History

The history of the Antinea Foundation began in early 2000 with the creation of 2 associations in Geneva, the Association Pacifique and the Association Antinea.

Antinea had as its objective to organise a global circumnavigation on board of a yacht which would serve as a platform for research and communication, in a quest to contribute to the protection of the marine environment. The sailing ship Antinea, a 17 meter sloop accomplished the first leg of the expedition, crossing the Atlantic from the Caribbean to Europe in 2005. The project quickly outgrew its humble beginnings with the realisation that the boat had become too small to fulfill Antinea’s new ambitions.

Meanwhile, in 2001, the Association Pacifique bought "Fleur de Passion", a 50 year-old abandoned 32 meter sailing boat. This boat was used by its previous owner in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic in the framework of socio-educational, navigation, diving and scientific projects. Since 2001, the Association Pacifique worked assiduously to completely restore "Fleur de Passion", preparing it to sail once again, starting in 2007.

Realising that the objectives of the two organisations were complementary,

Objectives

Understanding the marine environment, sharing a human adventure. A unique expedition to protect the oceans.
The oceans cover 70% of the surface of our planet and constitute one of our most diverse and important ecosystems. They act as a regulator for the planet’s climate and provide resources to a high proportion of the global population.

Despite its importance, the marine environment has experienced significant deterioration as a result of human activity and over-exploitation of its resources.

Scientific data on this extremely vast and varied environment is limited. Furthermore, the issue has been largely ignored on the global political agenda and the general public is not aware of the consequences that deterioration of the marine environment will have on our lives.

There is an urgent need to better understand and preserve this unique ecosystem.

The mission of the Antinea Foundation is to:

• contribute to a better scientific understanding of the marine environment
• raise public awareness on the importance of protecting it
• enable individuals to experience life at sea by participating in its projects