First time above the Arctic Circle

JoJo Pickering is wowed by mountains, deep anchorages, fjords and endless daylight while sailing a 48ft yacht on Norway's west coast

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Trying on my brand-new oilskins, I belatedly realised that they were not big enough for me to wear additional warm layers underneath.

Oh no, this was my first time above the Arctic Circle, it was the beginning of May, there was still snow on the ground and it was cold. I had flown to Svolvær, in the Lofoten Islands, the day before and I was about to skipper Isbjørn, a beautiful 48ft Swan, south towards Bergen via Flam at the end of the longest fjord in Norway.

I went to the local fisherman's shop and bought myself an all-in-one insulated waterproof suit to wear over my oilskins. The temperature was around 4°C during the day, colder at night and even colder with the wind chill factor. It did the job, it kept me warm.

I had three days to prepare the boat, provision and be ready to welcome the crew-it's always a great moment when the crew arrive, excited about the trip and keen to get to know their fellow sailors. We were six in total, and a 50:50 split of women and men. One of the great things about skippering for 59° North Sailing is its commitment to women sailors.

Vital preparations

Traditionally, we spend the first day on domestic briefs, deck walk and crew familiarisation, followed by a supper ashore. The second day is filled with in-depth safety briefs where we talk through different scenarios to minimise the likelihood of potential accidents at sea and what our responses could be. We aim to be prepared, not scared.

Finally, we were ready, but the weather was not!

That evening a gale was howling as we did our passage planning, and cold sleet battered the crew as they ventured out to the toilets ashore. The wind was forecast to ease, but we knew it would be creating big swells with short wave lengths, so we planned to sail to Bodø, protected by the Lofoten Wall, the amazing line of mountains jutting out from Norway.