Arendal - where the adventure begins

Everything needed for the journey is loaded on board, from provisions to paint and varnish. An old sailing ship needs continuous maintenance. The researchers and fellow sailors who will be on the first leg came on board on Thursday, and have been drilled in safety procedures and routines on board.

At 14 o'clock the mooring dropped, the next port is La Coruña in Spain, where the ship arrives on 28 August.

Arendal

Sørlandet is Norway's Riviera.

In the spring, the small towns along the southern coast come to life, and are filled with sun and tourists.

A sheltered harbour

Arendal is the unofficial capital of summer-Sørlandet. The town is a sheltered harbor, well protected by Hisøya and Tromøya. The heart of the city is the bay Pollen. Pollen is full of boats all summer, and around Pollen there are restaurants and small shops. Right here, the cityscape has not changed much the last decades.

Bundles of fishing nets

The local shrimp and crab fisherman still has his permanent place at the end of the bay. Outside a fish shop, 85 year old Roald Opland sits between bundles of fishing nets, as he has done for 33 years now.

Opland ties the nets where he sits, in the middle of his little shop.

- My wife used to sell fish cakes inside the shop, and I make nets here on the outside. This year I have made and sold more than 400 km of nets totally, says Opland.

He is originally from Lofoten in the northern part of the country, and ended up in Arendal after many years at sea.

Early 16th century

West of the city, the river Nidelva flows out, and it is the river together with the safe harbor that laid the foundation when the city came into being in the early 16th century. As then, trade is still an important industry.

Normal maximum temperature in August: 17 ℃
Normal precipitation in August: 100 mm

Next port: La Coruña, Spain