Description
Hi, my name is Elin and I am the leader of a non-profit association that takes care of a traditional Norwegian fishing boat. Our mission is to take care of the boat and operate the boat so people can experience now and in the future what life did look like on a fishing boat in Arctic Norway. With the help of friends and volunteers, we do restoration & maintenance work on this fishing vessel. Because we are a charity organisation we are not allowed to sell fish for commercial purposes, sell trips or events. For funding our non-profit organisation we do regularly free trips with the people that donate or want to donate (for charity) to our organisation. Also in return, we serve them free seafood that we catch, prepare and serve to our donors. Next to that, we learn the kids of our donors how to fish. You can help us with taking care of our donors and friends, the boat and publicity.
Types of help and learning opportunities
DIY and building projects
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
You can learn a lot about boats, maintenance, woodwork, electrics and other technical things. In general, you can learn a lot about Norwegian culture and more specifically the (rough) life of people living in a fishing community in the north. If you want to upgrade your level of English we can help you with that. No problem to teach you some Norwegian language. You will have plenty of possibilities to explore the beautiful nature around us and maybe see some northern lights during autumn and winter.
Help
We are looking for people that can help restore and maintain a 48 feet traditional Norwegian fishing boat from 1948. The boat is named LIV and means LIFE in English. You need to have some handyman skills and feel comfortable with tools. The help that needs to be done is inside (interior) and outside. The restoration and maintenance involve cleaning, sanding, painting, working with epoxy, construction work, assisting with electrical projects (if you know something about that). Next to that, you can help us with sea-food meals (for our donors), hospitality work when we have guests (donors) on board and assisting in running free boat trips with our donors (non-commercial). The boat is located north of the Arctic Circle in an area named Vesterålen in northern Norway.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Norwegian bokmål: Fluent
This host offers a language exchange
This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
You can contact them directly for more information.
Accommodation
You will stay partly on our boat and in a house with views over the fjords and a beach. We will provide breakfast and dinner for you can help us with preparing food. Note that the climate in the Arctic is sometimes harsh and life on a boat is stripped down to the essentials. There is good mobile 4G coverage here but no WiFi onboard. There is a food shop close to the boat and a library where you can work, study and use the free WiFi. We have a no-smoking policy. So if you smoke this is not your place.
What else ...
If you are an outdoor person you have plenty possibilties to explore the nature and fjords of the Vesterålen. For instance hiking some trails or a mountain, go fishing or do some kayaking. There are buses a few times a day that can take you to nature areas further away and to the closest city (Sortland). A bit further away in Andoya you can book boat trips to observe whales and birds. There is plenty of history around here if your interested in that (including small museums and galleries).
A little more information
- Internet access
- Limited internet access
- We have pets
- We are smokers
- Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week