One Ocean Expedition 2025-2026 

A 12-month global voyage with the Norwegian tall ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl - a floating ambassador for the UN Ocean Decade. Combining sail training, ocean science, education and diplomacy to inspire action for a sustainable ocean. 

2025 - 2026

One Ocean Expedition

Statsraad Lehmkuhl arrived in Cádiz March 1, and will stay until March 5. 
Next port is Ponta Delgada on the Azores, arriving March 15.

Over the course of a year, the expedition will visit ports across three continents. Several legs are open to the public - no sailing experience needed! Welcome on board!

Sailing route

Docked in the port of Cádiz

Follow our journey

It is the middle of winter. Statsraad Lehmkuhl is crossing the Atlantic - and, as usual on the most demanding legs, cadets from the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy are on board.

Crossing the Atlantic with cadets on board

Statsraad Lehmkuhl visits Cádiz, March 1 - 5, 2026

Cádiz, Spain

The day before Statsraad Lehmkuhl docked in Norfolk, the crew experienced something unusual.

The sea is on fire!

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Following the success of the One Ocean Expedition 2021–2023, Statsraad Lehmkuhl is once again setting sail on a 12-month circumnavigation to promote ocean sustainability. The voyage will include 27 ports of call across three continents, combining ocean science, education and international cooperation to raise awareness about the crucial role of the ocean for a sustainable future.

On The One Ocean Expedition, Statsraad Lehmkuhl is filled with students, researchers and voyage crew who all work together to sail the big ship and gather experience and knowledge about the ocean.

Life on board

Tromsø, Norway

Bergen, Norway - Lerwick, UK

Reykjavik, Iceland

Nice, France 

Ponta Delgada, the Azores (Portugal)

Nuuk, Greenland

St. John's, Canada

Bermuda

Los Angeles, USA

Bermuda - Panama Canal 

Vancouver, Canada

Seattle, USA

San Francisco, USA

San Diego, USA

Ensenada, Mexico

La Paz, Mexico

Herradura, Costa Rica

Cartagena, Colombia

Herradura, Costa Rica - Panama Canal

Norfolk, USA

Brest, France 

Dublin, Ireland

Bergen, Norway

It is 20 February 2026. Statsraad Lehmkuhl is sailing southwest of the Azores. Right now, there is little wind, a bit too little for Captain Marc Seidl’s liking, but only a few days ago it was blowing hard.

– We stay clear of the strongest wind systems, where winds can reach hurricane force. But we try to catch the outer edges of them to get a good following wind, around gale force is nice, so we can sail as much as possible of the 3,500 nautical mile crossing, he explains.

It is not cold at the moment. Both the sea and the air are around 16–17°C. But the Atlantic in winter is unpredictable, and the next port, 

, is ten days away. A lot can still happen.

After Cádiz, the ship will head back out into the Atlantic, first to the Azores and then north to Brest, France, where she is scheduled to dock on 27 March.

On all these legs, cadets from the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy are on board. The timing is no coincidence. Testing themselves in the North Atlantic during winter is an important part of their education. 

You do not gain experience without experiencing things firsthand, and there are few better ways to gain self-knowledge than the cramped living and hard work on board a sailing ship.

, in mid-January and will remain on board for more than two months. Researchers and other participants sailing with the One Ocean Expedition usually stay only a few days to three or four weeks. Sailing with cadets as part of the crew is something special, Marc says.

– It’s great to have the cadets on board for such a long time and to see them develop from landlubbers into quite capable sailors.

– The cadets have their own programme to complete. This voyage is part of their bachelor’s degree, so they are busy with classes and also receive training in different military roles on board a ship.

Statsraad Lehmkuhl is currently under military command and sails with the naval ensign at the stern.

– The Naval Academy has appointed its own commanding officer responsible for the cadets, their training, and their programme ashore. But at all times, I as captain, together with the ordinary crew, have the overall responsibility for operations, safety on board, and logistics when we are in port, Marc explains.

Smart. Marc has done the math and counts this as his 29th Atlantic crossing on a sailing ship. His first was aboard his father’s vessel in 1974. 

You can read more about his childhood experiences at sea here.

It has been 25 years since the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy first sent its cadets aboard Statsraad Lehmkuhl. 

What began as an urgent solution has grown into a close and successful partnership.

– Not every class has been equally motivated. In the early years, it could sometimes be challenging to build an effective team spirit, he says.

– On one westbound voyage home from the United States, the wind suddenly picked up one evening and we urgently needed to take in the upper sails. When the civilian watch leader called down below deck for reinforcements, the reply came that they first had to finish watching an episode of The Simpsons! Thankfully, it’s not like that anymore. The cadets have become more skilled and more ambitious with every class.

Cádiz is located in southwestern Spain, close to the Strait of Gibraltar, the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. The city lies on what was once an island in the Bay of Cádiz. It is one of the world’s oldest port cities, founded around 1100 BCE.

The city was founded by the Phoenicians, a culture originating in present-day Lebanon that explored and traded throughout the Mediterranean and along the coasts of Spain and Portugal. They established independent city-states, and Cádiz, known to the Phoenicians as Gadir, was one of them.

Around 200 BCE, the Romans conquered the city and ruled it until about 400 CE, when the Goths drove them out. Much of the city was destroyed during this period. In the early 8th century, the Moors, Arabs from North Africa, invaded Spain and renamed the city Qādis. The Moors were gradually forced out of Spain from the 11th century onward and were driven out of Cádiz in 1262. The final Moorish stronghold, Granada, was not recaptured until 1492.

When the great European voyages of discovery began in the 15th century, Cádiz became one of Spain’s most important cities. Two of Christopher Columbus’s journeys started from here.

Because of its strategic location, Cádiz played a key role in many European conflicts and wars between the 16th and 19th centuries. In recent years, many of the city’s historic buildings and squares have been restored, and Cádiz is now a popular tourist destination. The sandy beach La Playa de la Caleta is especially known for its beautiful sunsets.

In addition to tourism, the maritime sector employs many people, through cruise and ferry traffic, fishing, and seafood processing. The city is also an administrative centre for the autonomous community of Andalusia.

In the 1980s, Cádiz had more than 150,000 inhabitants. Since then, the population has declined to around 115,000. One reason is the lack of jobs. Unemployment is among the highest in Spain, and many young people have moved away from the city.

The climate is typical of the Mediterranean region, with mild winters and warm summers. Cádiz is one of the sunniest cities in Spain. Because much of the city is surrounded by the sea, summer temperatures are generally less hot than elsewhere along the coast.

Average maximum temperature in March: 18.7 °C
Average precipitation in March: 12.4 mm

As Statsraad Lehmkuhl sailed north along the east coast of the United States toward Norfolk, smoke began to rise around the ship. The sea looked as if it were on fire, and on the horizon a strange vertical white line appeared.

Strong winds can make the sea foam, but this time only a breeze was blowing. Captain Jens Joachim Hiorth had an explanation for the smoke.

– The phenomenon is caused by cold air flowing over warm water from the Gulf Stream, creating sea smoke. When icy cold air passes over much warmer water, the ocean releases heat and moisture. The air cannot hold all the water vapor, which then condenses just above the sea surface. The result looks like smoke rising from the ocean, 

Hiorth wrote on the expedition’s Facebook page

Statsraad Lehmkuhl was sailing in the Gulf Stream when the sea began to steam. The image to the left, below, show how this warm ocean current winds its way from the Gulf of Mexico, where it originates, and north-eastward along the US coast. The image to the right show the air temperature and wind direction.

The sea temperature was 23°C, which is 5°C warmer than normal, while a strong outbreak of cold air from the north - shown in blue - lowered the air temperature to just 10°C.

But what about the white line? It was a waterspout - the gentler cousin of tornadoes. Like the smoking sea, the waterspout formed because of the temperature difference between the seawater and the air above.

The sea warms the air close to the surface, and since warm air is lighter than cold air, a pocket of air begins to rise through the colder air above. Winds higher up cause it to rotate and form a vortex. The white color is not because the waterspout is sucking up seawater. It appears white because the air pressure inside the vortex is so low that the air cannot retain the water vapor, which condenses into tiny droplets.

The white column is therefore a cloud of tiny freshwater droplets; only right at the sea surface is seawater whipped up.

Although waterspouts are not as dangerous as tornadoes, Captain Hiorth was wise to keep the ship well clear. They can easily damage the rigging. Wind speeds inside a waterspout can reach 30 meters per second; storm force.

Waterspouts are common along the southeastern coast of the United States in summer, but in winter they are rare, and a clear sign of just how cold the air was that flowed southward and out over the unusual warm ocean.