Erik Vonk, owner of <em>Scintilla Maris</em> happily welcomes Dr. Paige Maroni and Tim Macdonald in Akureyri, Iceland

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Erik Vonk, owner of Scintilla Maris happily welcomes Dr. Paige Maroni and Tim Macdonald in Akureyri, Iceland

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Owner’s logbook: A live, first-hand diary from Scintilla Maris’ Icelandic research voyage

18 August 2025 • Written by Holly Margerrison, Dr. Paige Maroni, and Erik Vonk

About the expedition

Superyacht owner Erik Vonk has opened his yacht Scintilla Maris to Dr. Paige Maroni and Tim Macdonald for a week-long scientific expedition along Iceland’s wild East Coast in partnership with Yachts for Science – the initiative connecting yacht owners with ocean researchers. Read Vonk's daily updates from life on board below, offering a rare glimpse into how luxury yachting can help power real marine discoveries...

Credit: Damen Maaskant

Cool facts about Scintilla Maris

Key specs:

Length: 45.7m
Builder: Damen Maaskant
Delivered: 1989
Conversion: Completed from a fishing trawler into an explorer yacht in September 2023
Yacht for sale price: Listed with Burgess, asking €18,950,000
Yacht available for charter: Yacht for rent with Burgess, from $175,000 per week

BOAT International stepped on board Scintilla Maris in February 2024 to learn more about the conversion of the working boat into the comfort of an expedition yacht...

Day 1: Embarkation day!

Thrilled to welcome Dr. Paige Maroni and Tim Macdonald on board of Scintilla Maris in Akureyri, Iceland. We are hosting Paige and Tim to do ocean research work under the auspices of Yachts for Science, as part of a broad effort to establish biodiversity baselines in hereto unexplored Arctic areas.

Credit: Tim Macdonald

Erik Vonk, owner of Scintilla Maris happily welcomes Dr. Paige Maroni and Tim Macdonald in Akureyri, Iceland

Credit: Tim Macdonald

Vast regions of our oceans remain unexplored, while the availability of research vessels is limited. Through Yachts for Science we now have an opportunity to use Scintilla Maris as a platform for very important marine research. We are departing tomorrow! Stay tuned for daily updates!

– Erik Vonk