Expedition 2027
Photo: OceanImageBank, AdamMaire
Sailing to Svalbard 2027
After successful expeditions along the coasts of Sweden and Norway we are now preparing for heading even further north during 2027. Welcome to join our participatory research expedition to Svalbard, where professional researchers will be working together with students, citizen scientists and sailors. We are sailing to the Arctic to contribute with knowledge to the UN declared Triple Planetary Crisis: Climate change, pollution impact and biodiversity loss.
Preliminary legs and dates are presented below. Get in touch if you are interested!
Sailing4Science is an UNESCO endorsed project under UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development with the motto “The science we need for the ocean we want”. We put as much emphasis on the scientific assignments as we do on raising awareness and contributing to the ocean literacy collections. Click the buttons for more info:
Leg Start-Stop
Shorter Stop
Sampling Area
Point of interest
Leg
Alternative Leg
Legs & Dates
Leg 01
Gothenburg-Trondheim
(EARLY JUNE – 2027)
A straightforward offshore leg with more or less no stops, as we want to move north for our Arctic expeditions. If you are into non-stop sailing with an iconic racer, via three countries' coastlines and bodies of water, and in potentially tough North Sea conditions...this is definitely the leg for you.
Leg 02
Trondheim-Tromsø
(MID-JUNE/JULY– 2027)
A beautiful leg along the northern Norwegian coast and the Atlantic ocean, passing via the Lofoten islands and further up north to Tromsø.
Leg 03
Tromsø-Svalbard
(MID JULY– 2027)
We are sailing up along the coast a bit and then straight up even further north towards Svalbard and Longyearbyen. On our way, we will pass by Bear Island and hopefully we the weather will allow us to touch land and enjoy the wilderness.
Leg 04
Svalbard West
(JULY/AUGUST– 2027)
This leg will be covering the shores and fjords of the western coast of Svalbard.
Leg 05
Svalbard 360
(MID AUGUST– 2027)
A sailing expedition around the Svalbard archipelago with many exciting and epic stops in bays and passages.
Leg 06
Svalbard-Tromsø
(AUGUST/SEPTEMBER– 2027)
Sailing back from Svalbard to Tromsø, and we will pass by some of the fjords along Svalbard's west coast before the offshore distance via Bear Island over to Tromsø.
Leg 07
Tromsø-Trondheim
(END SEPTEMBER– 2027)
A leg back to Trondheim via the spectacular northern Norwegian coast - via Lofoten and its nature and wildlife.
Fees & Booking
Prices per person. All-inclusive, commercial charter with professional crew.
*Price/Day: 350€/day = Coastal | 380€/day = Coastal High Latitude | 450€ = Offshore High Latitude | 500€/day = Arctic High Latitude.
SAILING OPPORTUNITIES
– Experiencing high latitude sailing in the Nordic and Arctic waters
– Coming close to remote wildlife and deep ocean biodiversity
– Connecting to the ocean, the weather, and the power of nature
– Learning seamanship, safety needs, and practical life hacks
– Experimenting with sustainable lifestyle alternatives
– Participating in an all-together team work onboard
– Training in personal leadership and group dynamics
– Challenging old habits and static attitudes
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
– Conducting ocean research with a minimum footprint
– Enable advanced sampling onboard a safe and suitable platform
– Accessing research opportunities with low-cost approaches
SCIENTIFIC SUMMARY
Arctic coastal systems are undergoing rapid and interconnected transformations driven by climate change and increasing human activity. Changes in temperature, freshwater input, light availability, and biogeochemical cycling are reshaping physical and ecological processes, while additional anthropogenic stressors such as pollution and shipping may amplify or modulate climate-driven impacts. As such, the Arctic represents a sentinel region for the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, with Svalbard functioning as an early-warning system for Arctic coastal change (AMAP, 2024). Despite extensive offshore research, Svalbard’s nearshore planktonic ecosystems remain poorly documented, particularly in transition zones between fjords, glacier-influenced waters, and open coastal shelves beyond the research hubs in Isfjorden and Kongsfjorden. This project addresses that gap through a low-impact Sailing4Science expedition applying plankton imaging, environmental DNA (eDNA), in-situ optical measurements, and satellite remote sensing, combined with parallel sampling of microplastics and chemical pollutants. The sailing research vessel Hrimfare provides a flexible, fossil-free platform ideally suited for nearshore Arctic research with minimal environmental footprint. Building on the DIVERSEA EU project, the expedition generates new baseline knowledge on plankton biodiversity around Svalbard while providing hands-on training for early-career researchers.
Sailing & Science
Opportunities & Duties
NAVIGATION, PLANNING AND STEWARDSHIP
As much as we have a professional crew (skipper, first mate, watch leaders) with formal responsibilities for safe navigation, we love for you to be part of the sailing – including the weather forecasts, passage planning, navigation pilotage, communication, and seamanship practices. We start from where you are when stepping onboard – your level of experience and your desire to learn – and welcome you to participate in the sailing, including the watches together with our professional crew. Your personal level of curiosity is a major factor in how much you get out of an expedition with us.
RESEARCH & OCEAN LITERACY
We organize unique participatory research sailing expeditions. You will meet up with professional researchers, citizen scientists and sailors. You will be in the midst of adventurous sailing, taking samples and measurements with simple and advanced scientific instruments and all onboard are invited to participate in discussions about the scientific objectives, dive into research questions and issues on how to communicate the scientific findings to a broader audience – including your community back home.
SAFETY DRILLS AND CREW CONSCIOUSNESS
Safety is always a top priority onboard, and we have a structured safety management system for you to look into. It is part of our certification and MCA classification. As part of your onboarding, we will introduce you to safety routines, life-saving appliances, and firefighting equipment etc. We also use the system for training and as educational material for crew and guests. You will find it in binders in our library and as laminated flipcard checklists to use on deck. They describe all possible emergency scenarios, but also the routine work from engine checks to reefing or heavy weather preparation and different anchoring or mooring routines. We will perform safety drills with all crew members, as it is important to build up a safety awareness and culture onboard.
RESPECTFUL BEHAVIOR IN THE ARCTIC
Keeping our footprint down to a minimum and contributing to a healthier ocean while counteracting climate change is in our DNA. You are invited to experience what that means in reality on Hrimfare. To leave no trace in the pristine Arctic region is of course, even more critical with its sensitive habitats, wildlife, and cultural heritage sites. In addition, we are sailing in top predator areas, so any field activities and especially shore landings need to be carried out with the best practice from the Svalbard governor. We will have trained personnel on polar bear deterrents and weapons training that will safeguard the shore team and communicate with our shore crew onboard. Interactions with polar bears and walruses are now very restricted.
SAILING & SOLVING PROBLEMS
Sailing with us means that you will learn something new every day. The concept to invite sailors, students, and scientists has proven to be a success, and we have learned that sailing with a purpose adds inspiring values for all onboard. We welcome curiosity and the willingness to share experiences and to learn more by doing. We also know that being attentive to any occurring issues is key to successful expeditions, and addressing issues and challenges before they become a problem makes life easier onboard. Skip Novak, one of the world’s most legendary sailors, says: “Pelagic Expeditions are designed for those with a spirit of adventure and willingness to participate in all aspects of life on board. Everyone contributes to watchkeeping, sailing, and domestic duties. Teamwork and positive attitude are essential to a successful voyage.”
SOCIALIZING, COOKING & ONBOARD DUTIES
The atmosphere on board Hrimfare is known to be friendly and open. We sail, live, and work together in a tiny home on water. That means sharing twin cabins with a limited space for personal luggage and a limited time alone amongst new people. So, your social competence may be challenged at times, and it is important that we all try to contribute to the spirit and adventure we are all a part of. At breakfast, or at watch changes, we discuss the plan for the day, and at the evening dinner or watch change, we debrief together on the ups and downs during the day and discuss what can be improved. Cooking, cleaning and “household” maintenance is shared by all persons onboard as well as duties on deck while sailing and moorings.
Eat & Sleep
Welcome onboard!
Hrimfare, a Challenge 67 yacht, was built in 1990 and has sailed in the world’s toughest race around the world four times – against the prevailing winds and currents. She is one (in a series of ten) of the safest steel sailing yachts ever built and has been extensively renovated between 2016-2025 in Sweden at a shipyard. The design at the time was made with safety and speed as top priorities. We have updated her with more, new comfortable features – removed the hanging lee-births’s and built more comfortable ones, installed new toilets, added better lights and charging possibilities and updated the saloon and galley. We have also made space available for research, dry and wet labs. So, if you are not expecting a 5-star luxury hotel/yacht standard, we believe you will be fine and safe onboard.
Sailing & Science
Yacht, crew...
Yacht: Challenge 67 Hrimfare – one in the series of the toughest steel racing yachts ever built. Newly renovated. More
Safety: Classified "Unlimited" by MCA (Certified for all waters, including ice areas in the Arctic and Antarctica. More
All crew have a medical certificate for seafarers and STCW Basic Safety certification.
Professional skipper: Minimum RYA or IYT Yachtmaster Offshore or Ocean, commercially endorsed with STCW First Aid, Medical Care, and Basic Marine Engineer certificate.
First mate: Experienced sailors with a minimum IYT Master's of Yacht Limited or RYA Yachtmaster Offshore commercial endorsement certification
MARTIN HASSELLÖV
SKIPPER, FOUNDER
RANI HASSELLÖV
DECKHAND, PURSER
JENS MARKLUND
SKIPPER, 1st MATE
BJORN BERTOFT
WATCHLEADER, COMMUNICATION
MAGNUS LARSSON
1st MATE, WATCHLEADER
BENGT LILJEBLAD
WATCHLEADER
...and scientists.
PROF MURAT V ARDELAN Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Dept of Chemistry and Biomedical Science
PROF MARTIN HASSELLÖV
University of Gothenburg,
Dept of Marine Sciences,
Particle characterization
MSC LOUISE GÜNZEL
Norwegian University of Science and Technology,
Dept of Chemistry,
Microbial biodiversity
PROF JOAQUIM TINTORÉ SUBIRANA
University of Balearics,
Physical Oceanography
DR GLAUCIA MOREIRA FRAGOSO
SINTEF OCEAN, Plankton Ecology, Biodiversity
DR NICOLAS SANCHEZ
PUERTO
Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Dept of Chemistry,
Marine Biogeochemistry
DR CYNTHIA SASSENROTH
University of Gothenburg,
Dept of Earth Sciences,
Geomorphology
ASSIST. PROF ANDREAS GONDIKAS
University of Piraeus,
Particle geochemistry
DR BENGT LILJEBLADH University of Gothenburg, Dept of Earth Sciences,
Physical Oceanography
DR KARIN MATTSSON, University of Gothenburg, Dept of Marine Sciences, Microplastics
DR BENGTKARLSSON SMHI, Plankton ecologist, Biological oceanographer
BJORN BERTOFT
Citizen Scientist, Communicator
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