LOFOTEN WINTER SAIL

22-30 March 2027’

Lofoten Winter Sail W/Jess Wandering

After the success of our Lofoten Sail & Summit missions last year, we decided to return to Lofoten for the winter. This is a small-group sailing expedition into this enchanted Arctic archipelago aboard a 50-metre traditional tall ship. The villages glow. Orcas move through the fjords and, when darkness falls, the Northern Lights dance overhead. One week of winter sailing, spectacular Arctic landscapes, wildlife encounters, cozy fishing towns, the largest wooden tall ship in Europe and warm evenings aboard. Winter in Lofoten, as it ought to be.

Svolvær → Lofoten → Svolvær
12 guests · 6–8 crew · Snow · Wintery vibes · Northern Lights · Orcas & Arctic Wildlife · Winter Sailing · Cozy Towns · Zodiac Landings · Full Board + 🍾 + 🧀

IF that sounds good to you, here’s what to do next:

Get familiar with all of the information on this page.

Find the Zoom call scheduling window at the bottom of the page.

Apply and book a call with Your Expedition Leader Joe who will get your fully on board.

 

Lofoten Sail & Summit Mission Logistics

Reaching Lofoten is pretty straightforward, unlike our Greenland expeditions: there are flights from everywhere (pretty much) to Oslo. Once you’re in Oslo, its only a short Domestic transfer which will bring you to Svolvaer Airport (SVJ) which is right in Lofoten and there are several flights a day.

LOFOTEN WINTER SAIL. WHATS THE BIG IDEA?

Embrace the Arctic Winter

There is something rather wonderful about going north when everyone else is going south, away from the winter. We get it. We love the cold and we seek a true winter.

Lofoten in winter is precisely that. Lofoten in winter is a completely different world. Snow-covered mountains rise straight from black fjords, little fishing villages glow beneath them and the low Arctic light dresses everythign in an ethereal glow, turning an ordinary afternoon into something extraordinary.

Our days are deliberately unhurried. We sail when the weather tells us to sail, go ashore when somewhere looks irresistible, wander through small towns, take the Zodiac into quiet bays and keep our eyes on the water for whales and orcas.

Then darkness arrives, and another expedition begins. We look upwards. If the skies are clear and the aurora decides to make an appearance, there are few better places to watch it than from the deck of a tall ship somewhere among the mountains of Lofoten.

This isn’t winter to endure. This is winter to go looking for.

Live Decadently and Carefree with us!

The colder it is outside, the more cozy life aboard becomes.

Sometimes you need an experience that will shake the tree of your existence. That’s why we don’t do things by half measures, pursuing a bon vivant lifestyle even at 68° North. Champagne, port, cheese, poetry and other delicacies accompany a full-board service from our full-time chef. The bread is fresh, the coffee is hot and the liquids flow. All very civilised, and deliberately decadent.

After a day among snowy mountains, fishing villages and Arctic seas, there is something deeply satisfying about stepping back aboard, taking off your coat and knowing that dinner is being prepared.

And unlike some sailing adventures, you do not “become” the crew. You are not the crew and you will not have a “watch” unless you want to have one. We have a full-time professional crew for that. Your job is considerably simpler: come prepared to explore, eat well, drink well and enjoy the ride.

We cannot rest from adventure, and we intend to drink life to the lees.

Ship Life Happy Life

There is a particular magic to waking up on a ship in winter.

You go to bed with one mountain outside your window and wake with another. While you sleep, eat, read or sit around the table with a glass of something good, the ship can carry us onwards through Lofoten.

That changes the way we experience these islands. We aren’t tied to roads, hotels or the same handful of places everybody can drive to. Our home moves with us. A remote anchorage can become tonight’s address; tomorrow morning we can launch the Zodiac, step ashore somewhere entirely different and begin again.

And when the weather turns Arctic, there is no need to fight it. Sometimes the best place in Lofoten is exactly where you are: aboard a big wooden sailing ship, somewhere among the mountains, watching winter happen outside.

Go Looking for the Unexpected

We can tell you where we’re starting. We can tell you where we’re finishing. What happens in between is where things get interesting.

Winter in Lofoten rewards flexibility. Orcas do not make appointments. The Northern Lights certainly don’t. Weather moves through the mountains, the sea changes character and occasionally something appears on the horizon that makes whatever we had planned five minutes ago suddenly seem rather unimportant.

So we keep our plans loose and our eyes open.

We might spend the morning sailing in search of wildlife, the afternoon wandering through a tiny fishing village and the evening eating dinner aboard while snow falls outside. Then somebody spots a green glow through the window and everyone is suddenly pulling coats back on and heading for the deck.

That’s the point. We aren’t coming to Lofoten to follow an itinerary. We’re coming to see what winter gives us.

The Best of Both (Night & Day) Worlds

Here’s something you might not expect about winter in Lofoten: it’s not actually that dark in March!

By the time we arrive, the long Polar Night is well behind us, and the Arctic sun has returned in earnest. We have plenty of daylight to sail between snow-covered mountains, explore little fishing villages, go looking for orcas and stop for the occasional cinnamon roll. But this isn’t ordinary daylight. The sun hangs low over the horizon, bathing the mountains and fjords in the most extraordinary shades of gold, pink and blue.

And then, wonderfully, we still get the night.

As darkness falls, the lights come on in the little harbours, the windows glow, and life aboard becomes wonderfully cosy. The champagne is poured, dinner is served and we keep one eye on the sky. Because March is still Northern Lights season, and if the weather and the heavens cooperate, we might find ourselves back on deck beneath the Aurora Borealis.

Long days to explore. Dark nights to dream. And a warm wooden ship to come home to.

We think that’s a perfect combination.

YOUR HOSTS FOR LOFOTEN WINTER SAIL

Expedition Leader Joe

Welcome, curious explorer! Joe here

My affinity for the Arctic & Polar Regions has no limits. Through my lens and many years of exploration, I have honed the artful skill of curating positive and purposeful experiences which I take great joy in sharing with fellow explorers.

I pursue a gratuitous and exuberant expedition leading style. I believe fervently in enjoying myself and fomenting an atmosphere of merriment and jubilation with my expedition parties. I strive to use my expedition time on the most remote and unique places and experience, but I’m always ready for whatever nature has lined up for me. I am always there for my people.

For me, seducing the spirits of fellow explorers and sharing in the wonders of the Arctic is my eternally-repeatable aim. Bringing people together with a common passion has always been my favourite thing: there’s a special energy in this that I have never found anywhere else.⁣

Arctic wildlife enthusiast, storyteller, photographer and filmmaker 

Hi, I’m Jess! I’m a travel photographer and storyteller, and over the past decade I’ve had the privilege of exploring some of the world’s most remote and awe-inspiring places. But as meaningful as documenting these experiences has been, there’s something even more powerful about living them in real time, alongside others.

This will be my 3rd sailing trip with Great Exped, and what draws me to Lofoten in winter is the atmosphere: snow-covered mountains rising straight from the sea, tiny fishing villages glowing in the darkness, orcas moving through the fjords and, if we’re lucky, the Northern Lights dancing above us. There’s a special kind of magic in spending the day out exploring and then returning to the warmth and comfort of our ship.

This expedition isn’t about rushing from one sight to the next. It’s about slowing down, following the weather and the light, and seeing what winter in Lofoten brings us. My hope is that you come home with incredible photographs and unforgettable memories, but more importantly, with the feeling that for one week you stepped away from everyday life and experienced somewhere extraordinary.

WE ARRANGE

  • Accommodation on board, incl. bedding & towels

  • All meals, snacks, tea and coffee throughout.

  • Expedition champagne and port supply.

  • Expedition Cheese Supply

  • Usage of the ship’s cigar humidor

  • Onboard sauna

  • All hikes ashore

  • All zodiac excursions

  • Educational and Informational services from the Expedition Leader and crew

  • Port surcharges, permits and landing fees

  • Photography guidance and tuition in-the-field, as-we shoot

  • Editing session on board in the salon upon request

YOU ARRANGE

  • Your flights to and from Svolvær, Norway

  • Additional Alcoholic beverages beverages on board (outside of champagne and port form the expedition supply)

  • Personal travel & health insurance

  • Crew gratuities (entirely discrentionary)

  • Personal equipment and gear for the expedition

DETAILS

  • Dates: 

    • MARCH 21-29

  • Berths: 12

  • Cost:

    • €5,995

    • 25% deposit payable to secure your spot, with balance finalised 90 days before departure

  • Starts: Svolvær, Norway

  • Ends: Svolvær, Norway

TAKE A TOUR OF OUR SHIP, S/V LINDEN!

S/V Linden is undeniably a swoon-worthy vessel.  This elegant 50 meter three-masted tall ship captures everyones attention as she glides on the polar seas. Built in 1993, as a modern take on the original Linden from 1923, she has been sailing for more than thirty years around the northerly seas

Linden will host us in her bright and comfortable main saloon, where you can watch the waves roll by. Accommodation is made up of 6 twin bunk-style cabins. Day to day life on board is exciting yet easy-going: we will discuss the upcoming route over a hearty breakfast, plan our days activities, share life experiences and keep our binoculars close to hand as we scout for wildlife.

There is, of course, a well-sized sauna on board, which will be the perfect refuge after a polar-plunge!

OUR PEOPLE MEAN EVERYTHING TO US. MEMORIES FROM YEARS PAST.