Jarle Andhøy

Jarle Andhøy (born October 23, 1977) is a Norwegian adventurer and sailing skipper. He has undertaken a number of controversial voyages, primarily to the polar regions. He is most renown for his voyages together with Alex Rosén (Norwegian comedian/presenter/musician) in the 27-foot Albin Vega sailing vessel Berserk II to Svalbard and Russia, since these voyages became the subject of the Norwegian television series Berserk mot Nordpolen ("Berserk to the North Pole") and Berserk til Valhall ("Berserk to Valhalla") which aired on NRK in 2003 and 2005 and was published as a book in 2006 .

Notable voyages

Andhøy's first major voyage, in 1998/9, was as a 19 year old in Berserk; his first 27 foot Albin Vega. He sailed primarily single-handed from his home town of Larvik to the Antarctic Peninsula, although during some legs of the voyage he was accompanied by crews that he picked up along the way. Andhøy wrote a book about his voyage entitled Alene Rundt Kapp Horn ("Alone Around Cape Horn"). Andhøy met David Mercy (American film-maker and author) in Ushuaia, and they sailed across the Drake Passage together. Mercy later wrote a book about the voyage, and crewed on some of Andhøy's later voyages. Shortly after returning from the Antarctic, Berserk sank.

In June 2002, Andhøy, Rosén, and Mercy, sailed to the Arctic in another Albin Vega, called Berserk II; their goal was to sail in the path of Ohthere, the Viking chief, and to sail as far as possible north towards the Arctic ice. According to their own account of the voyage, the expedition set a world record, as no other sailing vessel had ever sailed as far north in open water. Immediately after returning to Longyearbyen on Svalbard, Sysselmannen (the governor) charged Andhøy, as the skipper, with sailing without insurance and for failing to submit a route-plan. He was requested to pay a fine of 20,000 Norwegian Kroner and was refused permission to continue in Svalbard's waters. Andhøy failed to pay the fine, and so the case was taken to Nord-Troms court on 30 April 2003. Additionally, Andhøy, Rosén, and Mercy released a television series which documented their voyage (first aired on NRK in the autumn of 2003). Using their own documentary as evidence, Sysselmannen charged the trio with a number of environmental crimes, including unauthorised landings in protected areas and provoking a polar bear. The case, carrying a sentence of 30 days imprisonment and a fine of 25,000 Kroner, was heard in Larvik court on 29 March 2004. They were found guilty, but the sentence was reduced to 5,000 Kroner and the imprisonment was suspended, pending a 2 year probationary period.

In July 2004, Andhøy and Rosén attempted to continue the voyage. However, the Norwegian Police and Coastguard attempted to stop them since they believed Mercy, who was still wanted in connection with the previous environmental charges, was also aboard. When Berserk II was searched near Vardø, Mercy was not found aboard, although it transpired that he was hiding in Vardø, disguised as a taxi driver. In order to avoid further attention from the Norwegian authorities, the expedition continued towards Russia. They sailed on to Archangelsk, and further through the White Sea-Baltic Canal to the Baltic Sea.

In the summer of 2007, Andhøy undertook a new expedition to explore the Northwest Passage, sailing from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean along the Canadian coast. This voyage was undertaken in a 48 foot steel boat, also renamed Berserk, and with a larger crew, amongst them Mercy and Fredrik Juell. However, in early July, two of the crew, including Juell, were arrested by the Canadian aurthorities . In August, Andhøy was also arrested by the Canadian authorities for attempting to smuggle Juell back into Canada, after he had been denied permission following the previous arrest. Andhøy published his account of the voyage in another book Berserk gjennom Nordvestpassasjen ("Berserk through the Northwest Passage") and a NRK television series of the same name.

External links

• Andhøy's website