'It's a dream come true': Kerry man to take part in Arctic expedition
Chris Barrett from Knocknagoshel in Kerry has been selected to be part of Ocean Warrior’s Foundation Expedition. The crew will travel on the SV Linden to enhance our understanding of the Arctic's ecological and environmental intricacies. Picture: Ice Warrior
A Kerry man has said it is “a dream come true” to have been chosen to take part in a “groundbreaking” Arctic expedition next month.
Chris Barrett from Knocknagoshel said the last few weeks have been a “whirlwind” after earning a bursary from Henri-Lloyd following a gruelling three-day-long selection process in the UK last month.
“I hope to fly the Knocknagoshel flag onboard,” he said, before adding that the village’s banner seems to “make its way to every corner of the globe”.
Although originally having a background in design, Mr Barrett decided to follow his passion and work as an outdoor instructor and photographer based in Killarney.
He will form part of the crew for Ocean Warrior’s foundation expedition which aims to get a better understanding of oceanography by gathering data surrounding the impacts of climate change.
The crew is due to set sail on September 9 and will run solely on wind power aboard the SV Linden and will see Mr Barrett head out on a circumnavigation of Svalbard, one of the world’s northernmost inhabited areas.
After a specially organised flight to Svalbard from London, he will be part of the foundation leg of the expedition which is due to run for ten years.
He received funding for his spot on the expedition through a competition run by Henri-Lloyd which gave the winner one funded place on the trip worth approximately €8,000.
“With a couple of days’ notice, I was told I had to get to GPS coordinates in Dartmoor in the UK, it was all very mysterious,” he said.
Mr Barrett, who was the only Irish person taking part, said although it was “very challenging,” it was a “brilliant weekend”.
“There were a lot of physical and mental challenges throughout,” he said.
Although he could not divulge too much information due to similar weekends being scheduled over the coming years to choose more adventurers, he said: “From the start to the finish, everything was unexpected, it was just continuous tasks which were really challenging but really enjoyable.”
The ”highly rewarding” tasks revolved around teamwork and problem-solving in the outdoors which he said gave an insight as to what the expedition will entail.
While travelling home from the intense weekend, he found out that he had been chosen as the overall winner and despite being one of the few that managed to sleep that weekend, he said he was surprised to have been chosen, given the experience of other participants.
“I was fairly shocked, it kind of took until now to sink in really,” he said before adding: “It’s a dream come true for any adventurer and environmental enthusiast.”
The expedition will be led by British explorer Jim McNeill, whose work Mr Barrett has followed for some time.
Mr McNeill said he is “delighted" to have Mr Barrett on board.
“It is vital that we use ordinary people from all walks and many nations to show that humanity can do something really positive in this time of global crisis.
“The oceans are so vital to our very existence and Ocean Warrior will put a better figure on the pulse in areas seldom visited, if at all by scientists,” he said.
From next year on, the expedition will scale up to include Iceland and Greenland, and although his participation in the trip will be ten “full-on days,” he hopes to continue with the expedition in the coming years.
He said he is “incredibly grateful” for the support of his sponsors, Denis Nolan of Toureen Group Ltd, the Cara Credit Union, and Henri-Lloyd, and is still actively seeking support to raise €2,000 to cover personal equipment and flights.
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