Durlindana

A low-impact, ocean-capable platform supporting marine and environmental scientific research worldwide.

Durlindana provides logistical, observational, and field support for multidisciplinary research in remote and understudied marine environments.

OUR MISSION

Durlindana offers a flexible and reliable platform for any kind of scientific research,  also suited to projects requiring access to remote and understudied marine environments. The vessel’s sailing-based operation allows research activities to be conducted with a reduced environmental footprint, minimising fuel consumption and acoustic disturbance compared to conventional motor vessels.

Operating costs are intentionally kept low, making Durlindana a cost-effective alternative for research teams, pilot studies, and grant-funded projects with limited budgets. This efficiency enables extended fieldwork and access to regions that are often logistically or financially inaccessible using larger research vessels.

Durlindana is operated by Andrea Pestarini and Chicca, highly experienced skippers with more than 30 years of continuous ocean navigation, including extensive experience across the Pacific, the Atlantic, sailing through Polynesia, Alaska, Antarctica, Greenland, and other sub-polar waters. This background ensures safe operations, sound decision-making, and reliable logistical support in remote and challenging environments.

In addition to research activities, Durlindana is available to support scientific outreach and education programmes, contributing to the communication and dissemination of research outcomes and promoting awareness of the importance of ocean conservation and sustainable marine practices.

OUR VISION

 Over the years spent navigating across the world’s oceans, we have become increasingly aware of the profound impacts that climate change and human activity are having on marine ecosystems. Witnessing these changes firsthand has strengthened our sense of responsibility toward the ocean that has given us so much.

We believe it is time to give something back. By placing our experience, our vessel, and our knowledge at the service of science, we aim to support marine and environmental research in a way that is both effective and sustainable. Sailing allows us to offer one of the lowest-impact forms of ocean transport available, enabling scientific work while minimising environmental disturbance.