The Sailing Vessel Barba

Supporting a Vital Marine Conservation Program with Clothing for Extreme Conditions

A community of ocean explorers, scientists, conservationists and communicators has teamed up with Henri-Lloyd as its official technical clothing partner. Led by Andreas B. Heide, twice nominated for the prestigious Shackleton Award, the Barba project advances the protection of the arctic through storytelling and scientific exploration.

Using the 37-foot sailing yacht Barba as its research and exploration platform, the crew head out from its base at Stavanger, Norway into the Arctic Circle to gather compelling evidence of the issues being faced both by marine mammals and the marine environment.

The Latest Marine Clothing Innovations for Ultimate Performance

To date, the team has sailed tens of thousands of miles in the North-Atlantic, to destinations such as Greenland, Jan Mayen and the pack ice of Svalbard. Weather conditions in the Arctic Circle can be extreme and Henri-Lloyd provides the crew with technical and protective clothing whilst on board and on shore.

Kit provided includes technical outerwear, crafted from Henri-Lloyd’s advanced Dri-Pro fabric, the pinnacle of waterproof, windproof and breathable fabric solutions for extreme conditions. As well as outerwear, the crew wear the mid-weight technical Polperro jacket. Ideal on its own or as a layering piece, the Polperro jacket is made from 100% recycled polyester face, with a synthetic fill made from recycled plastic bottles. In addition, the new Viking Smock is a particular favourite of team leader Andreas, with its high performance 3-layer waterproof fabric made from 100% recycled polyester. All crew benefit also from base layers from Henri-Lloyd’s range of merino wool tops and trousers for extra warmth.

“We chose Henri-Lloyd to become the project’s technical clothing partner because of the brand’s proven excellent performance and forward-looking approach to sustainability by using genuinely recycled materials and adopting new fabrics that eliminate the use of dangerous chemicals, such as perfluorocarbons (PFC) and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).”

- Andreas B. Heide

Henri-Lloyd’s new Dynamic range, launched to the trade in November 2024, is the first marine clothing range to be both 100% PFC on the durable water repellence (DWR) and PFAS free for the face fabric and internal membrane.

For more information on Barba’s next adventure, visit www.barba.no