Arctic Sailing to Norway - 5 weeks of winter sailing
May 3, 2026 · 1h 52m · 824 views · Roscoff
What this video covers
A crew of six aboard Lifesong, a 68-foot aluminum Garcia ketch built in 1997, departs Roscoff, France, bound for Bodø, Norway, at 67°N — a five-week winter delivery split between two rotating crews under Arctic-experienced skipper Benoît.0:31 The route runs through the English Channel, the Irish Sea, around Scotland, and across the North Sea before threading Norwegian fjords north of the Arctic Circle.0:50 Passage timing centers on threading gaps between Atlantic depressions; the crew waits in Stornoway, Scotland, for a weather window, then crosses the North Sea in deteriorating conditions, reaching 40 knots apparent wind and dropping the mainsail to storm jib alone before sheltering in Svandøy.34:41 The second leg, with a fresh crew joining at Florø, pushes north through the Norwegian fjords — navigating under low bridges, managing frozen lines and snow-covered decks, and sheltering for three days in Koksvoll anchorage ahead of a forecast 50–60-knot storm with 7–8-metre seas.58:25 Temperatures drop to a wind-chill of –18°C.1:25:19 Lifesong is the former boat of the previous owner of the narrator's own Baltic Yachts 51, Vénus, giving the delivery a personal backstory.1:27
Boats in this video
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