Journal

From the field

The Boreal Yachting Journal is a field publication written from the boats and the base in Tromsø: voyage accounts, structured reports from named expeditions, short crew notes, and reference articles on how the Arctic works. It is published by an AECO member that has sailed Northern Norway and Svalbard since 2003.

The Journal is not a marketing blog. It is a field publication. The point is to be the most useful and best-informed source on Arctic sailing in this region.

Filter by stream

Stories: — First-hand voyage accounts, written by crew and guides.
Expedition reports: — Structured reports from named voyages: route, anchorages, weather, wildlife.
Crew notes: — Shorter pieces from the team.
Arctic knowledge: — Authority articles on specific topics: light, weather, wildlife, regulation.

Sailing yacht among blue ice floes in front of a Svalbard glacier

Crew notes

Cities of Svalbard: Longyearbyen, Ny-Ålesund, Barentsburg

Svalbard has three settlements a sailing yacht is likely to call at: Longyearbyen, the Russian mining town of Barentsburg, and the research station at Ny-Ålesund. Each has its own rules for visitors, and Ny-Ålesund restricts radio and drone use.

View from a yacht bow sailing through a steep, cloud-covered Norwegian fjord

Arctic knowledge

Need to know when sailing in Northern Norway

Sailing Northern Norway needs attention to three things: tidal streams that reach seven knots in narrows such as Rystraumen, fall winds that arrive without warning off steep terrain, and distances between harbours. Forecasts from yr.no and marine VHF are reliable and should be checked daily.

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