British Antarctic Territory to Hold Its First Same-sex Wedding

THE GUARDIAN: Eric Bourne and Stephen Carpenter, who work on RRS Sir David Attenborough, hope to tie the knot on Monday

Eric Bourne (right) and Stephen Carpenter will be married at the British Antarctic Survey’s Rothera research station. Photograph: Rich Turner/British Antarctic Survey/PA
Two polar research ship crew members are to become the first same-sex couple to get married in the British Antarctic Territory.

Eric Bourne and Stephen Carpenter hope to tie the knot on Monday, although it may be pushed back because of the weather.

Bourne and Carpenter have been together for 20 years. They work on the Royal Research Ship Sir David Attenborough, one of the most advanced polar research ships in the world and one which that came perilously and unforgettably close to being called RSS Boaty McBoatface.

The wedding will be performed by the boat’s captain, Will Whatley, at the British Antarctic Survey’s main research station at Rothera on Adelaide Island, a place shared with numerous Adélie penguins and Weddell seals.

The pair are experienced seafarers and have travelled the world together on a variety of ships. » | Mark Brown | Sunday, April 24, 2022