Gone with the Wynnsvideo
We Sailed Into an Active Volcano…in Antarctica!
April 26, 2026 · 25 min · 189K views · Deception Island
Rusted tanks and derelict buildings on Antarctic shore
What this video covers
Nikki and Jason Wynn sail into Deception Island's active volcanic caldera in Antarctica aboard Icebird, a 60-foot expedition sailboat, with ten people total including Curiosity crew members.0:07 The island's single entrance, Neptune's Bellows, is a narrow gap so easily missed that sailors historically failed to recognize the island as a caldera — the origin of its name.4:14 Ashore, the ground vents enough geothermal heat to warm tidal pools to near-boiling; the volcano last erupted in 1970 but is classified as a restless caldera with significant volcanic risk.6:56 The island holds the world's largest chinstrap penguin colony, estimated at over 200,000 birds; a 30-minute avian flu observation protocol is required before approaching any colony.1:32 The group also explores the remains of Antarctica's only land-based whaling station, where 150 men once processed whale oil and nearly 2 million whales were killed across the Southern Hemisphere during the 20th century.15:34 Icebird's aero rig — a rotating mast-and-boom unit with no stays or standing rigging, designed by the engineers behind the Dynarigs on the Black Pearl — gets its first use on passage.17:32 Navigating among icebergs demands constant vigilance; the crew moors overnight to a 1915 Norwegian whaling wreck alongside a 157-foot Dutch vessel, the Amazone, whose Russian crew hosts an impromptu onboard party.18:10
More from Gone with the Wynns
From Gone with the Wynns — see the channel’s boat, crew, and every analyzed video.
The Sailing Directory Newsletter
One email with the fleet's best finds — the moments, boats, and stories worth your watch time. Enter your own address to get your own copy.