It is almost 2:00 am. The boat is quiet. Everyone is asleep. My day, however, is still not over.
As the expedition photographer and filmmaker, this is often when my second shift begins. Before going to bed, I back up every photo and video, organise today's footage and prepare a little content for social media.
Finally together
Our day started at 8:00 with a quick breakfast before everyone disappeared into their own tasks. Late in the morning, our final crew member, Niv, arrived from Israel. With everyone finally on board, the expedition suddenly felt very real.
Andrea and Andy had already spent all of Friday clearing out the boat and creating space for the weeks ahead. Today, Ema and the two Alexes focused on everything related to sailing, checking equipment, organising ropes and making sure the boat is ready for the North Atlantic.
Feeding nine people
While they worked on deck, Martin, Andrea and I spent more than three hours shopping for food.
Planning meals for nine people over five weeks is no small task. Around 580 eggs, 40 kilograms of pasta and 50 kilograms of potatoes are now stored somewhere on board. A huge thank you goes to Renate at the local Kiwi supermarket, who patiently helped us work through our very long shopping list.
We are also incredibly grateful to North Inspection (https://www.northinspection.no/) for providing us with a van for the days before we leave. It made transporting all the food and equipment so much easier. Thank you for your generous support.
A special moment
In the afternoon, Andy officially welcomed the crew.
For most people this marks the beginning of an expedition. For Andy, Martin and me, it means something more. Almost two years ago, we survived the viking ship accident that took Karla's life. This is the first expedition since then. We stood together for a minute of silence in her memory.
Karla will always be part of this crew. It was an emotional moment for me. There is still sadness, and I think there always will be, but above all I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Gratitude that I survived. Gratitude that I have found my way back to the sea. Standing on this boat today felt like closing one chapter and quietly opening another.
Expedition life
The day was far from over. Another shopping trip followed before we finally returned to the boat around 9.30 pm.
Dinner was meant to be fish with potato gratin. It became fish with mashed potatoes after the potatoes spent a little too long in the water. Improvisation is part of every expedition, and the meal turned out to be delicious.
Later, we had our first briefing, talked about the watch system and I gave each crew member a disposable camera and a notebook. More about that another time.
Around 11.30 pm, four of us drove across the island to visit a local music festival. By the time we arrived, it had just finished. The stage was quiet, the Arctic light was beautiful and I couldn't resist taking a few more photographs.
Now it is almost 2.00 am
People often ask me how I manage with so little sleep in the Arctic. The truth is that I simply don't need much here. The sun barely disappears below the horizon before it rises again. It never really gets dark.
Somehow, the day never really ends.
Saeny Blaser, Photographer & Filmmaker
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