When we started our journey aboard LEA in Svolvær, we thought we knew what the next five weeks would look like. Our route would first take us through the Lofoten Islands before heading north towards Jan Mayen and Greenland. Nine people, one boat, very limited space and eventually almost complete isolation from the outside world. Part of PROJECT 68°N was always meant to be a social experiment: what happens when nine people live together in 60 square metres for weeks, far away from everyday life, with nowhere to simply walk away?

When you prepare an expedition for nine people and five weeks in some of the most remote parts of the North Atlantic, food becomes a mission of its own. For months, Andrea, Martin and I had been working on our food plan, calculating quantities, planning meals and trying to figure out how much nine hungry people would actually eat while sailing to Jan Mayen, East Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands.

After we had to cancel our sailing trip to Greenland and settle for cruising the beautiful Norwegian fjords instead, everyone keeps telling us things like: "What's wrong with sailing a yacht in the Norwegian fjords?" or "There are worse things in life than spending three weeks in Norway."

We were ready for takeoff.

Hey everyone! Another busy day of getting the boat ready is behind us. Today was all about sorting out our massive mountain of supplies, doing some fine-tuning, and making sure we are safe out there. When you are heading out to the open sea, every little detail counts!

It is almost 2:00 am. The boat is quiet. Everyone is asleep. My day, however, is still not over.

In a few weeks, I'll step aboard a 60-square-meter steel sailboat with nine others and head north. For five weeks, there will be no ports, no resupply, and, for long stretches, no connection to the outside world. Just the North Atlantic, ice, fog, and the quiet rhythm of wind and sea.

In just 11 days our Arctic Sailing Expedition starts. Our route will take us from Lofoten to Jan Mayen, East Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands.

Like you just leave. Head north. Do something different. Something outside the norm.And yes, that’s part of it. That’s exactly why I do this. I don’t want predefined paths. I don’t want standardized experiences. I want the edges. The places where things are not scripted.

So how I get to these maps is actually a big part of the whole story. Because when you do expeditions, you learn pretty quickly that maps are not automatically reliable just because they exist. Especially in a place like Greenland, where a lot of the chart material is simply old and not really up to date.

My name is Saeny and I’m joining Project 68° North as photographer, filmmaker and crew member. This will be my third voyage with Skipper Andy and I’m looking forward to heading north together once again.