Polar Pod will be constructed, with a view that its Antarctic voyage would begin circa 2024.

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Much thanks to Paul D. for the submission!

CNN - Polar Pod floating laboratory
Ocean Polaire - Polar Pod
Vimeo - Polar Pod
Wikipedia - Polar Pod
Polar Pod Station océanographique internationale PDF

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  • It dawns on me that this is a new type of proa; one deserving of a
    new name. 

    There’s the Pacific proa, where the stabilising hull is positioned
    windward of the main hull; and the Atlantic proa, where the
    stabilising hull is to the leeward side.  For the Polar Pod, though,
    the stabilising hull(s) are aligned downwards - vertically - from
    the main hull. 

    That, then, could be the defining characteristic of - ahem - the
    Antarctic proa.

    Cheers,
    Paul

    2024-02-24 19:16 | by Aerohydro