Onze vriendelijke en behulpzame collega's zijn u graag van dienst. Ze kunnen alle relevante vragen over onze reizen, de bestemmingen en de schepen van Oceanwide Expeditions beantwoorden. Ze werken allemaal reeds vele jaren met veel enthousiasme voor Oceanwide Expeditions en hebben ook allemaal één of meerdere expeditie reizen naar het Noordpoolgebied en Antarctica meegemaakt, waardoor ze de poolgebieden uit eerste hand kennen.
Sarah Gerats grew up in Belgium but lost her heart to the Arctic at an early age, first experiencing it as an exchange student at the Academy of Arts in Iceland.
In 2012 she took a trip to Spitsbergen and ended up extending her visit indefinitely. Sarah now works as an expedition leader and guide aboard sailing vessels both in the Arctic and Antarctica.
Sarah guides with enthusiasm and knows much about the archipelago’s terrain, wildlife, and history. Her main focus is the stories connected to Svalbard’s numerous locations as well as details about its rapidly changing landscape.
A year-round resident of Spitsbergen, Sarah knows the island’s daily life intimately and will make sure to tell you all about the darker months in the high north.
When not working at sea, you’ll find Sarah on her sailing boat along the Norwegian coast or on hiking-skiing trips around Svalbard.
Rinie van Meurs has been an expedition leader since 1989, leading hundreds of expeditions all over the polar regions. The Arctic island of Spitsbergen, the largest in the Svalbard archipelago, is as familiar to him as his own back yard.
Jan Belgers was born in the Netherlands and currently lives in Rotterdam. He has been working as a professional outdoor guide and expedition leader for many years.
Arthur Yakovlev was born in Petrozavodsk, the capital and largest city of the Republic of Karelia, in northwestern Russia.
At the age of 15, he started training at the Maritime College in Petrozavodsk, where he graduated in 1999. At 18 he began his career as a seaman on a dry cargo vessel.
One year later, he was promoted as third officer on the same type of vessel, and later as second officer, working on various cargo vessels until 2007.
That same year, Arthur began work as a second officer on the passenger vessel Marina Cvetaeva, now Ortelius. As of 2008 he has worked for Oceanwide Expeditions, and in 2019 became a captain on Plancius.
Arthur never dreamed that most of his career would be spent in the polar waters, but he considers this his destiny and would not have it any other way.
He is married and has a son, and during vacation he enjoys spending most of his time with his family, while also traveling and enjoying nature.
Alexey Nazarov was born in the Russian town of Arkhangelsk, the so-called Pomors Capital of the world. Since his childhood, he dreamed of being a sailor.
Ernesto Barria was born in Santiago, Chile, into a family with strong bonds to the sea: His father, grandfather, and several uncles all share a love of the ocean.
