Rembrandt van Rijn

Scroll to content

Class of Ship

Boutique Expedition Sailing Yacht

Sustainability

Low Impact, Sailing Vessel

Berths

Zodiacs

Ice Class

Reinforced bow for Arctic waters

Class of Ship

Boutique Expedition Sailing Yacht

Sustainability

Low Impact, Sailing Vessel

Berths

Zodiacs

Ice Class

Reinforced bow for Arctic waters

Rembrandt van Rijn is a characterful three-masted schooner operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, offering one of the most intimate and traditional ways to explore the Arctic. Carrying just 33 guests, the 49.5-metre vessel combines the atmosphere of a working sailing ship with the practical equipment needed for expedition cruising, using her sails whenever conditions allow and carrying Zodiacs for shore landings and wildlife exploration. Life aboard is informal and relatively simple rather than luxurious, with comfortable cabin accommodation, shared dining and close interaction with the expedition team and crew. Her small size and unhurried style are particularly well suited to exploring the fjords, islands, and remote coastlines of Svalbard and Greenland, making Rembrandt van Rijn an appealing choice for travellers seeking a more adventurous, personal, and genuinely small-scale Arctic expedition.

Oceanwide - © Dr. Peter Hünseler

Rembrandt van Rijn has a long, unusual history that predates its current role as an Arctic expedition vessel. Oceanwide Expeditions records the ship as a herring lugger built in 1947, then extensively rebuilt in the Netherlands in 1994 into the three-masted passenger schooner seen today. She began a new life carrying travellers to remote destinations, sailing around Spitsbergen from 1994 to 1996 before moving to the Galápagos Islands between 1998 and 2001. The vessel subsequently underwent a major rebuilding and refurbishment programme, completed in 2011, which included renewing her navigation and communications equipment to modern SOLAS standards while retaining the traditional character of the sailing ship. She later returned to the Arctic and today operates for Oceanwide Expeditions, continuing a working life that has evolved from commercial vessel to one of the expedition cruise industry's most distinctive small sailing ships.

What makes Rembrandt van Rijn unique is that she offers a genuine sailing expedition rather than simply a small-ship cruise. As a three-masted schooner carrying only 33 guests, she can travel under sail whenever wind, weather and ice conditions allow, bringing a completely different atmosphere to Arctic exploration, with guests even able to help the crew with sailing under supervision. Her slower pace is part of the experience: compared with Oceanwide’s motor vessels, Rembrandt van Rijn covers shorter distances, often makes more frequent stops and follows a less rigid programme shaped partly by the conditions encountered along the way. Her small size is particularly suited to exploring fjords, islands and remote coastlines, while two Zodiacs provide access for landings and wildlife encounters. With just two expedition guides and close contact with the sailing crew, the experience is exceptionally personal and hands-on. It is this combination of traditional sailing, tiny guest numbers, flexibility and genuine expedition character that sets Rembrandt van Rijn apart from almost every other ship operating in the Arctic.