In 2021 the British conservationist and naturalist Stewart McPherson is set to retrace the route of Charles Darwin’s famous voyage of discovery. It will be a global expedition that will seek to inspire a new generation of scientists and conservationists. The Darwin200 tall ship will undertake a two year voyage around the world, the ship will stop in every major port where Darwin made landfall, including fifty one-week stays along the voyage route.

In preparation for the 2021 Darwin200 global voyage, McPherson has chartered the tall ship Pelican of London to circumnavigate the UK with specialist environmental scientists onboard to mentor a group of young scientists. These scientists will conduct a programme of observations, experiments, discussions, and problem-solving sessions related to the health of the UK’s surrounding waters.

Stewart McPherson, Darwin200 project leader says:

“In preparation of the Darwin200 global voyage, we’re embarking on a UK-wide initiative that brings along ten new scientists to carry out a detailed science programme throughout the 59-day project. We’re planning on a host of activities such as live lectures, citizen science project updates, and we’ll be publishing updates from the science programme on a daily basis, where we hope to engage 1000s of young people across the UK to look at the health of the UK waters and better understand marine conservation”.

The ship will be passing Filey Bay between September 14th and 17th. We will post an update closer to the time, but there may well be a chance that the ship will sail close to the bay. It will certainly be visible from the shore.

The Friends of the British Overseas Territories recorded a fabulous video featuring Stewart McPherson which is well-worth a watch.