The past weeks have been marked by important milestones and inspiring encounters in schools.
A very personal highlight was Alegra’s confirmation on May 10 – a meaningful moment for our family and just 8 days before her 15th birthday.
On the same day, Sabine and Dario celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary together with friends.
This double celebration once again reminded us how important cohesion, trust, and shared values are – the very foundations that also guide our expedition.
At the same time, members of TOPtoTOP were traveling across Switzerland as interview partners for the International Ocean Film Tour, with stops in Winterthur, Zurich, Lucerne, Lausanne, Geneva, Aarau, and Basel, reaching a wide audience with our message.
Shortly after, another major milestone followed: Andri successfully completed his Matura. We are very proud of his achievement and happy to see him moving forward into the next chapter.
Just after the celebration, he was once again jogging with his friends. A very big thank you to all of the Stiftsschule Engelberg for the love and support in this 6 years.
Once again, we encountered a true TOP example: the historic Union Hotel in Øye provided us with bicycles. We cycled through the impressive fjord landscape to Hellesylt, where an innovative hydrogen production plant built by pioneer Knut Flakk is located. Initiatives like this clearly demonstrate how sustainable solutions can be developed and implemented locally.
Our school visits in the Ålesund region remain a core part of our mission. In Sæbø, we gave a presentation, after which the students visited our expedition vessel. Due to the rain, all 40 students ended up inside the boat at the same time – a new record and a lively exchange in a very compact space.
On the island of Godøya, in the village of Alnes, we participated in a coastal clean-up. Our next step there will be to visit the local school, further strengthening the link between hands-on action and education.
In Søvik, we took the opportunity to check our new Nanni engine at NOGVA in preparation for the major upcoming leg towards Antarctica. At the same time, we welcomed more school classes on board, who were able to witness live how we installed our new solar panels on deck.
Since mid-May, our crew has been joined by our friend Birgit Christen, a high school teacher from Tyrol. Her experience in education greatly enriches our school visits, but was also a plus for our kids. A special thank you also goes to our friends Helge and Aina in Langevåg for their warm hospitality, and to Kåre, who organized an excellent fishing reel for Vital.
Between stunning fjords, intensive school visits, and personal milestones, we are constantly reminded how closely local experiences and global responsibility are connected.
Our journey continues: in about a week, we will leave Norway and sail towards Northern Scotland, Ireland, and the Azores – ready for new encounters, challenges, and further TOP examples on our way to more schools further South towards Antarctica.