Arctic Adventures : Artic Lifeboat Stødig
A slow adventure to Arctic Norway aboard a little yellow lifeboat. We caught up with architect Mr Guylee Simmonds about his four month Arctic adventure, the responsibly converted lifeboat and a typical day at sea aboard Artic Lifeboat Stødig.
Architects Guylee Simmonds and David Schnabel bought a marine survival lifeboat in February 2018 and after a year-long conversion left on a four-month voyage to the Arctic. Along with Shackleton, Guylee's dog, they travelled from the UK to Tromsø, far north in the Norwegian Fjords. Relive the crews 5000km, Arctic adventure in the documentary "Stødig", sample the pleasures of slow travel and savour a day in the life of the Artic Lifeboat. In an age of high speed travel it is easy to forget the joy of the journey.
Situated at 70o north, Tromsø is the largest city in the Arctic and having arrived, the lifeboat and crew spent the winter there, and explored their surroundings. The aim of the expedition is to explore this wild and isolated landscape, demonstrate the ability of design innovation to facilitate self-sufficiency in such extreme environments and document and share the adventure through photography and film.
Guylee has spent the last couple of years based in Tromsø, whilst due to Covid-19, David decided to spend some more time in the UK with his family. During the last year Guylee has made some short voyages aboard Stødig, and shares an insight into a day aboard Stødig below:
Log Stødig
The wind from overnight subsided, and the gentle rolling of the boat was barely noticeable as we started the day. Our anchorage was nestled between two low-lying islands, protected from the winds funnelling down the wide and deep sounds towards Tromsø.
Our destination for the day was Lyngen Fjord, one of the most dramatic in northern Norway, with steep spikey peaks stretching out into the sea.
Before getting going some engine maintenance was in order. We are relying on the 25-year-old three-cylinder diesel, from when our boat, Stødig was still a ferry evacuation lifeboat. Sadly no matter how clean we keep the engine bay, the diesel and old engine oil still penetrates the senses as you descend over the engine. With a few basic tasks completed, we started the rhythmically thumping of the engine and lifted the anchor.
Passing through the passage between the mainland and islands of Reinøya and Ringvassøya, we made plans for our ski trip that afternoon and packed our gear.
With calm weather, we were able to anchor beside the northern tip of Lyngen peninsula, and walk up Russelvfjellet, just under 1000m tall, with a ski descent almost all the way back to sea level, despite it being mid-May. As we head ashore by dinghy loaded with ski gear, the sun comes out and we’re baked in the afternoon sun as we walk up the mountain. As we reached the top, the clouds moved in, taking away any opportunity for expansive views over the surrounding mountains, but as we skied down the mountain we were treated to dramatic light and a view back down to our floating home below.
The day finished with a fire and bbq on the beach, with Stødig moored 30m offshore.
We watched the sunset at around 11 pm, with only a few weeks left before the arrival of the midnight sun season begins at our arctic latitude. Back on the boat, we grazed the charts, planning our route the following day, happy to be back in the warmth of the boat and ready to be lulled to sleep by the sound of the wind across the water, and the gentle roll of the boat.
Guylee Recommends
Netflix series: Norseman
Music you’re listening to: Wolf Alice
Favourite Book: Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway
Sailing hack: Have as many ropes as you can carry
Bucket list: Inner Passage (British Columbia- Alaska)
Favourite Place to wake up: Facing the ocean
Instagram to follow: @sidetracked
Lesser-known app: @Windy
Click the product names for a closer look, or use the link to shop all outdoor.
SHOP OUTDOOR
Lifeboat Field Wear
Find out more about Mr Guylee Simmonds & Mr David Schnabel’s adventures on Stødig here, and be sure to follow the arctic lifeboat on Instagram at @arcticlifeboat.
