Sailing adventures on a Hallberg Rassy 40 in higher latitudes
Prepared for the Arctic, I received intensive training from the National Rifle Association on weapons handling and shooting under duress for Polar Bear defense. The necessity of shooting within 25 meters underscores the urgency of remaining vigilant in the Arctic’s challenging conditions, with hopes that such training is never needed.
13th May 2023 So today we had to open and close a lot of manual locks. It was hard work to be crew running back and forth to open and close the locks, but also …
Our shopping strategy may lack organization, often forgetting basic items like eggs. Fearing a banana shortage, we ended up with an excess and decided on a banana cake during our first day sailing without Ilse. While Steve steered, Sarah, the better cook, baked below deck, enjoying the benefits of having an activity, warmth, and delicious cake on a chilly Norwegian day.
Embarking in May 2023, our voyage spans 5000NM, navigating from the West Coast of Scotland to destinations like Fair Isle, Shetland, Norway (Lofoten Islands included). We’ll spend 4 weeks in Svalbard, reaching 80 Degrees North, with a return route via Jan Mayen, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands. Afterward, we intend to continue south, venturing across the Atlantic toward Brazil or the Caribbean for sun-soaked adventures.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2023! Exciting plans ahead as I return to Svalbard, sailing Snow Bear from Scotland via the spectacular Norwegian Coast. If you’re interested in joining as crew or a buddy boat, get in touch. Cheers to a year of adventure!
In December, focused on essential upgrades for Snow Bear. Top four include boosting heating to 5.5KW with Thermoconnect for remote monitoring, enhancing comfort with a new cockpit enclosure from Rossy, ensuring safety with emergency 4700GPH bilge pumps, and optimizing storage through organizational additions, like baskets in the engine room. Comprehensive equipment inventory done.
Snow Bear’s 2022 logbook is now being automated and digitized with the Ships Logbook for Captains app, using NMEA data on the boat’s Wi-Fi network. Despite occasional technical glitches, the app records position, status updates, and various entries efficiently. The log can be backed up, and exports to CSV and PDF formats are available.
In the summer of 2022, we sailed from Gosport in Portsmouth Harbour to Scotland, where Snow Bear has a new home in Tighnabruaich on the Kyles of Bute. Covering over 1200 nautical miles, our journey included visits to remote islands like the Isles of Scilly, Lundy, Skomer, Isle of Man, Ireland, Rathlin, Sanda, Arran, Bute, and Jura. We also transited Scotland’s scenic Crinan Canal.