The ‘Explorers Club’ Society honors the Spanish monarchy for the feat of the First Circumnavigation of the Globe in its 5th Centenary.

Last March 16th during its 115th annual dinner, the ‘Explorers Club’ Society of New York officially announced that during its annual celebrations in 2020 they will pay homage to the Spanish monarchy for its role in the First Circumnavigation of the Globe and its contribution to the history of world exploration, completed by Juan Sebastián de Elcano almost five hundred years ago. For this tribute, representatives from the ‘Explorers Club’ will hand the ensign of the Society to the Spanish Navy so that it may fly on a flag post of the training ship ‘Juan Sebastian de Elcano’ during her next voyage around the world. The Club plans to deliver the flag with the number 1519 commemorating this feat. Flying the Club's ensign is an honor and a privilege granted on certain occasions since 1918. Today, there are only 202 numbered banners, each one of them with its own history.

On this occasion, the main achievement celebrated was the ‘Apollo’ mission that brought man to the moon 50 years ago. As for the announcement of the following tribute, the presentation was carried out by the president of the organization, Richard Wiese, explorer, newscaster and executive TV producer accompanied by its honorary President, the Swiss citizen Bertrand Picard, the first person to complete a non-stop flight in a balloon around the world. On behalf of the Spanish Navy, Admiral José Luis Urcelay, Deputy Chief of Staff took the floor along with the Spanish explorer Kitin Muñoz.

Admiral Urcelay stressed that ‘every sailor has an explorer in his soul’. After the speeches and the comparison between the ‘Apollo’ mission 50 years ago and the voyage around the world 500 years ago, the Admiral thanked the selection of the year 2020 to recognize the contribution of the Spanish crown to the history of world exploration and presented a replica of the ship ‘Victoria’ to the Club.

During the announcement a video was projected with images of the protagonist ships, the ‘Victoria’ and the training ship of the Spanish Navy, ‘Juan Sebastián de Elcano’ that will carry the Club’s ensign during the next training voyage around the world.

About the ‘Explorers Club’

The ‘Explorers Club’ is a New York-based organization dedicated to promoting research in the field of exploration, supporting scientists from around the world in different fields including nature or biological sciences. Members of the Club have been responsible for the most significant achievements in travel history: they were the first to reach the North Pole, the South Pole, first to climb Mount Everest, first to reach the deepest ocean trench, first to reach the moon. And as of now… the first to travel around the world.

The club devotes its famed annual dinners to honor the most notorious exploration achievements carried out in the previous year, as well as to honor ancient feats in the year of their commemoration.