This winter I will be preparing Selkie to sail north.  I have big plans for future years and this voyage is the start to realising those dreams.  This expedition has already gone through various guises as I work out what it is I want to do.  Prior to starting Selkie Explorers in 2015, I was involved in an art and science residency program around the Northern Isles.  It was an amazing and illuminating voyage for me and for others involved and the ripples reaching out from then are reverberating loud and beautiful now, eight years on.

Leaving in January from Eigg, myself, the boat and three very dear friends will head north and east to Lerwick in the Shetland Isles.  In February, using the light of the Snow moon, full on the 5th February, we will make the 200 nautical mile crossing to Norway, choosing our timing mindfully with the weather.

Selkie is going further afield, further asea, further afjord.  We are not putting a destination on this voyage, other than there and back.  The cost of fuel is high, and set to go on rising with the war in Ukraine and unrest in the world and at home.  The heating on board is diesel and we want to use the engine sparingly.

This is a voyage of discovery and creation.  I am developing yoga and wellbeing voyages with Selkie and this has naturally led to the mindfullness of what I do. I am looking to develop my experience as a yoga teacher and adventurer on and off the boat.  Our Selkie Winter Voyage is a challenge on both a personal level and as part of this team.  It is a first for us all. Kristina, Kate and Anne are from Chile, USA and the UK respectfully. We are definitely stepping outside of our comfort zone doing this journey in winter.  We are focused on exploring the creativity and connection within and without and sharing it in our daily lives. I am a mother and this year my son is now studying at University and finding his own way in the world.  It is time for me to explore my potential both at home and away.  I have my health and curiosity to know more about the world, myself and place within it.

This is what this opportunity means to me.  It is about potential.  This is true for all of us. Anne and Kate are both teachers, their experience will inform their practice and develope inspiration to pass on to their student. For me, I want to explore themes: Women. Writing. Adventure. Art. Community. Culture. There are strong links in language and common themes culturally running along the length of these northern sea routes.  This is an opportunity to delve into our interelatedness, our differences and make new connections.

We will be taking our skis as well as the sails!

Kate Harding is our resident artist from the USA.  She spent 2 months on the croft last summer working with natural materials.  We spent many hours talking and planning for the voyage, along with the other crew members for whom the voyage resonates.

The first leg of the voyage starts from Eigg on 9th January.  Our primary days together will be stocking the boat and planning our departure with the weather and tides.  Our end point will be Lerwick at the end of the month, coinciding with Up helly aa.

From Lerwick we will make the crossing to Norway with the help of the light from the moon we are all hoping.

We will have a month exploring to the north of our land fall in Norway and then we start to return to Shetland  for the end of March.

Selkie’s 2023 charters will start from Shetland in April with the Shetland Geosail followed by a 10 day Homeward Bound voyage that will take us down to Eigg, either by the west or the east coast, depending on conditions.

Click here to follow our adventures on Selkie’s winter voyage tracker and blog as we head for Norway.  If you have any questions pertaining to it then please  contact us.