The Rothbergs interacted with nature throughout the cruise, either swimming under or climbing a waterfall, or hiking a glacier.there are so many things to discover.”
¶ Discover is the perfect word too. Roth-
berg says that, for him, “part of seeing the
world is going to the ends of the Earth.”
So he did. Gene Machine cruised as far
north as 81°44’ this past summer, putting
the yacht within 540 nautical miles of
the North Pole. And the experience was
incredible, Rothberg says. Beyond the
polar bears and whales, the family’s Arctic
encounter included fi shing; hiking and
climbing glaciers; seeing waterfalls spill
off those glaciers; and, amazingly, getting
wet. ¶ “We had guides who have been in
the Arctic, and the one thing they’d never
seen was people get in the water every
day,” Rothberg says. The water can get as
cold as 28.5 degrees Fahrenheit, but from
Jet Skiing to paddleboarding to kayaking
through the pack ice, the family wasn’t
afraid to take the plunge. “We got drysuits
and we were determined,” Rothberg says.
¶ While Svalbard was the “ends of the
Earth” feat of the summer, Gene Machine
visited 10 countries overall, cruising 9,000
nautical miles in 71 days. The yacht started
in Monaco, and destinations included
Ibiza, Portugal and Denmark. London
rolled out the red carpet, opening the
Tower Bridge so Gene Machine could
cruise through like a queen. And Norway
in particular held some rare, rich experi-
ences. ¶ “We also do history,” Rothberg
says, explaining that Gene Machine is a
fl oating school for his kids. “We searched
for the last German submarine to be sunk
before the end of the war.” They found
it — quite the fi eld trip — and the kidsCURRENTS NAUTICAL LIFEtop: david honeybun, bottom: dr. jonathan rothberg62YACHTINGFE BRUA RY2 01 8