South Georgia expert and guide Ashley Perrin marries at Grytviken whaling church

Taking leave of absence for a morning while working as South Georgia guide and expedition staff onboard One Ocean’s Vavilov, Ashley Perrin of Antarctic Ice Pilot and Merfyn Owen were married on 3rd February at Grytviken in the Norwegian Whalers Church. Ashley is a South Georgia expert, having lived there as boating officer at nearby King Edward Point in 2010 and 2011 and before that was the first woman boating officer to work in Antarctica for the British Antarctic Survey in 2009.

Merf, now a yacht designer and naval architect, ‘visited’ the island during the Falklands War made Ashley's bouquet out of an out of date Elephant Island and Antarctic Peninsula chart so there were no biosecurity issues. The couple wore white and black Musto sailing gear at the alter and one of the readings at the church was read by the ex-deputy director of BAS John Dudeney PM OBE, rather appropriately it was; The Sleeping Bag by Herbert Ponting.