Jarle Andhøy facts for kids

Jarle Andhøy (born October 23, 1977) is a Norwegian adventurer and boat captain. He is known for his exciting voyages, especially to the cold polar regions. Many people know him from his trips with Alex Rosén, a Norwegian comedian. They sailed on a small boat called Berserk. Their adventures to Svalbard and Russia became popular TV shows in Norway, like Berserk mot Nordpolen ("Berserk to the North Pole") and Berserk til Valhall ("Berserk to Valhalla"). These shows aired on NRK in 2003 and 2005, and a book about their journeys came out in 2006.

Sadly, in February 2011, during an expedition to Antarctica, the Berserk sank. Three crew members were lost at sea.

Amazing Adventures of Jarle Andhøy

First Voyage to Antarctica

Jarle Andhøy's first big trip was in 1996–1997 when he was just 19 years old. He sailed his first Berserk, a 27-foot Albin Vega sailboat. He mostly sailed alone from his hometown of Larvik all the way to the Antarctic Peninsula. Sometimes, other crew members joined him for parts of the journey. Jarle wrote a book about this trip called Alene Rundt Kapp Horn ("Alone Around Cape Horn").

In 1999, Jarle met David Meisselman and Juan Manuel Hernandez in Ushuaia. Together, they sailed across the Drake Passage to the Antarctic Peninsula. This part of their journey was shown in a film called "Berserk in Antarctica." The film won an award and made Jarle very well-known in Norway. Juan Manuel Hernandez joined Jarle on three more Antarctic trips, including "searching for Berserk" in 2012 and "In the wake of Shackleton" in 2015.

Arctic Expeditions with Berserk II

In June 2002, Jarle, Alex Rosén, and David Mercy sailed to the Arctic on another Albin Vega boat, named Berserk II. Their goal was to follow the path of Ohthere, an old Viking chief, and sail as far north as possible towards the Arctic ice. They believed they set a world record for sailing the furthest north in open water.

After returning to Longyearbyen in Svalbard, they faced some challenges. The local governor of Svalbard said Jarle had sailed without insurance and a proper plan. They also faced charges for landing in protected areas and getting too close to a polar bear. They were found guilty, but the penalties were reduced.

In July 2004, Jarle and Alex tried to continue their Arctic journey. To avoid more issues with authorities, they sailed towards Russia. They traveled to Archangelsk and then through the White Sea–Baltic Canal to the Baltic Sea.

Exploring the Northwest Passage

In the summer of 2007, Jarle started a new adventure to explore the Northwest Passage. This is a sea route from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean along the Canadian coast. For this trip, he used a larger, 48-foot steel boat, also named Berserk.

During this voyage, some crew members faced issues with Canadian authorities. Jarle wrote another book about this journey, Berserk gjennom Nordvestpassasjen ("Berserk through the Northwest Passage"), and it also became a TV series on NRK.

The Berserk Sinking in Antarctica

In February 2011, during an expedition to the South Pole, the Berserk sent out an emergency signal. At that time, Jarle Andhøy and one of his crewmates, Samuel Massie, were away from the boat, driving special vehicles towards the pole.

A large search effort began, involving ships from New Zealand, Norway, and the United States. The New Zealand navy ship HMNZS Wellington and other private vessels helped look for the Berserk. On February 25, a damaged lifeboat from the Berserk was found, along with some water, but the boat itself was gone. After a long search, it ended on March 1, 2011. All three crew members on board the Berserk were sadly presumed to have been lost at sea.

Searching for Answers: The Nilaya Voyage

In January 2012, Jarle Andhøy and Samuel Massie went on another voyage to Antarctica on a yacht called Nilaya. Their goal was to return to the area where the Berserk was lost and try to find out what happened.

The Nilaya successfully reached the area where the Berserk had disappeared. After searching without finding new clues, Jarle decided to sail towards Argentina. The boat later went to Chile for repairs. In Chile, the Nilaya was stopped by the Chilean Navy because of some issues with its registration and crew. Jarle returned to Norway in May 2012.