In 2004, the year before we started the circumnavigation, we sailed up to Nina's parents in Jøkelfjorden (“jøkel” means glacier). Jøkelfjorden is above the arctic circle, and it was a long journey for a short season.
Nina hadn’t done much sailing before this trip. In fact, we had only sailed a long weekend to the south of Norway, when Nina got really seasick. Maybe a circumnavigation wasn’t for us.
We made it to Jøkelfjorden, but on our way south again, it was my turn to get sick. It was some kind of stomach virus, I even had a night in the Harstad hospital. But we had to hurry south, before the autumn gales would set in.
I was lying down below, feeling miserable, but Nina took charge of Bika and was learning fast.
Maybe it was a good thing, seen in retrospect. Sailing is not difficult; it’s more difficult to build confidence and trust. I remember when Nina called for help, we had dense fog and a force 6 wind, and she asked casually if I could help her with the lookout.
I was sitting in the cockpit, pale and quiet. But I think we both realized that the circumnavigation was for us. The dream got strengthened.
The picture is from Karlsøy, when the wind had died out and the fog almost lifted.
Nina hadn’t done much sailing before this trip. In fact, we had only sailed a long weekend to the south of Norway, when Nina got really seasick. Maybe a circumnavigation wasn’t for us.
We made it to Jøkelfjorden, but on our way south again, it was my turn to get sick. It was some kind of stomach virus, I even had a night in the Harstad hospital. But we had to hurry south, before the autumn gales would set in.
I was lying down below, feeling miserable, but Nina took charge of Bika and was learning fast.
Maybe it was a good thing, seen in retrospect. Sailing is not difficult; it’s more difficult to build confidence and trust. I remember when Nina called for help, we had dense fog and a force 6 wind, and she asked casually if I could help her with the lookout.
I was sitting in the cockpit, pale and quiet. But I think we both realized that the circumnavigation was for us. The dream got strengthened.
The picture is from Karlsøy, when the wind had died out and the fog almost lifted.
