UKC

Hi all,

This June we set sail from Scotland to the Lofoten Isles and the Tysfjorden area of Arctic Norway. This will be a week long voyage of over 800 nautical miles that takes us off the continental shelf and up, through the Norwegian sea, into the Arctic circle.
Once there we will climb several of the classic rock climbs in Lofoten, and explore the islands by sail. Following this we will sail across Vestfjorden to the more remote Tysfjorden to explore this extremely beautiful wild fjord and climb the impressive mountains that surround it. Particularly have an eye on Eidetind, Kuglhornet and Stetind.
We will then sail back to the UK in July.
Our transport and accommodation will be Curlew, a 34ft Kelsall designed cruising catamaran, owned by myself and well fitted out for self sufficient cruising.
Currently have a good crew of 3 and are looking for 1 or 2 more. Climbing will probably be nothing much above E1, unless you wanna lead us up something harder. As far as the sailing goes, you don't need to have experience but if you do it's a definite bonus. Other than that basically seeking easy going adventurous people and if you can play an instrument bring that along too!

Ben

In reply to Curlew Sailor:

1: is this a serious offer?
2: where do I sign up
3: how much will it cost?

In reply to Curlew Sailor:

I sometimes wished I did not have a family. Sounds awesome. Enjoy!

In reply to Curlew Sailor:

Incredible offer. Wish I could come!

In reply to Curlew Sailor:

I'm busy that month. Can you make it September instead, and are you prepared to pay for my time?

Cheers.

In reply to Curlew Sailor:

June and July just opened up in my schedule. Have never sailed, would love to explore that, oh and I'm a fantanstic cook!
(And only 5ft7 so wouldn't take up much space at all)

In reply to Curlew Sailor:

Finishing uni this year so I've got time on my hands and this looks amazing, I've sent you a PM.

In reply to Curlew Sailor:

This sounds like a great adventure. Very keen! Modest sailing experience in small yachts around 21 foot. Lots of psych and good cooking skills too. But most of all, always up for some fun adventure times.

In reply to Curlew Sailor:

Have PM'd you

In reply to matt pigden:

1: Yes!
2: PM me some info about yourself
3: Basically shared cost for fuel, harbour dues, any clearing in fees, food etc. Let me try and work that out better and get back to you

In reply to Clauso:

Darren, September is a bad time to be in the Arctic, more storms and long darkness hours. Also, I'm afraid I can't afford to pay for your time. Think of it more like a holiday than a job, no point coming if you're not gonna enjoy it. As a general rule, if you wanna go sailing on a liveaboard boat be prepared to share costs. Liveaboard yachties are basically like climbing bums, just getting out there for adventure and probably on a serious budget. If you want a paid position on a boat you will need to have masses of experience and something special to offer, or you can polish chrome on superyachts. If you want to get paid to go climbing then good luck to you (if you work out how then please let me know!)

Cheers
Ben

In reply to Curlew Sailor:
If you're interested please PM me with a bit info about yourself, I'm receiving a lot of interest though so please be patient expecting a reply. Quite amazed at the response actually, cheers!

In reply to Curlew Sailor:

Amazed at the response? That's because this is the single best idea anyone's ever had

In reply to Curlew Sailor:

Having climbed in all of the places you mention, and sailed a bit in Norway, it sounds like a great plan. Good luck in getting up there in a week from Scotland though... But one tip, put your cat here for a couple of days, Straumnhamn 68°06'24.8"N 15°22'11.1"E. I have not been there, only seen it from above, it looks like a paradise and you can climb Hamarøyskaftet from there - an easy scramble with a few short VS pitches http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamar%C3%B8yskaftet The route is in the Narvik area guidebook you probably have. September is not so bad up there. My price for this tip is that you put a photo of the bay on UKC.

I'll be sailing/skiing there in April and again in July heading to Spitzbergen.

Thanks for all the responses, have a friend coming on board so all sorted.

Dave: Thanks for the tip!

In reply to Curlew Sailor:

ah, this makes me sad! Well, best of luck with your trip. Hope it's a success.

In reply to Curlew Sailor:

Sailing and climbing, fantastic...hope to see some images/vid from this trip, may the weather gods be kind to ya.