Børge Ousland

Departure from Kirkenes, we sail toward the Northeast Passage.

Here is their position as of 08.00 today – approaching the Murmansk Fjord. Everything is on schedule.

Midnight sun over Varanger.

Update 15.00:
Magnificent light from the midnight sun moved slowly across Varanger yesterday night. It was a beautiful farewell – it will be three months before we see Norway again.

We had a good northeasterly breeze, not too much waves, and sailed smoothly along Fiskerihalvøya to the entrance of Murmansk Fjord.

During the night we entered Russian territory. We have just now picked up our pilot and are on our way into Murmansk harbour. (Click the link to see our position on the map.)

Our pilot is onboard, ready to guide us into the sheltered waters of Murmansk, a strategic Russian port.

The last few days have been crazy – there were so many details to sort out! But we made it and I now feel confident that we have everything in good order. We really needed these days of final preparations here in Kirkenes, and even if we had a lot to do, we have had a great time.

People here are friendly and very helpful. Each day we had visitors that came just to wish us good luck, and that really warmed our hearts. We could get everything we needed here, from sewing needles to special tools needed for work the mast. (We changed the spreader, which was bent.) After our good friend Stig Tore generously lent us his car, we were more mobile and far efficient in many of our tasks. The Johansen family has been really helpful, opening their house to us and providing good assistance in too many ways to list. Here we reorganised and slept in comfortable beds ashore. It will be long until we see a proper bed again!

This morning we managed to fetch the last two missing parcel from the post office, faxed our pre-arrival notice to the authorities in Murmansk, picked up various and sundry, last-minute bits and pieces from various stores – and were finally ready to set off. At 13.00 we waved goodbye to Kirkenes, hoisted our sail and set an easterly course. Hopefully we will arrive in Murmansk tomorrow afternoon. Right now the weather is good: sunny and not too much winds. Strong winds are expected to hit the coast Friday night.

Our survival suits arrived yesterday, and we tested them in the fjord outside Kirkenes. They were comfortable, warm and flexible. These suits are designed for wearing while being able to do work; they also have thin feet so that we can wear our normal warm rubber boots.

As we leave Kirkenes, only Thorleif and I are left on board. Vincent headed back to France on Sunday. Later he will rejoin us in Point Barrow, the northernmost point of Alaska, for the last part of our expedition – the Northwestern Passage. It was great to have him on board for the journey up along the Norwegian coast. He did a good job and learned a lot. I think it’s good to have crewmembers of different age on this trip; it gives a different perspective.

When we put on our boots today, there was a can of beer for each of us in the boot! A most welcome surprise from Vincent. Our Russian friend and crewmember, Stanislav Kostyashin, will come on board in Murmansk, so this really is an international expedition.

Our next posting will be from Russia.

Best regards,
Børge

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PS We just posted a new video on YouTube showing our test of the winch system. (Or see below.)

Testing our survival suits – which finally arrived by Post the day before our departure.

The Johansen family and Thorleif.

Replacing the bent spreader in the mast.

Even the Mayor of Kirkenes honoured us with a visit!

Imagine our surprise when both Thorleif and I discovered a huge, cold lump in our boots this morning. It was a most welcome parting gift from Vincent. We’ll see him again in Point Barrow, Alaska – and then the pints are on us!

Thorleif, Vincent and I test the winch system that will allow them to pull their boat
onto land or ice. Hopefully the need will never arise – but it’s good to know we can
escape stormy weather or dangerous ice conditions if required. (Recorded 14 July)

Børge checks every bolt in the pontoons.

Attaching the life-raft onto the aft beam.

Winching our boat onto the beach.

Let me share a few more details from the last few days:

Thursday was an important day. As already mention in the blog, we tested our “escape system”, pulling the boat up onto the beach on low tide using the boat’s winches, Dynema rope and snatch blocks. This system was thought out carefully beforehand, and Torkel had made the stainless steel plate and bow rollers for the ropes. It worked exactly as planned! After some rigging (one of the snatch blocks broke due to too much force), we managed to pull the 2500-kilo boat onto dry land. This is the system we will use in an emergency if we need to pull the boat up onto the ice to escape dangerous situations.

Testing the large drag anchor.

We also tested the large, parachute-shaped drag anchor. This drag anchor is much bigger than the anchor we set from the stern, which is used merely to reduce speed. The large one stops the boat completely, and is set from the bow. We have rigged the ropes ready on each pontoon, so that it is easy to deploy the parachute. 120 metres of rope are needed for flexibility. Also this system worked as planned.

Yesterday (Friday) was a day devoted to logistics. Papers for entering Russian waters needed to be filled out – many pages – and we also needed medical certificiations for seamen.

Later that day I was invited by the local sports diving club to join them on one of their excursions. I used to work as a North Sea diver for the oil industry, and still practice freediving, so this was an opportunity I did not want to miss. In the clear, cold sub-Arctic waters I picked several large red king crabs (Paralithodes camtschaticus). Also called the Kamchatca crab, this species was introduced into the Barents Sea by the Russians – since then it has spread rapidly, like a pest. Every ten metres I could spot a new huge crab. They do, however, taste delicious, and dinner at the Johansen family was of course as much crab one could eat!

Joining members of Kirkenes Sports-Diving Club on an excursion.

Catch of the day – tasty red king crab. There’s plenty of them off the coast of Finnmark!

Today (Saturday) has been a day off. It was good to get off the relatively small boat and do something different. I went salmon fishing with Stig Tore, his wife Bodil and their two sons Mikkel and Mattis. Finnmark is great for all kinds of fishing, and some of the rivers are hidden pearls, known only to the locals. In one of these rivers we tented and fished throughout the night. Mattis, now 11 years old, caught his first salmon and later I got one too! Dinner from Mother Nature was secured for the second day in a row.

Mattis with his first salmon.

As you know, we are in Kirkenes, a town in the far northeastern reaches of Norway, making the final preparations for Northern Passage 2010. Preparation means fine-tuning equipment, checking every inch and every feature of our boat, and preparing ourselves. There is also paper work to be done: visas for entering Russia, health certificates for everyone, and a host of other documents.

Yesterday was a good day. We tested the large drag anchor, which is launched from the bow of the boat and almost stops it completely in the water. That can be used when we encounter extremely poor weather, or wish to stay stationary and catch some sleep.

Afterwards we pulled our trimaran up onto the shore. The system of ropes and pulleys that we had made worked perfectly, and made it easy to haul the boat up onto a sandy beach just outside Kirkenes. We should be able to use this method in the Arctic, to pull the boat onto the ice – and it’s a relief that it worked so well.

I’ll send you photographs later today.

Our largest drag anchor is designed to keep the boat almost stationary at sea.

We have settled in the cosy marina at Kirkenes.

Thorleif going over Russian sea charts.

Securing shackles is quite important.

We get visitors all the time – and they are very welcome on board.

Welcomed by the Johansens family, our friends and helpers in Kirkenes.

There are lots of small things to modify or fix before we continue.

Vincent learning the art of splicing.

You haven’t truly experienced Norway before you’ve seen Finnmark, our northernmost county. It has a stark beauty all its own – I’ve seen few places on this planet where scenery is as overwhelming.

From Honningsvåg we sailed to Gamvik, where we received the great reception that I told you about – with a huge Norwegian flag decorating the gangway. True to local tradition, Mayor Marius Nilsen spun the wheel to give us a lucky number for our journey. And the number is 52!

Our plan from there was to sail directly to Vardø, but fighting direct headwinds we decided to wait it out in Berlevåg, another fishing village on the coast. The advantage, of course, is that we got a chance to watch the World Cup Bronze match between Germany and Uruguay at the local Neptun Pub. We might as well enjoy pizza, beer and sporting events on giant screens while we still have the chance!

When the wind turned, we continued to Vardø. (See yesterday’s video.) During our brief stay we were given a tour of Vardø Radio Station. The weather was with us when we left, and the following wind pushed us along at 8–10 knots. We used the opportunity to test our drag anchor. It behaves like an underwater “parachute”, which slows us down and makes it easier to control our boat in poor weather conditions. It worked well.

Soon we are starting on a more challenging part of our expedition. You might say that the journey up the Norwegian coast has merely been a comfortable preamble to the real adventure. On 21 July we sail for Murmansk and continue toward the Northeast Passage.

We’re now in Kirkenes, taking the opportunity to fine-tune our equipment and bring new supplies on board. Our journey from Oslo to Kirkenes, which took a fortnight, was a very useful, further test of our boat, our skills and routines. Thorough preparations are essential for such a demanding expedition – and we’re putting our days in Kirkenes to very good use.

We’ll tell you more about that soon.

The drag anchor works like an underwater parachute.

At Slettnes lighthouse.

Visiting Vardø Radio Station.

Midnight sun, sailing into Kirkenes.

We reached Kirkenes this evening.

Winds pick up outside Varanger.

After fighting a strong breeze dead-on, we decided to head to wait it out in Berlevåg. In the course of the night the wind is expected to turn, to our advantage. If the weather forecast is right, we’ll be leaving at around 3am.

In Honningsvåg we took time to mend a damaged sail.

…and then, of course, we take care to add the logos of the expedition’s sponsors.

We arrived in Gamvik this morning, after a quiet trip from Honningsvåg. The mayor and townspeople gave us a very friendly reception.

After lunch we proceeded to Vardø and Kirkenes. Here was our position at 16.40 well over halfway from Gamvik to Berlevåg. (You may need to zoom out on the map to see the nearby peninsulas.) We hope to reach Kirkenes tomorrow evening. Bad weather is expected to hit the coast of Finnmark County on Sunday night.

Marius Hauge, son of World War II hero Jens Christian Hauge, is a Gamvik patriot and the one who organised the reception for us.