Journal
The Boreal Yachting Journal is a field publication written from the boats and the base in Tromsø: voyage accounts, structured reports from named expeditions, short crew notes, and reference articles on how the Arctic works. It is published by an AECO member that has sailed Northern Norway and Svalbard since 2003.
The Journal is not a marketing blog. It is a field publication. The point is to be the most useful and best-informed source on Arctic sailing in this region.
Arctic knowledge
A Svalbard sailing expedition runs from Longyearbyen between June and September, when the fjords are largely ice-free and the sun does not set until late August. Voyages of one to two weeks reach tidewater glaciers, walrus haul-outs and bird cliffs, under Sysselmesteren regulations and AECO guidelines.
Arctic knowledge
Northern lights sailing means using the boat to move away from town lights and cloud. Tromsø lies at 69.6°N, under the auroral oval, and the season runs from late September to late March. A boat can shift anchorage overnight to find the clearest sky.
Arctic knowledge
Ski and sail combines ski touring with a boat as basecamp. The yacht anchors below the mountain, the group skins up from sea level, and skis back to the water. In the Lyngen Alps this reaches summits between 850 and 1,834 metres, from February to May.
Stories
Between November and January, herring wintering in the fjords near Tromsø and Skjervøy draw humpback whales and orca. Sailing to them keeps engine noise low and lets the animals decide the distance. Water is around 4°C, so a drysuit or thick wetsuit is required.
Stories
The Lyngen Alps rise straight from the fjord, so a walk here starts at sea level and gains everything on foot. Between June and September the boat anchors at the foot of a ridge in the evening and the group walks from the shoreline in the morning.
Expedition reports
Tromsø to Lofoten is roughly 200 nautical miles of coast, normally sailed in ten days. The route runs south through Kvaløya, Senja and Vesterålen before crossing to Lofoten, with sheltered inside passages available in most weather.
Expedition reports
A week of sailing and trekking in Lofoten pairs short passages between fishing villages with walks that start at the waterline. The boat carries the group to trailheads with no road, and the season runs from June to September under near-continuous daylight in midsummer.
Expedition reports
Senja is Norway's second-largest island, with a west coast of steep granite ridges and few roads. A week aboard reaches the outer bays by sea and walks from the anchorage, which is the only practical way to link several of these ridges in one trip.
Expedition reports
Liefdefjorden lies on the north coast of Spitsbergen, above 79°N, and needs about two weeks from Longyearbyen. The fjord ends at Monacobreen, a tidewater glacier several kilometres wide. Reaching it depends on the ice edge, which varies each season.
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