Norwegian Sailor Jarle Andhoy Arrested In Chile

A few weeks back I posted a story about Norwegian sailor Jarle Andhoy who had illegally sailed into the Antarctic for the second year in a row and ran into trouble again as well. At the time of that story, Andhoy's latest ship, a yacht named Nilaya, was believed to be running low on food and fuel and attempting to limp towards an Argentinian port with a broken mast. Today we get word that Andhoy and his crew were taken into custody by Chilean officials who came across his boat in open waters.

Andhoy set out from New Zealand in January without proper permits and insurance to operate in the Southern Ocean. That didn't exactly endear him to Kiwi officials, especially since last year he pulled the same move and three people died. The self-described "Viking" went there illegally to ride ATV's to the South Pole, but while he and another man were on the Antarctic continent, a freak storm sunk his ship, the Berserk, killing the three people who were still on board. Jarl claimed that he was returning to the region to search for signs of the boat this year.

In February, the crew decided to give up that search but didn't want to sail back to New Zealand where they could face possible arrest. Instead they tried to make their way to Argentina, where they felt they could safely go ashore. They hadn't been heard from in several weeks and their last messages indicated they were experiencing issues with the boat and were seeking assistance at an Argentine base in Antractica. A base that was believed to have little or no staff at that time.

There are conflicting reports as to why Andhoy and his crew were detained. NZ officials say that they didn't ask Chile to arrest the men and it doesn't appear that Norway reached out to them either. Chilean authorities report that the skipper gave false names for both himself and the ship when it was approached, which led to them being stopped and taken to the naval base at Puerto Williams.

When they set out in January they did so with such haste that they didn't even allow a mechanic, who was on board making repairs at the time, to leave the vessel. As a result, that man found himself on a 2+ month long excursion in some of the more dangerous seas on Earth.

I'm happy to hear that the entire crew is safe and sound, but quite frankly I hope Andhoy is never issued a sailing permit again. He has shown a reckless disregard for the rules and regulations for sailing in the Southern Ocean and he is very lucky that no one else, him included, lost their lives this time out either.

Thanks to Outside Online for the tip.

Norwegian Sailor Runs Into Trouble In The Antarctic Again!

Remember that Norwegian sailing ship called Berserk that sunk off the coast of Antarctica last year? The ship was operating in the Southern Ocean without proper permits when a major storm hit the region. Three crew members lost their lives in the accident, although the captain of the vessel, Jarle Andhoey, was actually on the Antarctic continent at the time. He and another man were attempting to travel illegally to the South Pole on ATV's and were unaware of the sinking of their ship until later. When he and his companion were later rescued, Andhoey faced a criminal investigation back in Norway and was ultimately fined $5000 for not having the proper permits or insurance to operate near Antarctica.

Fast forward a year and Andhoey seems to be up to his old tricks. According this story on Jon Bowermaster's website, the Norwegian sailor has returned to the Antarctic once again this year and has once again run into trouble. As of this writing, no one has seen or heard from Andhoey and his crew for nearly a week. One of the crew members did phone home to his wife using a satellite phone a few days back and reported that the ship had broken a mast and was out of diesel fuel and food, but after that there has been no direct contact with the vessel. A legal representative of Andhoey later confirmed that the ship, a 52-foot yacht named Nilaya, was in trouble and was attempting to make its way to an Argentinian base on Antarctica to seek help.

What exactly was this self-proclaimed "Viking" doing back in Antarctic waters this year? He claims he was headed back to conduct his own search for the Berserk, the ship that went missing a year ago. Of course, he was also once again operating without proper permits or insurance, which prompted officials from Norway to alter the authorities in New Zealand to keep their eyes peeled for the Nilaya.

As Jon reports in his story, Andhoey and his crew found no trace of the Berserk and were apparently attempting to reach Cape Horn and what they thought would be potential safety from prosecution in Argentina. Those waters are treacherous this time of year however and it seems that the ship has once again run into trouble and now one is sure of its whereabout at this time.

Back in January I had read about Andhoey's return to the Southern Ocean and his search for his missing ship. I had also read that he was most likely entering those waters illegally once again. At the time, I didn't want to give the guy any more publicity than he had already received. Of course, I didn't think that he could possibly run into trouble again this year, but apparently his reckless nature knows no bounds. If he were sailing solo I would simply chalk this up as someone who was too careless for his own good and say that he is only getting one he deserves. But Andhoey keeps putting the lives of others in danger as well and he may now be responsible for the deaths of several more people. If they do find him and his crew alive and adrift off the coast of Antarctica, I hope they make sure that he never sails anywhere again.

Video: Rocking and Rolling On The Southern Ocean

The Drake Passage is one of the most notoriously treacherous bodies of water in the world. Sitting between the southern tip of South America and the Shetland Islands of Antarctica, it is a dividing line of sorts between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Because of its unique geographical location, it has been known to see some incredibly bad weather, which can make sailing through those waters a precarious affair.

Recently, ski guide Kent McBride experienced this first hand when he was returning from an expedition to the Antarctic in which he, and some teammates, skied a variety of locations in the region. After finishing up that excursion, the team was on its way back to Chile, when they caught out in the Drake Passage when things began to get a bit dicey. You can see the results in the video below, which show the waters there rolling dramatically, while we're informed that the wind gusts are topping out the Beaufort Scale, which is a ranking between 1 and 12 that indicates the force and danger of the winds. In this case, the ship was experiencing a 12 on that scale, which is hurricane force.

You can read more about Kent's adventures over at the Born Out There Blog, which is the official blog of First Ascent gear.

Warning: If you're prone to sea sickness, this video may be enough to put you over the edge.