Single-handed sailor: Sidse Birk Johannsen - the unusual solo skipper from Denmark

In Greenlandic mythology, not only humans have a soul, but also animals, the moon and the wind. Everything is alive and interconnected. This spiritual approach of the early Inuit can still be understood today by visitors who find themselves surrounded by the overwhelming nature of Greenland. Sidse Birk Johannsen lived in the former Danish colony for two and a half years and worked there as a teacher. "Anyone who comes to Greenland either flees again after a short time or gets stuck there. Then something grows under their skin that connects them forever." Johannsen is fascinated by the powerful forces of nature. Everything is more powerful, more pristine and bigger than at home in Denmark. At the same time, you are very isolated, especially during storms and in the dark. Then it's time to tell each other good stories.

A low point as a turning point

Sidse Johannsen's story begins at a personal low point - her return to Denmark in 2020. Wanderlust and lovesickness are taking their toll on the 30-year-old. With no prospect of a new job in the near future, the secondary school teacher ends up back in her parents' teenage room. Thanks to corona, it feels like a doll's house with Swedish curtains.

What now? The urge to flee is strong. She needs an unconventional idea, something just for her. "The typical scheme - career, house, family - is like a template that I don't fit into. So I suddenly had the idea of sailing!"

Johannsen sets up a profile on a Danish website for long-distance sailors in order to get in touch with sailors. After a week, to her surprise, a skipper actually gets in touch and offers her a berth charter in French Polynesia.

On Google Earth, the red arrow lands in the middle of the blue Pacific. A few zoom levels later, paradise reveals itself, and as the coronavirus fog slowly lifts, Johannsen enthusiastically agrees.

The power women of sailing as inspiration

For the next six months, the teacher sails freely again - the contrast to Greenland could not be greater: Instead of kayaking tours in Disko Bay with its icebergs, she travelled on a 62-foot yacht to the Society Islands and the Marquesas. On Tuamotu, Johannsen stays ashore and works for six months at a kitesurfing school, where she maintains trainer boats. As luck would have it, two solo female sailors also moor here and make a big impression on her: first Holly Martin, who is on a round-the-world trip with her Grinde and shares it with around 90,000 followers. Then Olivia Wyatt, the only participant registered for the 2026 Golden Globe Race.

"These two powerful women inspired me so much that I wanted to do something similar," Johannsen recalls. "I already had sailing experience, and I could already swap diesel filters. So why not?"

Even if this self-assessment was rather naive in retrospect, it wasn't long before she began to put the idea into practice. Back at home, Johannsen bought an old 1976 B31 from her savings and moved on board.

One year of preparation

For a year, the ambitious new owner teaches Danish and religion at a secondary school in Horsens and works on her boat in her spare time until it is finally ready to sail. From then on, she gives insights into her boat and soul life on her Instagram channel. The boat is christened "Anori", which means "soul of the wind" in Inuit.

"First I wanted to sail to the Canary Islands and then take the plunge across the Atlantic. I thought that's what you do when you're looking for a big adventure under sail." But instead of the three-year barefoot route around the world, Johannsen is first starting a big Baltic tour. The reason is a donated wind steering system that has to be collected in person: in Pärnu, Estonia.

Fortunately, I didn't know that I didn't know anything back then!"

The refreshingly different sailor set off on her first solo adventure in August 2022. "I was still so green behind the ears that it was actually madness," she recalls, "but luckily I didn't know that I didn't know anything back then!" In the first two weeks, Johannsen is accompanied by two young men she met in a Facebook group. Although they know even less about sailing, they are a great help during the sometimes nerve-wracking harbour manoeuvres. From Karlskrona in Sweden, the journey continues solo.

Nowadays, it's no more difficult for a woman to sail solo than it is for a man. But we have to justify ourselves more"

Survival training in Estonia

After intermediate stops on Gotland and in Latvia, "Anori" arrives in Pärnu, where the Danish Danebrog is already hoisted in her honour. Word had already got round that a young Danish woman was coming to visit with her boat.

Johannsen not only receives the promised wind vane, but is also invited by the local survival school to go hiking in the Estonian forests.

At the campfire, she later learns that the fun has a serious background. The Estonians are so worried about Putin's troops that not only the military but also the civilian population is now preparing for an emergency.

"Until then, the Baltic states had been a blank spot on my map, even though they are so close. On the other hand, I was also a special guest. The harbour master in Latvia had never seen a solo female sailor before and immediately drove me to the local newspaper. Although I hadn't achieved anything great, I was celebrated like a heroine."

Exploring boundaries on a winter cruise

Sidse Johannsen is put to the test when she sets off home from Stockholm in mid-November. In sub-zero temperatures and 20 knots of wind, the young woman felt her way to her physical and mental limits. "It was so cold that my body literally degenerated and my brain seemed to work in slow motion. Sometimes I had to pull myself together extremely hard just to recognise a sea mark."

Sidse Johannsen suffers on the 16-day ride through the wintry Baltic Sea and loses six kilograms in weight. But despite all the fears and hardships, the feeling of freedom prevails. And the learning effect is greatly enhanced by battling the elements outside the comfort zone. The skipper not only learns a lot about sailing on this leg, but also about her boat and herself.

Sidse Johannsen falls into a hole after the Baltic Sea round

The reports shared on social media along the way develop such a momentum of their own that helping hands are already waiting in many harbours to accept lines. Hot meals are offered, the supermarket bill is paid and other help and advice is given.

When asked whether she sometimes finds the unsolicited help from men humiliating, the self-confident woman deflects the question. "On the contrary! For all your pride, you have to realise that helping other people is simply a pleasure. I also ask for help directly. Why not if someone can explain to me in two minutes what I would have had to spend hours working out myself? And now I'm being asked myself, so I can also give something back."

After the Baltic tour, Johannsen falls into a hole again. Sleeping problems and inexplicable crying fits fray her nerves. One minute she was the fearless heroine who was able to prove and develop herself on a daily basis, the next she was back in her home harbour and unemployed again.

A sailor friend explains to her that it takes just as long to get home as it did to get there. He was proved right: It takes Sidse Johannsen around four months for her sense of humour to return: "I can't believe how privileged I am. Despite my irregular work, I can save money and then sail for months on end so that I can complain later about what the trip has done to me!"

Faroe Islands cruise in summer 2023

And finally, the plan is to set off again. It's early June 2023, and despite the summer temperatures, the destination is ambitious: the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic. With the promise of a permanent position on Zealand on the table shortly before the start, this time the indefinite voyage will be a tightly scheduled two-month trip.

In the meantime, the owner has upgraded her "Anori". In addition to AIS and a MOB transmitter, there is also a life raft on board. The old sprayhood has given way to a robust dodger. Designed and built by the owner herself, the solid GRP construction should provide better protection from wind and weather in future. Johannsen wants to ensure sufficient calorie intake and prevent another radical diet with a carefully worked out meal plan.

And why the Faroe Islands of all places? "The islands are part of the Danish kingdom alongside Greenland. I think it's a shame that so few of my compatriots get to know this community. For this reason, I felt a personal need to sail to the Faroe Islands."

Sidse Johannsen feels less and less like travelling to places where everyone else is going

What's more, the headstrong skipper feels less and less inclined to sail to places where everyone else is going. The barefoot route she had originally planned is now completely out of her mind.

Through the Limfjord and across the North Sea, Johannsen reaches southern Norway with "Anori" in order to call at the Shetland Islands from there. All without any major problems. She leaves the Shetlands in strong winds, making the first 15 hours a feat of strength. Then it becomes noticeably calmer, and the calm that sets in later is followed by fog.

Suddenly, the first islands of the Faroe Islands rise out of the haze like green pyramids. A magically sublime moment for the soloist: "I felt transported back to the time of the explorers. First the monks from Ireland and later the Vikings must have been similarly fascinated by this sight - except that they didn't have an engine running." Johannsen spends three weeks on the Sheep Islands before she has to make her way back. School is calling!

Terrifying situation after engine breakdown

A mishap occurs between two islands with a headwind and a travelling current: the engine cuts out. Johannsen quickly pulls up the sails in order to cross the open Atlantic slowly but in a controlled manner. When the wind dies down, she crawls under the cockpit to check the diesel supply. It is far too deep for an anchor manoeuvre. It turns out that the newly fitted hose from the day tank to the engine has slipped off. It's not a big deal, but in addition to the skidding below deck, there's the acrid smell of leaking fuel.

An adventure is not an event that you can just throw yourself into. On the contrary, an adventure is very precisely planned and prepared"

Exhausted and dieselised, she is able to restart the engine just in time before the cliffs get too close. "A terrifying situation that I was able to resolve without panicking. Afterwards, I had to have a good cry and process what I'd experienced, but that's important for me if I want to be able to cope with the next problem."

And that is not long in coming. During the 300 nautical mile trip from the Shetlands to Norway, the autopilot causes problems. Johannsen solves it immediately and completely coolly. At high speed, she removes the steering wheel for a moment to replace the broken toothed belt with her remaining free hand and a screw in her mouth. Shortly afterwards, the steering and autopilot are working perfectly again. And they have to, because for the next two days "Anori" has to parry wind speeds of up to 40 knots.

Sidse Johannsen matures on board to become an experienced skipper

The mature skipper is not afraid, she works with concentration and attention.

Without a headsail and with a second reef in the main, she moves exclusively between the saloon and cockpit. The foredeck is off limits. At night, the alarm clock rings every 20 minutes for a panoramic view.

After two days' rest in Norway, we travel via Skagerrak and Anholt to "Anori's" new home port of Holbæk on Zealand. This time there is no question of a crisis of meaning, as school starts just two days later.

Despite the permanent position, Johannsen continues to live on her boat all year round. "The boat is all I have, and that's all I need. It gives me a feeling of complete freedom, even when I'm not travelling. It also makes you aware of your own resource consumption. In winter, for example, I lug a 15-litre canister of water on board every two days because the water is turned off at the jetty due to frost. There's no more secret consumption."

The primitive boat life is also a great financial advantage: significantly more of the salary remains in the account, which in turn can be invested in new projects.

The experience also enriches her as a teacher

She is well aware that not everyone can live the way she does and that society wouldn't work the same way: "I just hope that the way I live is okay. I can also bring my experiences to my job as a teacher - that has its value too!"

She not only shares her experiences on Instagram, but now also gives talks. The first book is due to be published in spring. New sailing plans are also being forged, as Johannsen's thirst for adventure is far from satisfied:

The dream: sailing to Greenland

"My biggest dream is to return to Greenland under sail. I love this country so much and it has given me so much personally. I hope to start the active planning phase in the next few months." Johannsen is already on the lookout for a larger boat. However, it should not be larger than 36 feet, as the ongoing costs must remain within manageable limits. She doesn't want to reveal any more at the moment. Except that a satellite phone will be on board so that her parents can reach her and sleep better.

The permanent position would have to be given up again for the Greenland cruise - if a sabbatical cannot be realised. An Inuit artist's drawing illustrating the human soul hangs in Anori's parlour. When in doubt, her dream cruise will be more important for Johannsen's peace of mind than the staff room.

Instagram account of Sidse Birk Johannsen: sisi_atsea