Picture of navigator Tamara Klink sitting on her boat on the sea and smiling, the boat has the UNESCO Green Citizens logo on the side

Story

Tamara Klink: The young navigator breaking boundaries and travelling solo to the Arctic

In June, this UNESCO Green Citizens pathfinder set sail to the arctic solo to live there for 9 months. Her aim? To go as far as she can using as little as possible.

In 2021, became the youngest Brazilian to cross the Atlantic solo. Setting off from France in a 26-foot-long sailboat bought for the price of a bicycle, 3 months and 7000 miles later, she arrived in Brazil. Tamara has been travelling with her family since she was a child, but had always dreamed of “navigating with herself”. This astounding journey allowed her to reconnect to nature and act as an inspiration for navigators around the world.  

The young sailor and writer is now confronting her next challenge, embarking on the first overwintering project to be undertaken by a woman in complete autonomy. In mid-June, she departed from the west coast of France, to set sail for 2 months and 3000 miles until she reaches Greenland, where she will spend 9 months living self-sufficiently in the frozen sea.

Picture of navigator Tamara Klink sitting on her boat on the sea and smiling, the boat has the UNESCO Green Citizens logo on the side
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Picture of navigator Tamara Klink looking at the camera, standing in front of a wall with a round boat window
All rights reserved

Breaking glass ceilings

How did she prepare for overwintering in the Arctic? This isolated journey with limited resources will challenge Tamara’s self-discipline and resilience to the extreme. As such, she spent the preceding months planning her route, equipping her boat, trying recipes, making authorization requests and giving talks. This pathfinder has the UNESCO Green Citizens logo on her boat, “Sardinha 2”, to shine the torch for citizen-led action for the planet on her journey. However, she also mentally prepared for complete solitude from society, from time, from people... In order to reach her objective: To go far with a little and re-connect with the essential. For Tamara, this is the question of our time and the challenge of the future. 

Want to learn about Tamara’s story?  

The UNESCO Green Citizens initiative spoke to her to find out more. Watch the video below!

Find out more about UNESCO Green Citizens