From Ålesund to Lerwick – and onward toward the Hebrides

From Ålesund, we set sail for Lerwick in the Shetland Islands to officially clear into Great Britain. Thanks to our friend Jonathan, whom we first met during our previous visit to Lerwick, we were once again able to connect with a local school and continue our educational outreach.

A key milestone was finally obtaining the nautical charts that allowed us to sail further north past the Orkney Islands toward the Hebrides and Loch Nedd. There, we received a warm welcome from our friends, the MacLean Brothers, they were rowing across the full Pacific Ocean in 2025, non-stop and unsupported in 139 days, 9750 nautical miles from Lima in Peru to Cairns, Australia. Here their boat:

Their home—a small cabin surrounded by pristine nature—is an inspiring example of simple and sustainable living. With a sauna, a pizza oven, and incredible trail running routes right at their doorstep, it was the perfect place for both recovery and training.

One day, we climbed a nearby famous mountain “Quinag” and were rewarded with breathtaking views over the rugged landscape.

The MacLean Brothers and their partners live a consciously simple life: with a compost toilet, an organic vegetable garden, and a daily routine closely connected to nature.

However, we discovered that their drinking water source had been contaminated by the many sheep grazing in the area. Together, we looked for a solution and contacted our water specialist, Marco Preisig from Swiss Pro in Singapore. Soon after, they were able to access clean drinking water thanks to a Swiss Pro filtration system—the same system we use on board.

At the same time, we received another important spare part: Lecomble & Schmitt sent us new carbon brushes for our autopilot, which has been operating reliably for an impressive 27 years. Thanks to Alastair from Peachment Ltd. a Nanni distributor we had the parts in no time.

Thanks also so much to Angie & Alex from the sailboat Twoflower. They became friends and helped us so much with their contacts to get our challenges solved. We can not wait to meet them again.

On our way south, however, we encountered a new challenge: our power supply began to fail. Due to darkness (no solar energy) and lack of wind, we were unable to generate electricity. We had to switch to emergency navigation lights and carefully manage the remaining battery power to ensure safe navigation. We eventually identified the cause: the pulley and the cooling fan on the alternator shaft had come loose.

In Oban, we had a warm welocme by Tim and Gilly from the Kerrrera Marina and we began the painstaking search for the missing parts. With the help of a magnet, we managed to recover them from the bilge—a small victory. However, even after reassembling everything, the generator was still not producing sufficient power. Fortunately, NOGVA responded immediately and sent replacement parts from Norway, which we hope to receive by the end of the week.

Our goal remains clear: once repairs are complete, we will set sail for the nearly 2,000 nautical miles to the Azores. Thanks to Salina, Noé and Alegra, we have a clean and fast boat, and all zincs attached again.

We are making good use of our waiting time in Oban: tonight we are giving a public talk in a bar, organizing beach clean-ups, and hoping for good weather to climb Ben Nevis—the highest mountain in Great Britain.

We are currently ten people on board. Alongside Sabine, Dario, Noé, Alegra, Mia, and Vital, Baltasar and Selma joined us in Nedd about a week ago, and today Andrina and Salina came aboard in Oban.

The journey continues—with challenges, teamwork, and a strong belief that sustainable solutions and collective action can make a real difference.