Summertime, and the livin' is easy; Fish are jumpin' and the colors are bright. Faroe Islands, characteristics of place such as fog and rain: let’s drop that for a moment. This time, everything’s about blue skies, lush green cliffs and smooth passages. Approaching 5 of the smaller islands in picture-perfect weather …
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Birgir Enni, Captain of the Norðlýsið: A Faroese Institution
Person or institution? In this particular case: both. Tórshavn, the port promenade undir Bryggjubakka next to Tinganes. Alongside the quay: colorful houses and all kinds of boats, including the majestic schooner Norðlýsið, just back from the dry dock. On deck: the person and institution I’m talking about. Skipper Birgir Enni …
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Nightcap on Norröna
I saw the twinkling silhouette of Tórshavn embracing a shadow ship harbor under a black velvet sky. Nightcap on Norröna. As I was promenading on the deserted upper decks, a sea breeze sprang up. Inside: Dim light staging the ferry’s evening gown. The belle of the ball, ready for another waltz across the ocean …
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The nasty hobgoblin of Vágseiði
Rough sea, surrounded by steep cliffs, daylight begins to fade. Suðuroy, the southernmost of the Faroe Islands, Vágseiði on the west coast. How did I get here? Ferry route 7, ship M/F Smyril, from Tórshavn to Tvøroyri. Smooth passage? Not invariably the case, especially in the fall and in the dead of winter …
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Being shipwrecked: Reflection, rescue and reward
One rope, two vessels and a comforting sound. Chug-chug. A marine engine, lively doing its job. Our engine – the exact opposite. Stubbornly silent. Out of order. As quiet as a mouse. The bad news: We are shipwrecked. Disabled and adrift. Powerless. For hours. The good news: Our ship, the M/B Irdi, just has been taken in tow, by the Susanna …
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Ocean rower Livar Nysted: „No time for babysitting out there“
No one to help. Nowhere to stop. Only the other side. Ocean rowing. One of the hardest sports in the world. Many say: the hardest of all. More people have been to space than have rowed the Atlantic Ocean. I’m just about to meet up with one of them. Livar Nysted (45). Faroese ocean rower and painter …
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Conquering Stóra Dímun, Viking-style: Sail, climb and feast!
Standing on top of Stóra Dímun, looking down. We have just climbed up an almost vertical 150 meters sea cliff, a rough path of ladders, grassy slopes and ropes. „It’s a rare occasion“, Birgir Enni, skipper of the schooner Norðlýsið, has told me on the phone. „You’ll never forget that day”. Absolutely right …
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