“It was a test of patience and a continuous battle against the weather, but the moment I stepped onto the Havila Capella, it felt like everything was turned upside down“

Johan Toverud Jensen, a citizen of Oslo and former senior adviser at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has recently returned from his second great adventure journey. His first adventure took place 37 years ago in Peru, where he successfully climbed the 2,430-meter-high mountain Manchu Pichu. While the mountain climb highlighted his youthful vigor, his recent bike ride along the Norwegian coast symbolised the celebration of his transition from working life to retirement.

“I hadn't really seen a lot of the Norwegian coast before, and I had never been up north beyond Bodø. But since I'm still in pretty good shape for cycling, I thought it would be a great chance to explore the parts of the country that I haven't seen much of. Plus, I've always had a fondness for going on trips“, Johan explained.

On May 10 of this year, Johan embarked on a 28-day journey from Lindesnes in the southmost part of Norway. Despite encountering persistent northwesterly winds (occasional gale-force winds), temperatures near freezing, and precipitation ranging from rain to hail and snow, the 69-year-old managed to cycle approximately ten kilometers per day.

“The coast of Helgeland and the roads in Troms and Finnmark were wet, cold, and super windy. When I reached the North Cape and crossed some of the bridges between the islands, I had some intense experiences with strong winds“, he recalled.

Upon reaching the North Cape plateau, Johan encountered such severe weather that hitchhiking with tourists in a motorhome became the only option to return to Honningsvåg on that particular day.

Caught a Ride with Havila Voyages

Fortunately, Johan had decided to hitchhike for his journey back, even though he had not made any specific plans for his homeward trip. He shared this during an interview on the national radio show "Godt selskap" ("In Good Company") on June 6, the very same day he reached his final destination, the North Cape".  “I was hoping to catch a ride on a boat that was heading south along the Coastal Route from Honningsvåg“, he mentioned in the interview.

Shortly after that, Havila Voyages contacted Johan to inform him that the coastal cruise ship Havila Capella would be making a stop at Honningsvåg on June 9. They extended an invitation to Johan to join them and travel north to Kirkenes before the ship set sail south again. Johan happily accepted the offer and expressed his desire to continue the journey down to Trondheim on board the ship.

“When we heard about Johan, we were truly impressed by the incredible journey he had accomplished. It didn't take us long to offer him a memorable voyage heading south“, said Lasse A. Vangstein, the Communications and Marketing Director at Havila Voyages. He went on, “We wanted to congratulate him on his successful career by providing him with the opportunity to comfortably explore the stunning Norwegian coast onboard the coastal route’s most modern and eco-friendly ship“.

Stepping onto Havila Capella felt like entering a whole new world for Johan.

“Everything felt different. The wind shifted and changed direction, the sun made more frequent appearances, and whenever the wind picked up, it quickly settled down again“, Johan described.

To successfully complete the demanding journey northwards, it was crucial for Johan to rest well between the challenging cycling stretches. Now, he had the luxury of sleeping all day if he wanted. However, during the journey south, Johan made it a priority to get as little sleep as possible in order to fully take in the stunning sights. These included the vast open sea, the ship elegantly navigating through narrow straits, snow-capped peaks in grand rock formations, an extraordinary archipelago, mountains dramatically plunging into the water near the ship's side, and the impressive manoeuvres of the ship as it skilfully turned within the harbour basin and between breakwaters to reach the dock.

“Furthermore, it's not an exaggeration to say that the onboard chefs went above and beyond to satisfy our taste buds", Johan summarized.