In close quarters with a team of 12 friends, Mr Grubert spent two months aboard a sailing boat exploring the whaling history and natural beauty of Antarctica.

It is the second time Mr Grubert has travelled to the continent, after meshing together two passions - Antarctica and sailing.

"I've been sailing for 20 years but I had fallen in love with Antarctica from a young age," he said.

Mr Grubert said it was just awe at the sheer scale of Antarctica and its great frozen glaciers which initially captured his imagination.

However, he had since developed an interest in the continent's history, in particular its whaling past.

"There are a lot of old whaling stations on the Antarctic Peninsula, which is where we spent most of our time this time around," he said.

Places such as Deception Island have whaling infrastructure built on them, which is available for intrepid explorers to discover.

Mr Grubert said their itinerary had to be approved by the Australian Antarctic Division, so it wasn't exactly free rein to explore.

"But once it's approved then you have full scope to travel there."

The group travelled to Drake's Passage after setting sail from Usuaia Port in Argentina on January 3.

The passage is a notorious stretch of water and takes four days to traverse both ways.

However, thankfully, except for a few bad patches, the group emerged unscathed from their experience.

"The summer season is the best time to go, so we planned our trip around it," he said.

Temperatures during the trip were on average around about 10 degrees but it did get to minus-10 degrees on some nights.

Mr Grubert said the weather could change dramatically in the passage, which meant some vessels could get caught unawares.

"On the way home we had to motor for two days because it was just windless," he said.

"But, the weather can be treacherous there, the wind is very strong and can cause strong currents and big waves."

Crossing Drake's Passage was relatively easy this time, but there was a stretch where the boat had to find shelter from the wind.

"It was severe enough we had to find some shelter, there was very low visibility," he said.

Life aboard the sailboat was quite monotonous but Mr Grubert said the routine was familiar to him and could become relaxing.

"You take turns with watches and sailing, so you get periods where you're working on the boat and other times when you're just relaxing," he said.

"It becomes part of your routine, I quite enjoyed it."

Mr Grubert said Antarctica had always had a special place in his heart from when he was young and had always wanted to make the trip.

He had even tried gaining employment with the Australian Antarctic Division but had been unsuccessful.

"I have spent time in the Himalayas and the glaciers in Antarctica are just so much more majestic," he said.

"They pale in comparison, it's just the sheer scale of them."

He said while the weather could change in a heartbeat, this second trip the team had reasonably "good weather" for Antarctica.

"A lot of the time I was in shorts and t-shirts," he said.

Once the crew got past Drake's Passage, the weather cleared up considerably, with mirror-clear water and dazzling blue glaciers.

Mr Grubert said they saw a number of pods of whales, as well as penguins and seals.

"There were a number of times that we had to stop and turn the motor off because of pod of whales were going by," he said.

"There are strict regulations about not going near the wildlife and how close you can get so we'd have to stop the engine and wait for them."

"However, no-one has told the animals about the regulations, they were just as curious about us as we were about them."

He said whales and seals in particular would come flocking up to the boat or would be curious when they made land.

Despite coming back to Usuaia for a break halfway through the trip, Mr Grubert spent the majority of two months aboard the sailboat.

He said during the trip, they had "made land" at a few different spots in Antarctica such as Deception Island, Cape Perez and the Vernadsky Base to explore some of the infrastructure or trails. 

"We event made land for some of our friends to go skiing, while we waited with the boat," he said.

One highlight was Deception Island - an active volcano.

"You can sail right into the caldera of the volcano, it's still active but there are places where their are hot springs where you can access hot water to create a bath," he said.

"It's pretty surreal to have a bath surrounded by all this ice and glaciers."

Deception Island is also home to a whaling station and scientific station, which had at some point been covered by ash during an eruption of the volcano.

During the trip, the crew also spotted penguin colonies at Cuverville Island and Melchior Islands.

Mr Grubert said Antarctica was becoming a popular destination for sailors and other travellers.

"I reckon there would be about a dozen vessels taking off from Usuaia each season," he said.

Mr Grubert said as a science teacher Antarctica was one of those places that was always inspiring - for both teachers and students.

"It's not the easiest place to survive but you see all this wildlife who have had to adapt, there's even some greenery there."

"It's not as hostile as people think that it is, especially on the Antarctica Peninsula."

He said conservation of the area was important but believed it served an amazing opportunity for budding explorers.

"I can't believe that 100 years ago people pulled their wooden ships in here to explore it, and now they have left remnants for the next generation to find and explore."

Mr Grubert said he had plans to try and organise a student expedition in the near future.

"Kids who are interested in science or wilderness management, it's important for some of them to see it for themselves," he said.

"They have to see it if they want to understand why they should be preserving it.

"It would just be so awe-inspiring."

Mr Grubert did a satellite call back to some students for the Independent Primary School Heads of Australia leadership day at Launceston Church Grammar on March 8.

He returned to Tasmania on March 14 and is already planning to return to Antarctica.