The Islander’s CEO (Creative Enthusiastic Owner), Jens Oomes, exchanged the warm waters he usually sails for the Arctic in pursuit of his next adventure.

It’s mid-August, and I’m having a beer with marine biologist and fellow adventurer Ricardo Sagarminaga. He mentions that he was invited to join an expedition through the Northwest Passage on a replica of the first ship ever to complete the passage with Roald Amundsen at the helm. The harsh conditions of the polar region have prevented many attempts to sail from the Atlantic to the Pacific over Canada and Alaska. In 1904, the Norwegian Roald Amundsen and his team were the first ever to succeed in navigating the ice floes and making it all the way to Nome, Alaska.

The owners of Alma af Frøya, a replica of Amundsen’s Gjøa, intend to repeat this journey in the summer of 2026.

I decided to apply to join this adventure, and it was received with great enthusiasm. I was consequently invited to help deliver Alma from the Arctic Ocean Lodge, where she is based, to Skjervøy at 70°N. It would be a wonderful way to get to know the team and test the cold waters.

After two flights and a two-hour bus ride, I arrived late in the evening in Sortland. What excited me immediately was how everything was different. It was cold, dark, there were about four souls out on the street, and while I thought I was going to be picked up by car, I was given very brief instructions to make my way to “the harbour behind the hotel.” Three men on a workboat were waiting for me. With very few words, they welcomed me on board. Norwegians are quiet. That’s different for me.

We arrived at the lodge and I saw Alma for the first time. With her traditional gaff rig and wooden hull, she was once again different from the yachts I usually sail. No cabin with an ensuite bathroom, but a cosy bunk in the saloon with nothing more than a curtain for privacy.

The next day we set sail at 1 p.m. The sun started setting less than two hours later. The vast empty landscape with snow-capped mountains and not another vessel in sight—everything was new, and I was excited and anxious like a kid on his first day of school.

I was immediately treated to a show of the fascinating Northern Lights. We skirted steep cliffs and, at midnight, after about eight hours of cold night sailing, we entered a commercial fishing port. I found out that none of the crew had ever been there. We simply tied up to a neat commercial wharf next to a big fishing boat. No need to check in; nobody came to ask questions, let alone charge a berthing fee. Another novelty for me.

The next day we cruised on, passing through Tromsø. It’s called “The Paris of the North.” With a population of about 80,000 people, at 69.9°N it is the city that lies closest to the North Pole.

That night, the Northern Lights were even more spectacular than the night before.

Sailing a ship with this type of rig through a sunny but crisp cold fjord, rimmed by snow-capped mountains, wasn’t just a dream come true—it made me dream of what may lie ahead! The idea of joining them on the iconic Northwest Passage on this iconic vessel is becoming more appealing by the minute.

On deck, I had interesting conversations with ship owner Terje Andre Pedersen. The biggest topic is the preparation for such an expedition—not just the safety aspects and the practicalities, but obtaining the funding forms a challenge that is at least equal to executing the journey.

The last four days of my visit were spent in the Kvænangen Fjord, surrounded by hundreds of orcas and dozens of humpback whales. Living on the boat allowed us to be in the middle of the fjord before the other ships and RIBs arrived. We were a bit distraught to see some of the RIBs chasing the whales. Our captain chose to let the ship sit idle and confidently stated: “There are so many whales here, they will come to us anyway.” And so they did. To hear them exhale, to watch them check us out… It was an out-of-this-world experience.

Want to learn more about Alma af Frøya, perhaps even book your spot on the Northwest Passage? Check their Instagram @amundsen.adventure and site www.arcticoceanlodge.com, and of course, watch this space to see how Alma’s Northwest Passage expedition will unfold.