Travely-Family

The First Family to Sail Antarctica

Captain Andrey Klochkov, alongside his wife Marina and their daughters Anastasia and Lada, achieved the southernmost family circumnavigation in maritime history aboard their 1988 Nauticat 40 ketch, Lady Mary. The Klochkovs hold the unique distinction of being the first and only family crew with young children to navigate under sail to Antarctica. They tackled the planet's most treacherous waterways—transiting the Drake Passage, battling the Roaring Forties, Furious Fifties, and Screaming Sixties, and rounding Cape Horn four separate times.

Over eight years, the Russian family logged more than 50,000 nautical miles. Their YouTube channel, Travely-Family, chronicles long-term ocean homeschooling, high-latitude vessel survival, DIY polar refits, and commercial Arctic and Antarctic expedition skipper operations.

Source: Russian Book of Records

Crew Dynamics and Sea-Schooling

Captain Andrey Klochkov serves as the expedition skipper. He is a certified IYT instructor and consults on offshore yacht delivery and routing. Marina Klochkova is the first mate and an acclaimed travel writer who authored the book "With Children Around the World: An Exciting Journey on the Yacht Lady Mary" («С детьми вокруг света»).

The daughters, Anastasia ("Nastya") and Lada, grew up on the water. Nastya acted as senior deckhand and navigator. She completed her secondary school curriculum remotely at sea, earning a Gold Medal for academic excellence. This extreme high-latitude expedition voyaging intertwined with authentic family life, requiring cold-weather self-reliance and remote ocean education. The family also created the "Cinema Laboratory for Schoolchildren," an educational geographic documentary series.

The Vessel: Lady Mary (Леди Мэри)

Lady Mary is a 1988 Nauticat 40 pilothouse motorsailer and ocean cruising ketch. Designed by Sparkman & Stephens (hull and architecture) and Kaj Gustafsson (deck and interior), she was built by Siltala Yachts Oy in Riihikoski, Finland.

"She is built like a tank. Solid hand-laid fiberglass with heavy scantlings provides the necessary strength to endure the crushing Southern Ocean waves."

The family acquired the vessel in 2013 in Alicante, Spain, along the Mar Menor. They conducted a comprehensive refit to prepare the heavy-displacement 14-metric-ton vessel for polar extremes.

Quick Specs & Vitals

Technical Upgrades for the Deep South

A standard cruising yacht cannot survive the Antarctic Peninsula. Lady Mary underwent extensive modifications for cold-water survival. The dual helm stations—an enclosed pilothouse and an aft cockpit—allowed the crew to stand watch out of the freezing spray.

The primary tech and modifications included:

• Diesel heating systems (Webasto and Dickinson) to prevent condensation and freezing.
• Reverse-osmosis watermaker to ensure a steady freshwater supply.
• Solar and wind energy arrays adapted for low-angle polar sunlight.
• Storm trysail and storm jib for heavy weather tactics.
• Iridium satellite comms to download critical GRIB weather files.
• Cold-water safety immersion gear for all crew members.

Similar to other heavy-displacement expedition vessels seen in our peer yacht reviews, the skeg-hung rudder on Lady Mary provided crucial protection against submerged ice chunks.

The Antarctic Expedition and Route

The Klochkovs departed Bar, Montenegro, in November 2014. After crossing the Atlantic to the Caribbean and transiting the Panama Canal, they sailed across the Pacific to French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand, and Australia.

They navigated the Great Australian Bight and rounded Cape Leeuwin into the Southern Ocean. Continuing through the Indian Ocean, they stopped in Mauritius, Réunion, Madagascar, and South Africa, before rounding the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Agulhas. They pushed across the South Atlantic to Brazil, Argentina, and the Beagle Channel in Patagonia.

Crossing the Drake Passage

Between December 2018 and February 2019, the family undertook their most dangerous leg. They crossed the dreaded Drake Passage with children aboard. Their landfalls included King George Island (Bellingshausen Russian Station and Eduardo Frei Chilean Station), Deception Island (navigating an active volcanic caldera), the Melchior Archipelago, Enterprise Island, and Vernadsky Ukrainian Station on Galindez Island.

After exploring the Antarctic Peninsula, they re-crossed the Drake Passage and rounded Cape Horn back to Ushuaia, marking one of four separate Cape Horn transits during their voyage.

Status & Legacy Forensics: Where is Travely-Family in 2026?

With the girls growing older, long-term ocean living naturally transitions. Where are they in 2026 and what is their current focus? Captain Andrey currently works as a professional expedition skipper, captaining commercial polar voyages to Antarctica and the high Arctic aboard the expedition schooner Elsie with RUSARC.

Why did the continuous family voyage pause? The demands of higher education for the daughters and the sheer physical toll of an eight-year, 50,000-nautical-mile expedition prompted a shift towards commercial skippering and educational consulting.

Did they sell the boat? Lady Mary remains an iconic part of their legacy. Currently, the family shares yachting masterclasses, offering guidance on polar preparation, long-range storm tactics, and budget liveaboard planning.

Source: Travely-Family Official Communications

Equipment Failures and Lessons Learned

Sailing through the Furious Fifties guarantees gear failure. The intense rolling and pitch-poling seas of the Great Australian Bight and the Drake Passage tested their rig daily. The heavy Nauticat 40 held together, but chafing gear, blown-out sails, and generator maintenance were constant realities. The family frequently documented the necessity of carrying extensive spares, particularly for the marine diesel engine and the Webasto heating system, as a failure in Antarctica is a life-threatening emergency.

Funding and Financials

How did the Klochkovs afford an eight-year global expedition? Unlike trust-fund sailors, they relied on a mix of commercial skills and content creation. Andrey's work as a professional delivery skipper and polar guide provided substantial income. Marina's published books, freelance journalism, and public speaking engagements funded their cruising kitty. The YouTube channel, alongside Patreon supporters and remote consulting for prospective liveaboards, generated the remaining revenue needed for boat maintenance.

Frequently Asked Questions