23,400 NOK

Day 1: Settling in

Welcome! We meet on the docks in Brønnøysund from 18:00. We get to know the boats, the area, and get to know the other participants. Many are excited and really looking forward to this trip, and this is a special evening.

Day 2: Activity day on Ylvingen

We start the day with a welcome- and information meeting for all participants at 09:00. After an intro to basic sailing theory and handling of sails, we make the boats ready for some sailing. We go through safety routines and man-over-board exercises. When coming back to Ylvingen we fire up the grill on the pier, set the long table and prepare a party meal.

Day 3: Himmelblå Island Ylvingen and sail to Vega

Today it is possible to go for a walk on land and a hike to “Tyskarhaugen”. There is also the opportunity to go kayaking, rowing or sailing “Nordlandsbåt”, or go fishing. This day we have lunch at Himmeblå Brygge. After lunch, we start packing up and preparing for sailing to Næs on Vega. We prepare dinner on the pier in Næs or onboard the boats along the way.

Day 4: Næs, Vega Ocean Hotell and fishing in Hysvær

We start the day with a visit to the Eider museum at Næs. Here we will be given a tour and lectures on eider farming, and the world heritage site of the Vega Islands with its 1500 years of traditions for sustainable agriculture and coastal fishing in harsh surroundings. Before lunch at one of the best restaurants in the area we go for an hour's hike through the cultural landscape of Vega, and after lunch, we sail to the birds' home and the special atmosphere in Hysvær. Before anchoring we fish and make large amounts of gourmet fish soup and have a nice evening on board the boats.

Day 5: Sail through the Vega Islands and Lånan

This is a full day of sailing heading for the Seven Sisters mountains. Depending on the weather and the possibilities to go ashore, we head to the fishing village Skjærvær. If you keep going further west of this, the next stop is Iceland. On our route going further north we cross the island group Lånan. In the evening we moor in Søvikvågen at the foot of the Seven Sisters mountains and get ready for a hike the next morning.

Day 6: Summit hike to the Seven Sisters

We start the day early and hike up to Stortinden, 1050 meter above sea level, where we have lunch with a spectacular view over the islands. The keenest ones continue the hike to Kvasstinden, and the most dedicated ones hike all the seven summits until Botnkrona in the north. All the summits takes 15-18 hours. When everyone is back on board, the voyage continues north to Sandnessjøen. We prepare for the Træna Ocean Race tomorrow.

Day 7: Træna Ocean Race

Træna Ocean Race, from Sandnessjøen to Træna, is one of the highlights of the trip! Keywords for this full day will be teamwork and regatta sailing. Can your boat get SeilNorge first across the finishing line, or is it one of the other SeilNorge boats that end up winning (we are going to win for sure!)? We arrive Træna in the afternoon and it is a spectacular sight. Imagine the swells rolling in over the stairs in Træna, a cold bath and an even colder Nordlands-pilsner in the harbor. The Træna festival has begun!

Day 8: Træna festival

Now there's music and party on Træna! There will be opportunities of sailing around the island, fishing, eagle safaris, kayaking and “land-crab” activities on land. You can also choose to just enjoy the festival!

Day 9: Træna festival

Festival! We go for a boat trip to Sanna where there will be a concert in the legendary Kirkhelleren. Possibility of climbing the Trænstaven mountain. In the afternoon we clean and wash the boats before we carry out our traditional goodbye dinner on the docks in the harbor, and the finishing ceremony SailNorway Awards!

Day 10: End of the trip

An adventure is over for this time. If this is the end of your trip, you must get to Sandnessjøen, Bodø or Nesna on your own. Seats on a RIB can be booked through SeilNorge, or ferry/express boat seats can be booked through the festival website. Thank you for a great start to the summer!

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?

Deposit and payment

You pay a 6000NOK deposit when you book the trip, and the rest of the payment is due 60 days before the trip begins.

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!

Travel - Brønnøysund/Ylvingen

There are several ways to get to Brønnøysund, but there are no direct flights from Oslo yet. Train: Take the train from the south or north to Grong station. The train corresponds with bus to Brønnøysund. Hurtigruten: Take the Hurtigruten from the south or north to Brønnøysund. Flights: Widerøe flies to Brønnøysund from Trondheim or Bodø.
From the center of Brønnøysund you can take a speedboat to Ylvingen (Brønnøysund-Rørøy, Ylvingen speedboat stops at Ylvingen upon request).

Travel - Træna

How do I get home from Træna?
Getting home from Træna you need to get to the mainland either to Sandnessjøen, or to Bodø. You can either book a seat on one of our RIB departures, you can take public transport or you can get on one of the boats set up by the festival. The festival will publish information about this well ahead of time.
In general, you should book your flight or other travel home from Bodø or Sandnessjøen as late as possible on the Sunday, or the Monday.
Link to ferry and express boat times for the Træna-weekend can be found at www.trena.net and route planner in Nordland: www.177nordland.no
From Sandnessjøen you may take the bus to Mosjøen and the train south or north from there, or you can fly with Widerøe.no.
From Bodø the train goes southwards or you can take a flight, most go directly to Oslo.
You can also call traffic information on phone number 177.

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 crewmembers on board. Feel free to contact us to discuss risk.

Level of this trip

Sailing wise, our trips are not very difficult, and you are always welcome to join us! Our trips attract both people who have never sailed before, as well as experienced sailors. If you are a beginner, we will turn you into a seaman/woman as soon as possible. If you are experienced, you will be given more responsibility and greater challenges so that you can learn new things along the way. We usually sail along the coast in protected waters, and we often have the opportunity to choose either more or less exposed routes, depending on the weather. The weather Gods decide, so you must be prepared for both windless conditions and sailing in harsher weather!

The Træna Festival

"Paradise isn’t always in the tropics," the local “Trænværingene”' say. This is “one of the best festivals in Europe '', according to the British The Guardian. The Træna Festival is an exclusive music and cultural festival - far out at sea. It may not be as important to book the biggest stars, but the nature, the people, and the atmosphere make it a truly magical experience you should not miss! Read more here https://trena.net

Equipment/packing

As with all activities, there is plenty of specialized equipment and clothing for sailing. We do not expect you to buy lots of new equipment to join any of our trips, so, use what you have, borrow what you need from a friend, try to purchase used equipment, and if you have to invest in new equipment - buy quality items that will last. What you need is something waterproof and windproof on the outside, and layered clothing underneath. Some jackets may not be waterproof enough, or might not perform well in saltwater, so you might want to consider purchasing or renting a set of “oilskins” from us to use on the wettest days. Even in summer it can be cold at sea, so bring both swimwear and warm clothing. 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 contribute 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 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 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. A morning swim in the sea is also 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. On most trips we sail multiple boats in a fleet, with 7-9 people onboard each boat.

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.