Single-handed sailing: Sailing alone across the North Sea in a storm: an interview with Erik Aanderaa
Kristina Müller
· 19.11.2019
Aanderaa doesn't think much of taking a break from sailing in winter. On the contrary: when it's cold and stormy, the Norwegian is even more drawn to the North Sea. With an ordinary Contessa 35, built in 1976, he regularly sets course for the islands of the northern North Sea: the Shetlands, Faroe Islands, Orkneys. Alone.
Aanderaa's home port is Haugesund on the west coast of Norway, north of Stavanger. From there, he sets off on his winter adventures.
Survival pro
The 37-year-old also records his trips, usually in hair-raising conditions, on camera and posts them online. The impressive images of his stormy voyages are now clicked hundreds of thousands of times.
But Aanderaa is by no means reckless or even crazy; he knows exactly what he is doing. In his job, he prepares people who work on oil platforms and supply ships for emergencies. He is an instructor for survival-at-sea training - the very discipline that he seems to be constantly perfecting himself during his extraordinary voyages.
Extraordinary trips with an ordinary boat
Erik Aanderaa's "Tessie" is a Contessa 35 that was built in England in 1976. The 10.85 metre long and 3.48 metre wide GRP ship with a typical IOR hull shape displaces 6.4 tonnes and was designed by Doug Peterson. This type of vessel is considered seaworthy and solid. After purchasing the boat, Aanderaa equipped it for single-handed sailing in rough conditions.
In this interview, he talks about the excitement and dangers of single-handed sailing in extreme conditions, about fearful moments and good seamanship - and about plans for his upcoming, biggest adventure yet.
