Film maker John Boyle is back in another four-part series and this time he is cruising from Falmouth on his Princess V39 to Norway
Like so many good ideas, the idea to take my Princess V39 to Norway was born over a couple of pints sitting by the pub fire on a misty wet November evening.
We’d touched Africa bringing my Princess V39 Cecienne back from the Med last year, so why not do the total opposite and head towards the Arctic? Norway had never featured in my life and I knew absolutely nothing about it, even though that huge country is one of our immediate neighbours across the North Sea.
But when the pilot guide arrived from Imray, I was captivated and intrigued. While a crow flying in a straight line from the country’s most southerly to most northerly tip would cover just under 1,000 miles, the coastline of mainland, fjords and islands was over 60,000 miles long!
Described as one of the planet’s most rugged coastlines, estimates of the number of islands run to over 50,000. And the images of the fjords, mountains, wildlife and fishing villages made me wonder why I had never thought of visiting the country before.
Over many more fireside evenings with my regular crew mates Fionn and Mark, the plan became reality. While initially we had thought of aiming for the North Cape and maybe even the Russian Arctic border, reality kicked in. Fionn’s wife Rosie was expecting their first baby in June, Mark had to be back in Cornwall to reopen his beach surf shop for the summer, and I had deadlines to deliver a film.
So we decided to leave Cornwall in April as soon as the long-term forecasts looked favourable, leaving us all plenty of time to get back for our respective commitments. Our ultimate destination would be the Lofoten Islands. At 68° north, the Lofoten Islands lie well above the Arctic Circle.
Watch the video above and read the full report in the June 2017 issue of MBY.
VIDEO: Secret Cornwall – part 1
John Boyle takes to the little known hideaways of the Cornish Riviera on his Princess V39 and delves into the
VIDEO: Secret Cornwall – part 2
John Boyle takes to the little known hideaways of the Cornish Riviera on his Princess V39 and delves into the
VIDEO: Mallorca to the UK in a Princess V39 – Part One
In the first of a new video series, John Boyle sets off from Mallorca in his new Princess V39 and
VIDEO: Mallorca to the UK in a Princess V39 – Part two
A quick hop to Morocco seems too good to miss from the checkpoint of Gibraltar, homeward bound in a Princess
