Guests gaining rare insights into penguin's behaviour with a penguinologist

New Year Resolutions for 2026
Learn Something New on a Yacht



Educational Charters & Meaningful Skills for the new year

Starting the year by learning a new skill at sea brings a different kind of resolution to life. Rather than short-lived promises, these are experiences that build confidence, curiosity and a deeper understanding of the world.

A luxury yacht offers the access and conditions for purposeful travel, whether in Arctic waters, over tropical reefs or alongside remote communities. With learning embedded into the itinerary, it becomes part of the adventure.

Below, we’ve collated a selection of hands-on experiences that can be woven into a Pelorus journey, adding depth and meaning to time spent on the water.

Discover something new

Skills to learn at sea

This handpicked selection of ten skills is designed to deepen the way you experience a destination, shaped by the environments and people you encounter along the way. From technical and creative disciplines to cultural and environmental learning, each offers a more engaged way to spend time on the water.

Select a skill from the list to the right to view further detail below, including the experience itself, along with the destinations and yachts best suited to each resolution. >>>

Skills to learn at sea

This handpicked selection of ten skills is designed to deepen the way you experience a destination, shaped by the environments and people you encounter along the way. From technical and creative disciplines to cultural and environmental learning, each offers a more engaged way to spend time on the water.

Select a skill from the list to the right to view further detail below, including the experience itself, along with the destinations and yachts best suited to each resolution. >>>

Guests learning to navigate their journey onboard using the night sky

1 | Astrology & Celestial Navigation at sea

panama coffee beans

2 | Coffee Mastery in Panama

Guests learning to ice climb in the arctic with a specialist guide

3 | Learn the Basics of Ice Climbing on Glacier Walls

indigenous tribe in papa New Guinea

4 | Learn Everyday Tok Pisin While Travelling Through Papua New Guinea

Guests taking part in underwater photography with a professional guide

5 | Learn Underwater Photography or Painting at Sea

Guests taking the PADI Mermaid course to gain their qualification in Indonesia

6 | PADI Mermaid Course in Indonesia

Gain rare insights into how penguins behave with a penguinologist

7 | Penguin Monitoring & Citizen Science in Antarctica

Guests obtaining their submersible pilot license in Curaçao

8 | Submarine Piloting in Curaçao

Guests getting their dry suit diving qualification

9 | Dry-Suit Diving in the Arctic

Guests assisting with giant tortoise conservation during a Galápagos yacht charter

10 | Become a Giant Tortoise Carer in the Galápagos

Guests navigating their journey onboard using the night sky

1 | Astrology & Celestial Navigation at sea

Under dark, unpolluted skies, learn the fundamentals of celestial navigation alongside the cultural stories that have connected people to the stars for centuries. Guided by navigators and astronomers, guests explore constellations, navigation techniques and mythology from the deck of the yacht. Calm, contemplative and accessible to all ages, this experience builds perspective as much as skill.

Guests learning to ice climb in the arctic with a professional guide

2 | Learn the Basics of Ice Climbing on Glacier Walls

When conditions allow, your yacht can anchor near accessible glacier fronts, creating the opportunity to learn ice-climbing techniques in a controlled environment. Participants are introduced to ice tools, crampons and rope systems, with an emphasis on safety, movement and situational awareness rather than endurance. This provides a powerful introduction to glacial travel for adventurous families and adults alike.

Yachts to charter for ice climing

CAPTAIN ARCTIC
From 590,000 EUR • 70M • 36 Guests
POLARFRONT
From 175,000 EUR • 55M • 12 Guests
POLARXPLORER
From 75,600 EUR • 42.2M • 12 Guests
AQUA LARES
From 246,905 USD • 50M • 20 Guests
VIKINGFJORD
From 182,000 EUR • 41.8M • 10 Guests
luxury yacht images

3 | Coffee Mastery in Panama

This immersive Panama yacht charter experience delves into one of the country’s most prized exports: its world-class coffee. The focus is on Panama’s celebrated Geisha beans, among the most expensive coffee varieties globally due to their rarity, high-altitude growing conditions and remarkably complex flavour profile, often marked by jasmine, citrus and stone fruit notes.

From private visits to mountain estates ashore to expertly guided tastings on board, the experience explores how terroir, processing methods and roast levels influence aroma, body and finish. Structured cupping sessions elevate coffee tasting into a sensory discipline rather than a routine ritual, creating a refined yet accessible journey that resonates across generations.

Coffee tasting on board a yacht during a Panama expedition charter
Coffee tasting on board a yacht during a Panama expedition charter
Coffee tasting on board a yacht during a Panama expedition charter
Guests learning everyday Tok Pisin while visiting coastal communities in Papua New Guinea

4 | Learn Everyday Tok Pisin While Travelling Through Papua New Guinea

This Papua New Guinea yacht charter offers guests the rare opportunity to pick up everyday Tok Pisin while travelling between remote islands and river mouths. With the guidance of a local cultural expert on board, guests learn simple, practical phrases, greetings, expressions of thanks and conversational basics, that immediately change the tone of interactions when visiting communities ashore.

Understanding Tok Pisin provides insight into how language reflects local identity and history, turning brief encounters into more respectful, human exchanges. It’s a small but powerful skill that leaves a lasting impression and is particularly engaging for children learning about culture through lived experience rather than observation alone.

5 | Create Art at Anchor and Photograph Below the Surface 

Choose this as your New Year’s resolution if you want to engage more deeply with the places you travel through. Painting and photography slow the journey down, encouraging you to observe light, colour and movement, and to really feel present rather than passing through.

Underwater photography while snorkelling or diving offers a new way of seeing the ocean, while guided painting or sketching on board allows guests to interpret the seascape at their own pace. Professional photographers can also join the charter, offering expert tuition and insight, with the emphasis firmly on creative awareness rather than technical perfection.

This experience is particularly well suited to families, giving children and adults a shared way to respond to their surroundings. In Indonesia, it can also include a private weaving session with local artisans, adding a cultural dimension to creative learning. The result is a New Year’s resolution that changes how you look at the world, not just where you go.

Guests learning to paint landscapes ashore
Guests undertaking an underwater photography course with a professional instructor
Guests learning traditional ikat sewing in Indonesia from the local community

6 | PADI Mermaid Course in Indonesia

In the warm, sheltered waters of Indonesia, a PADI Mermaid course can be completed directly from the yacht. Led by certified instructors, participants learn breath control, fluid movement and safety techniques while exploring coral reefs. Particularly popular with families and teens, this experience blends confidence-building with a strong connection to the ocean.

Indonesian yachts for the PADI mermaid experience

SEQUOIA
From 77,000 USD • 30.5M • 6 Guests
A large sailing ship with two prominent sails glides through calm blue waters, surrounded by a smaller boat nearby. The ship features a wooden deck and a variety of seating areas.
CELESTIA
From 94,500 USD • 45M • 10 Guests
LAMIMA
From 182,000 USD • 65.2M • 14 Guests
KUDANIL EXPLORER
From 175,000 USD • 50M • 16 Guests
VELA
From 100,000 USD • 50M • 14 Guests
Guests gaining rare insights into penguin behaviour with a penguinologist

7 | Penguin Monitoring & Citizen Science in Antarctica

While exploring Antarctica by expedition yacht, guests can contribute to supervised penguin monitoring and citizen science programmes supported and delivered by the Pelorus Foundation, working alongside polar specialists and research partners. Activities may include population observation, habitat recording and behavioural tracking, all conducted under strict environmental guidelines (IAATO guidelines). This experience provides rare, first-hand insight into polar ecosystems and is intellectually rigorous as well as deeply memorable.

Guests gaining rare insights into penguin behaviour with a penguinologist
Guests gaining rare insights into penguin behaviour with a penguinologist
Guests gaining rare insights into penguin behaviour with a penguinologist


“We’re not counting penguins just to collect numbers. Each observation helps us understand how these populations are coping with a changing environment over time. When guests learn what to look for and how to record it properly, their time ashore becomes genuinely useful, contributing to ongoing research rather than simply observing from the sidelines.”

Cordelia Cooper

Guests obtaining their submersible pilot license in Curaçao

8 | Submarine Piloting

Some Pelorus yachts carry private submersibles. Under expert supervision, guests learn the fundamentals of submarine operation, including buoyancy control, descent, ascent and basic manoeuvres along shallow walls. Technical yet accessible, this experience appeals to those fascinated by marine science and underwater exploration.

Training covers buoyancy control, controlled descent and ascent, spatial awareness and basic manoeuvring along underwater formations.

From polar fjords and deep temperate seas to remote tropical drop-offs, this technically engaging experience offers rare access to the underwater world and appeals to those drawn to marine science, exploration and precision-led learning.

Which Submersible will you Pilot?



A submersible equipped with bright lights navigates through dark ocean waters, revealing its round cabin and propellers.
Deepsee Discover More
Super Yacht Sub 3 Discover More
A submersible explores a submerged structure covered in vibrant red coral, with the ocean's blue depths in the background.
C-Explorer 3 Discover More
Guests getting their dry suit diving qualification

9 | Dry-Suit Diving in the Arctic

Dry-suit diving is an advanced cold-water diving skill set, building on existing open-water scuba experience rather than replacing it. During an Arctic yacht expedition, certified divers can be introduced to dry-suit diving under the supervision of instructors who specialise in dry-suit diving. Instruction covers suit configuration, inflation and exhaust valve control, buoyancy compensation, trim and weighting, gas management, and cold-water emergency procedures.

Diving takes place in sheltered Arctic sites accessed directly from the yacht, allowing divers to practise controlled descents, neutral buoyancy, finning techniques and ascent management before progressing to dives near ice formations and cold-water ecosystems. The focus is on skill acquisition, thermal management and situational awareness, positioning dry-suit diving as a serious technical progression rather than a novelty experience.

Guests assisting with giant tortoise conservation during a Galápagos yacht charter

10 - Become a Giant Tortoise Carer in the Galápagos

While cruising the Galápagos by yacht, families can take part in guided conservation activities centred on giant tortoises. Working alongside local conservationists, participants gain insight into breeding programmes, habitat protection and the day-to-day care involved in safeguarding these iconic species. This hands-on involvement is particularly impactful for children, introducing concepts of environmental stewardship and long-term responsibility in a meaningful, real-world context.

2026 New Year Resolutions: Frequently Asked Questions

For 2026, travellers are prioritising experiences that add depth rather than indulgence alone. Learning a new skill, engaging with conservation projects, and travelling with purpose are increasingly replacing traditional “relaxation-only” resolutions.

Yes. Educational travel continues to grow as travellers look for experiences that combine access, expertise and relevance. Yacht-based journeys allow learning to happen in situ, guided by specialists rather than structured programmes.

Yes. Multi-generational learning is one of the strongest drivers of meaningful travel. Experiences can be adapted for children, teens and adults, allowing families to share learning rather than separate activities.

Complex journeys involving specialist access, expedition yachts or conservation partnerships require long lead times. Planning in advance ensures availability, seasonal alignment and the right expertise on board.

Start the Year With a Journey That Teaches You Something New

Design a yacht journey that goes beyond escape, where learning, discovery and purpose are built into every mile. Speak with Pelorus to shape an experience that turns your next resolution into something genuinely lasting.


Discover something new