28th February 2024 to 3rd March 2024
Arctic Fish & Sail
From £1265 per person
Deposit 50%. Balance due 12 weeks before departure
Embrace Norway's Skrei fishing tradition! Sail through Lofoten's majestic fjords, catch, savor, and learn in this 5-day coastal adventure.
4 nights – 28 February - 3 March 2024
Price: 16,600 NOK / £1,265 per person*
Join our "Skrei" & Sail adventure, a unique 5-day journey into Norway's rich coastal culture and fishing tradition. Priced at 16,600 NOK, the trip starts and ends in Svolvær, Lofoten, sailing past iconic fishing villages like Henningsvær and Kabelvåg. Experience hands-on fishing, gutting, and diverse seafood cuisine, from bacalao to skrei-and-chips. Marvel at Lofoten's majestic scenery, chase the northern lights, and witness wildlife, from white-tailed eagles to whales. Skilled skippers ensure a safe and educational experience, making this trip ideal for both novice and experienced sailors and anglers. Sail aboard our 44 to 50-foot boats—Humla, Bien, or Nirvana—for an unforgettable adventure in the heart of Norway's coastal history.
*Trips are priced in the operator’s local currency. The sterling amount shown is a guide only and the amount you pay in sterling will change with currency fluctuations.
Please note: This trip is a working passage and you are expected to take turns with the cooking, crewing, and cleaning of the boat throughout the trip.
Day 1: Meeting in Svolvær and the first night on board
We meet on the dock in Svolvær at 16:00, We then take time to introduce ourselves and get to know our new crew. We believe cooperation is one of the most vital skills onboard and we must all be able to work as a team before we set sail. We will also go through some necessary safety drills, and we prepare the fishing equipment for the first fishing day – tomorrow! We make an evening meal on board, but recommend that you have dinner before we start. This is because we want to spend time going through the boat and equipment so we can set off towards the fishing grounds as soon as possible this first evening.
Day 2: What to do without the sea? Carry the boats?
Our first day of fishing is almost here! It takes a few hours to get to the fish. During the journey, we practice man-overboard drills as well as other emergency drills. We aim to take advantage of the magical light both in the morning and evening when the cod are plentiful. We are surrounded by fishing vessels with nets, lines, “juksa” and “snurrevad”. The focus of this day is on how we fish, as well as how we handle fish when they’re hooked; gaffing, bleeding, gutting, and filleting. I look forward to seeing what we catch on the first day. Tomorrow is the big day! This is only a dress rehearsal.
Day 3: Henningsværstraumen and delivery of fish
We will start off with a proper fisherman’s start: we’ll head out to the Lofoten Sea in the grey dawn light. We are going out to the fish banks and into Henningsværstraumen, which is the cod’s favourite spawning ground. How much fish can we deliver in one day? Who will catch the biggest fish of the trip? And who got the best “haill”? By now we’ve gotten a hang of fishing and today we will focus on catching as much as possible and delivering the catch in Henningsvær. Our record from 2020 was over 450 kg in one day!
Day 4: Enjoy the catch in Henningsvær, and sail in the afternoon to Trollfjorden
We will spend this morning relaxing, with a sightseeing tour among the fish drying racks and art galleries in Henningsvær. Lunch will be homemade on board! In the afternoon, we hoist sails towards Storemolla and Trollfjorden, and if the weather permits, we anchor in one of the beautiful bays around Storemolla in the evening. Our eyes are then fixed on the sky, hoping to see the spectacular northern lights!
Day 5: Trollfjorden and well-home
On the last day of this trip, we sail past Trollfjorden – one of the most impressive fjords in all of Norway. Here, we are surrounded by 500-meter-high mountains that plunge into the narrow, 100-meter-wide fjord. Trollfjorden is located among Lofoten’s highest mountain peaks at over 1000 masl. This creates one of the most dramatic landscapes in the archipelago. At lunch, we sail back to Svolvær to the tour end and we say goodbye at 16:00.
The program
The program should be seen as a rough itinerary that we can adapt to the weather and conditions. We also reserve the right to change and improve our itineraries. We will have a dinghy for beach trips and small expeditions, fishing gear for cod, and gear to hike or make bonfires on the beach on all our trips – we are ready for adventure! Are you?
- Trip experience with a sailboat – experienced and locally familiar skipper on board
- Fishing and sailing every day!
- Use of fishing equipment for the duration of the trip
- Our Comfort Package consists of accommodation onboard in a shared double cabin (bunk or double bed) with a ready-made bed (warm and nice duvets and pillows!)
- All the food we eat on board during the trip
- An environmentally friendly, local, sustainable, unique, exotic, and exclusive Norwegian adventure holiday
- A shared experience and friendship with like-minded adventurers from around the world
- A lot of time outdoors – raw and honest nature experiences
- All boat-related expenses such as diesel, gas, harbor fees, etc.
- Personal safety equipment, Helly Hansen inflatable lifejacket
- Advice, guidance, and practical training on sailing and boating
- All the self-caught fish you can fit in your bag to take home!
- The journey to and from the start/end location
- Possible meals at cafés/restaurants (not planned)
- Entrance to galleries, museums, and similar, or other alternative arrangements and activities that you/we may come up with along the way
- Drinks like wine, beer, or high-exclusive apple juice and another luxury (yes, we drink beer and wine on board, bring your own)
- Travel insurance (cancellation insurance) – up to you, but recommended
Travel – in general
Sometimes we have to fly, but not always. If you have the luxury of time, we always encourage you to travel as environmentally friendly as possible. Traveling slowly also allows you to start your holiday in a special way. Cycling, taking the train, or driving a car together can be good options! Feel free to add some extra time before and after your trip, since up north the weather can be unpredictable and might affect your plans!
Safety and risk – in general
We take safety seriously and on our trips, we train on handling different situations that can occur at sea. On board a boat and on trips, everyone must know what to do in potentially dangerous situations. For us, it is important that you as a guest and participant are trained quickly enough to be a participant – not a passenger. It contributes to learning, a sense of achievement, and increased safety for all. It’s also why our trips are considered to be sailing courses: you are trained to be one of the crew members on board. Feel free to contact us to discuss risk.
Level on this trip
You do not need any prior knowledge of fishing or sailing to join this trip! But we will make sure that you get challenges even if you are a seasoned fisherman and salty sailor!
This is the trip for those of you who want to experience Northern Norway in her winter light and the bustling life and fishing of the traditional “Lofotfiske”.
Equipment/packing
For this trip, you mostly only need warm clothes and oilskins, but you should also wear warm rubber boots and preferably waterproof gloves. You can rent or purchase your own SeilNorge oilskins via our webshop, and these would work perfectly! We will send you a detailed recommended packing list in good time before departure.
Food and cooking
On our trips you will be part of the crew onboard and get the chance to participate in all aspects of the running of the sailboat. This includes the cooking, where everyone is taking turns in the galley! Skippers and guides assist as much as they can along the way. Before the trip, we set up a menu and purchase what is needed. We offer good menus with healthy “boat-friendly” food. If you have allergies or preferences, let us know in the registration form and we will take that into account. During the trip, we often sail by a good restaurant or two where we stop and eat.
What we expect from you
We want you to take part in the routines onboard the sailboat, whether it is sailing, docking, navigating, looking for whales and icebergs, washing up, cooking, cleaning the boat, or contributing in other ways when required. Our trips require a little work from the participants – and you must be open to contributing and open up a bit socially. We have many different people with us on our trips, and most people get along very well. Our experience is that doing things with others out in nature, and not least doing things with new people with different personalities than one might be used to, is what creates the best, most interesting, and memorable stories :)
Life on board and accommodation
Life on board a sailboat is social and pleasant, but for some, it can be perceived as quite intimate and crowded, which one should be prepared for. On our trips, everyone participates in the operation of the sailboat and everyone is considered a crew. We would like to get to know you well and hope that you will get to know everyone else on the boat as soon as possible. It requires some patience, generosity, and an open mind to thrive, but the new acquaintances and completely raw nature experiences will take your focus as soon as you become comfortable with life at sea.
Accommodation on the boat is part of the fun. The accommodation is generally in shared cabins, some of which have a double bed and some of which have bunk beds. Figuring out who sleeps where can be a bit of a puzzle, but we do believe we’ve gotten quite good at it. Let us know if you have any special needs or reservations. You must arrange any accommodation before and after the trip on your own. If you have any doubts about where to stay, we’re happy to give you some recommendations.
We have plenty of heating and good food on the boat, but not always an abundance of fresh water. This means it will not be possible to shower every day, but more or less every other day we are either in a harbor with fresh water or we sail through a place where we can borrow showers or enjoy a sauna. And a morning swim in the sea is always available all year round!
What kind of people join this trip – and how many will we be on board?
Many come alone, some travel as couples, and others travel as a group of friends. The common denominator for everyone is that these are fun and interesting people you will become friends with almost no matter what. Sharing grand experiences creates strong ties! Many people wonder about the age composition of our trips, but this isn’t so important to us. It doesn’t matter if you are young or old as long as you want to go on a trip and intend to do your part in making this a great trip for everyone. The number of participants varies from trip to trip. If we have many participants, we will expand with more boats and skippers.
Environment and sustainability
In general, sailing is an environmentally friendly activity, and we sail as much as we can and use the engine as little as possible. We encourage crew and participants to travel as environmentally friendly as possible, and we use local ingredients and resources as much as we can. We also run trips where we collect litter and clean ocean trash from beaches.
Philosophically, we often say that sailing is an exercise in sustainability: we move with the wind and we have limitations on things like water, diesel, electricity, and food. In order to run sustainably, knowledge, patience, flexibility, and hard work are required. The same can be said about many other things that one tries to do in a sustainable way.
Minimum number of registered participants
We need a minimum of 5 registered participants to run this trip. We are able to tell pretty early on whether a trip will be confirmed or not. If we have to cancel, you will get reimbursed or offered to join another trip. Since we need a certain number of registered participants to confirm a trip, please do not book your travel (flights, ferry, train, bus, etc.) before we have confirmed your trip.
If you have time then take the “Nordlandsbanen” train line to Bodø and the express boat (catamaran) or Hurtigruta (coastal express ferry) from Bodø to Lofoten. But Lofoten is far away for many, and most people end up flying. Then Svolvær is the nearest airport, or you can also fly to Leknes. Flights to Svolvær or Leknes are mostly with a connection in Bodø and are possible to book through Widerøe, SAS, and Norwegian. You can also fly directly from Oslo to and from Harstad/Evenes airport, and then take a bus from there to Lofoten and Henningsvær/Svolvær.
If you have time then take the “Nordlandsbanen” train line to Bodø and the express boat (catamaran) or Hurtigruta (coastal express ferry) from Bodø to Lofoten. But Lofoten is far away for many, and most people end up flying. Then Svolvær is the nearest airport, or you can also fly to Leknes. Flights to Svolvær or Leknes are mostly with a connection in Bodø and are possible to book through Widerøe, SAS, and Norwegian. You can also fly directly from Oslo to and from Harstad/Evenes airport, and then take a bus from there to Lofoten and Henningsvær/Svolvær.
Please note: This trip is a working passage and you are expected to take turns with the cooking, crewing, and cleaning of the boat throughout the trip.
Day 1: Meeting in Svolvær and the first night on board
We meet on the dock in Svolvær at 16:00, We then take time to introduce ourselves and get to know our new crew. We believe cooperation is one of the most vital skills onboard and we must all be able to work as a team before we set sail. We will also go through some necessary safety drills, and we prepare the fishing equipment for the first fishing day – tomorrow! We make an evening meal on board, but recommend that you have dinner before we start. This is because we want to spend time going through the boat and equipment so we can set off towards the fishing grounds as soon as possible this first evening.
Day 2: What to do without the sea? Carry the boats?
Our first day of fishing is almost here! It takes a few hours to get to the fish. During the journey, we practice man-overboard drills as well as other emergency drills. We aim to take advantage of the magical light both in the morning and evening when the cod are plentiful. We are surrounded by fishing vessels with nets, lines, “juksa” and “snurrevad”. The focus of this day is on how we fish, as well as how we handle fish when they’re hooked; gaffing, bleeding, gutting, and filleting. I look forward to seeing what we catch on the first day. Tomorrow is the big day! This is only a dress rehearsal.
Day 3: Henningsværstraumen and delivery of fish
We will start off with a proper fisherman’s start: we’ll head out to the Lofoten Sea in the grey dawn light. We are going out to the fish banks and into Henningsværstraumen, which is the cod’s favourite spawning ground. How much fish can we deliver in one day? Who will catch the biggest fish of the trip? And who got the best “haill”? By now we’ve gotten a hang of fishing and today we will focus on catching as much as possible and delivering the catch in Henningsvær. Our record from 2020 was over 450 kg in one day!
Day 4: Enjoy the catch in Henningsvær, and sail in the afternoon to Trollfjorden
We will spend this morning relaxing, with a sightseeing tour among the fish drying racks and art galleries in Henningsvær. Lunch will be homemade on board! In the afternoon, we hoist sails towards Storemolla and Trollfjorden, and if the weather permits, we anchor in one of the beautiful bays around Storemolla in the evening. Our eyes are then fixed on the sky, hoping to see the spectacular northern lights!
Day 5: Trollfjorden and well-home
On the last day of this trip, we sail past Trollfjorden – one of the most impressive fjords in all of Norway. Here, we are surrounded by 500-meter-high mountains that plunge into the narrow, 100-meter-wide fjord. Trollfjorden is located among Lofoten’s highest mountain peaks at over 1000 masl. This creates one of the most dramatic landscapes in the archipelago. At lunch, we sail back to Svolvær to the tour end and we say goodbye at 16:00.
The program
The program should be seen as a rough itinerary that we can adapt to the weather and conditions. We also reserve the right to change and improve our itineraries. We will have a dinghy for beach trips and small expeditions, fishing gear for cod, and gear to hike or make bonfires on the beach on all our trips – we are ready for adventure! Are you?
