Ocean Peaks

Ocean Peaks · round-the-world oceanographic expedition

Ocean Peaks

A round-the-world scientific expedition aboard the sailing research yacht Maola. We study seamounts and open-ocean eddies — in waters research vessels don't reach for years.

Volunteer with the expedition →
expedition years
2026–2028
route legs
5
oceans
3
yacht length
12.5 m

Route

The low-latitude circumnavigation is split into five legs, with breaks between them for regional expeditions, refits and scientific upgrades of the yacht.

summer 2026 — confirmed plan from November 2026 — circumnavigation Science points
Where is Maola now: The yacht is being prepared in Fethiye — the tracker goes live at sea. MarineTraffic →

Ports of call are tentative and will be refined as the expedition progresses.

  1. 01

    July — October 2026

    Mediterranean

    Fethiye (Turkey) — Greece — Bizerte (Tunisia) — Tangier (Morocco). Layover in Morocco with a possible expedition to the first study site — the Ampère and Josephine seamounts.

  2. 02

    November 2026 — January 2027

    Transatlantic

    Morocco — Cabo Verde — the Antilles — Panama. Survey work off Morocco and underway measurements across the Central Atlantic.

  3. 03–04

    February — August 2027

    Pacific

    Panama — Galápagos — Tahiti — Fiji, then Fiji — Torres Strait — Phuket.

  4. 05

    Winter 2027 — 2028

    Indian Ocean and the return

    Phuket — Sri Lanka — Malé — Salalah — Suez Canal — Fethiye. The circumnavigation ends where it began.

About the project

Amateur sailors cross oceans and reach the most remote corners of the planet — yet almost no scientific measurements are ever taken aboard their boats. Meanwhile, research-vessel expeditions to those same waters are not organised for years: operating a large research ship costs enormous resources.

Ocean Peaks is an attempt to connect the two worlds. We are demonstrating that comprehensive marine research can be done from a small sailing yacht: all upper-ocean work can be carried out by a small crew, while sail logistics opens up waters inaccessible to classical expeditions.

The scientific goal of the project is to study how dynamic processes over seamounts and in mesoscale eddies of the open ocean influence hydrological, biological, chemical and geological phenomena in the World Ocean.

Expedition outcomes: papers in leading journals, conference talks, and a book compiling the research results.

Scientific programme

Our study objects are seamounts and mesoscale eddies of the open ocean. Both lie far from ports and research-fleet bases — yet all upper-ocean work can be done from a yacht.

Seamounts, volcanoes and guyots

Detailed oceanographic surveys over seamounts based on modern bathymetry: hydrology, biology and geology of the slopes.

Mesoscale eddies and current meanders

“Chasing” eddies across the open ocean using near-real-time satellite data: surveying thermohaline structure and currents in eddy cores.

What we measure

CTD profiling

Vertical profiles of temperature, salinity and pressure with an AML-3 probe (6000 m housing); winch operations down to 1000 m.

Moored stations

Deployment of autonomous moorings with Daowan loggers for long-term observation series.

Echo-sounder surveys

Scientific echo sounder at 50/200 kHz with water-column recording: seafloor relief and scattering layers down to 350 m.

Water and plankton sampling

5-litre Niskin bottles and plankton nets: hydrochemistry, phytoplankton and zooplankton.

Sediment sampling

Grab sampling of bottom sediments: geology and geochemistry of seamount slopes.

Underway measurements

Continuous surface-layer measurements and weather observations on every passage; seafloor video and drone surveys.

The shore team analyses satellite data and ocean-circulation forecasts, adjusting the work plan as the yacht approaches each study site.

The yacht Maola

A sailing research yacht — a Beneteau Oceanis Clipper 41 refitted for open-ocean work.

Type Beneteau Oceanis Clipper 41
Rig Bermuda sloop, 86 m²
Length 12.5 m
Displacement 8.5 t
Draft 1.7 m
Engine Yanmar, 56 hp
Fuel / water 150 l / 550 l

Scientific equipment

  • Shimano BM 12000 winch — down to 1000 m, up to 2.5 m/s
  • AML-3 LGR CTD probe, 6000 m housing
  • Daowan DW12/14/16 autonomous loggers
  • Scientific echo sounder, 50 and 200 kHz, water-column recording
  • 5 l Niskin bottles, plankton nets
  • Sediment grab samplers
  • Seafloor video equipment
  • Autonomous and remotely operated drones

Scientific equipment layout

Layout of scientific equipment aboard the yacht Maola
  1. Scientific weather station with an autonomous ionospheric research package
  2. Hydroacoustic antenna array
  3. Storage of autonomous moored stations
  4. Underway surface-layer measurement equipment
  5. Satellite communications — operational data from the shore team
  6. Towed equipment
  7. Profiling package

Team

Dima Frey

Dima Frey

Project lead

PhD in physics, deep-sea currents specialist

Oceanographer, physicist and sailor. Over 30 marine expeditions — the Arctic, Antarctica, the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. Goes to sea to study currents in the depths of the World Ocean.

Zhenya Lyubimova

Zhenya Lyubimova

Captain of Maola

Candidate for Master of Sport, sailing instructor

Yacht captain, mechanic and journalist. Multiple ocean crossings under sail and a knack for solving any yacht problem in the most exotic corners of the planet — from paperwork to repairs.

Sasha Osadchiev

Scientific advisor

DSc, oceanographer

Author of the popular-science blog “The Ocean Around Us” and one of the country's best-known ocean-science communicators. Keeps the project scientifically honest.

Dima Fofanov

Creative producer

Oceanographer

Editor-in-chief of the international portal ITRussia.media. Runs the media side of the project: content, press events in ports of call, the future film and book.

Alina Gappasova

Project designer

Author of the Ocean Peaks identity: the logo, the yacht mark, the brand graphics and the visual language of the project.

Vitya Krechik

Scientific outfitting

PhD, marine measurement specialist

Turns a cruising yacht into a research vessel: instruments, measurement systems and open-ocean survey methods.

Dima Borisov

Marine geology

PhD, sedimentation specialist

Mining engineer and marine geologist. Trained to extract mineral resources from the seabed — extracts knowledge about the history of the ocean and climate instead. Also runs onboard 3D printing.

Olya Konovalova

Marine biology

PhD, head of research at MSU Marine Research Center

Coordinates the expedition's biological programme: plankton, benthic fauna and life above the seamounts.

Oleg Kudinov

Oleg Kudinov

Marine instrumentation

PhD, head of laboratory at MHI RAS

Design engineer of oceanographic instruments. Builds, tunes and repairs electronic and mechanical systems right in the field — including custom technical solutions for expedition tasks.

Dasha Smirnova

Sea level, yacht preparation

Oceanographer, tsunami laboratory

Analyses sea-level variability and takes part in the technical preparation of the yacht for the circumnavigation.

Vanya Dudkov

Vanya Dudkov

Expedition cartographer

IHO Category A hydrographer, hydroacoustics specialist

Uses sound to study the ocean — from the shape of the seafloor to the movement of plankton in the water column.

Natasha Shulga

Geochemistry and ore geology

PhD, marine geochemist

Studies the ocean at the molecular level: prepares extracts from seafloor mud and deep-sea ore to understand their origin.

Ilya Drigo

Expedition meteorologist

Oceanographer, big-data specialist

Over 10 years in oceanography and meteorology. Former lead meteorologist at Windy.app, Yandex Weather and OpenWeatherMap. Knows what the weather will be tomorrow.

Partners

The project is open to scientific and technological partnerships. Become a partner →

Volunteers

This section will feature the project's volunteers — the people helping to prepare Maola for the circumnavigation and taking part in work along the way. The first names will appear once work starts in Fethiye.

Join the expedition

Maola is being prepared for the circumnavigation in Fethiye, Turkey, with ports across three oceans ahead. The project needs volunteers:

  • refit and preparation of the yacht, ashore and afloat
  • installation and tuning of scientific equipment
  • taking part in survey work at the study sites
  • sailing passages between ports as crew
Get in touch