We stayed in Tromsø Wednesday for minor repairs. During the last three centuries many expeditions have been made into the Arctic – and most have made their final preparations in Tromsø. In other words, many have set a northward course before us. We remember them and know their stories.

Having a Frenchman on board, we were inspired to find a monument close to the docks. It was raised by the French newspaper Le Temps to honour the Norwegians and French crew who disappeared with a Latham plane up in the Arctic ice in 1928, on a rescue operation searching for the Italian explorer Umberto Nobile. Among those who perished was the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and the French pilot René Guildbaud.

Around midnight we parted Tromsø.

Vincent and Thorleif by the now almost forgotten monument.