Nilaya / Berserk Missing

[Landkrabbe]

The New Zealand customs authorities and coast guard are searching for the vessel Nilaya, which is suspected to be trying to sneak its way ilegally to Antarctica with Jarle Andhøy and Samuel Massie aboard. Andhøy was in charge of the disasterous Berserk expedition which sank last year, and lacked the necessary permits from the Norwegian government. They were also uninsured. Three people are presumed dead on that expedition.

The Norwegian government notified the other parties of the Antarctic Treaty in early January 2012 that Andhøy had submitted a cursory application for going again this year, but had failed to submit any of the additional information requested (environmental impact analysis, detailed description of the purpose and equipment of the expedition, proof of insurance etc.) and they hadn't heard from him since. They suspected that Andhøy was trying to illegally travel to Antartica. Indeed the New Zealand authorities said that Andhøy had broken the law on his entry to New Zealand because he had failed to state that he has been deported from Canada. They also pointed out that it would be illegal for any vessel to leave New Zealand waters without customs clearance.

New Zealand is asking any vessels in the area to provide information on the wherabouts of the Nilaya, which may have been bought by Andhøy and might possibly have been renamed to Berserk.

Friends of Andhøy said a press release was forthcoming. His lawyer refused to say where he was. The person who has the Nilaya for sale couldn't be reached by the media.

This sort of thing gives boaters, and Norwegians, a bad name, in my opinion. At least I feel ashamed.

News story: Sea, air search for Norwegian boatie

Old threads:
Heedless Venture to Antarctica
Bærserk, Missing in Rossøy, McMurdo

[rognvald]

The sad reality is that we are experiencing the changing construct of "civilizations" where governments rather than individuals will now dictate your ability to pursue adventure within their proscribed limits of safety. There will no longer be chance, pushing one's self to his/her ultimate limits and dealing with the unknown based upon your own agenda, but rather a bureaucratic format to be precisely followed and accessbile to only a few to pursue adventure. How far would civilization have advanced if this were the case for the last 3,000 years of recorded human history?

[Hud3]

Do you really see Andhøy's stunts as "advancing civilization"?

[David_Old_Jersey]

If only he was a child woman - would be getting the full Yeehas!

[Beersmith]

From: Jarle Andhøy – BORN FREE | Bigoceans.com

The sailing vessel Berserk II, tragically lost with three crew members last year, carried the phrase BORN FREE on its mainsail. Scrawled in black spray paint, Jarle Andhøy piloted her from the Caribbean to the North West Passage, and onto Antarctica. The entire journey was fraught with bureaucratic setbacks – They’ve been after Andhøy from Canada to Norway to New Zealand. And for what? Being possessed with a restless spirit? The tragedy of the Berserk last year should never be forgotten. But I truly believe Andhøy should not suppress his energy for the sake of loss. On the contrary, he should live thrice as hard to compensate.

The Canadians are happy to have ice breakers tanking oil through their waters. They’re also happy to exploit the Arctic for money, greedily waiting for the pole to warm enough for their waters to become popular trade routes. The tentacles of government and their ‘Polar Institutes’ are also happy to pollute Antarctica with rubbish and research stations. The Australians and New Zealanders are happy to have Chinese fishermen take rare tuna and sell them to the Japanese. These same nations are equally happy to let the Japanese slaughter whales in enormous factory ships, thrashing through our last truly pristine waters.

However, they’re not happy to have Andhøy below 60 degrees south.

Yet he’s off, aboard what people are naming Berserk III, purchased in New Zealand. From what I can gather, the actual name of the vessel is SV Nilaya, and a quick bit of research pulls up a 54ft steel pilot house ketch, currently for sale within NZ waters. I’m no detective, but I’d say with a fair amount of confidence that Andhøy has purchased Nilaya, and is currently barrelling into the southern ocean, reported to have left on the 19th of January. SV Nilaya is the perfect boat for this voyage, and I hope my connections are correct. At a decent clip, Andhøy would be at the very least 500nm-800nm away by now, far beyond the reaches of anyone. The New Zealanders can search for him with their planes and navy ships, but no one is under any jurisdiction to do anything about it. He’s beyond 12nm ocean border of New Zealand territory, and he’s even outside of the Economic Exclusion Zone. I dare say Andhøy is even prepared to be iced-in this winter, as it’s very late in the season…

[rognvald]

Originally Posted by Hud3

Do you really see Andhøy's stunts as "advancing civilization"?

Hud, "stunt" is a subjective term based upon one's own values and perhaps prejudices. A stunt to one person may be a life changing experience to another. We are all hardwired differently and some people need more challenges and stimulation than others. This does not mean that anyone is "right" or "wrong," but rather that some people in life beat to a different drummer. When I mentioned advancing civilization, I think of people who have taken chances and gone against the grain of prevailing attitudes to personally enrichen their lives and ,many times, benefit society. For example, Galileo risked imminent death by controverting the Catholic Church's belief that the earth rather than the sun was the center of our universe. His journey was intellectual. When Columbus embarked from Europe both his sailors and the conventional establishment believed the earth was flat. If the government forbade his journey based upon permits or potential danger, this knowledge would have taken much longer to discover. Of course, the lure of gold helped assuage his benefactors concerns. And even the assumed madness of the great polar explorers Amundsen, Byrd, Ross and Shackelton who advanced the knowledge of our natural world and risked both life and reputation were willing to throw all caution to the wind for their personal journey that, similar to Galileo and Columbus, some would have called "stunts." There are some who believe that the "government" is created to protect and nurture people for their own best interest. And there are those who believe that government may impede Man's creativity, drive and accomplishments. Civilization has never been advanced by the many, but by the few . . . the few intelligent, daring souls who seek to push the boundaries of the human condition and experience. And, must all exploration have a utilitarian purpose that is well defined and prescribed in detail or is it still possible to explore for the sake of exploration? Let's hope there will always be an opportunity for those who seek knowledge and adventure to pursue their dreams and goals without the strong hand of government on their shoulders. And really, who is ultimately responsible for one's life? Good luck and good sailing, Ron

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Landkrabbe.

Thanks for the heads up.

[Fuss]

That boat cost over $500,000 NZ dollars....

How does he afford it, not to mention the running costs!!

This would be good to know (I'm jealous)

[Landkrabbe]

Amundsen and Nansen may have been daring, but they were meticulous planners and organizers, so comparing Andhøy to them is a bit silly. Also, Nansen, Amundsen and Scott were there not just for bragging rights but for exploration and science (oceanography, geography, biology etc.)

Andhøy submitted a cursory - i think single page - application for this voyage to the Norwegian Polar Institute, which says he's there to search for the sunken boat, lay a wreath, and perhaps go to the south pole. His motive of understanding and finding closure for last year's disaster is understandable, perhaps even commendable, but to repeat it without adequate permits, insurance and equipment is just so dumb. Why not postpone the trip for just a year so he can properly prepare?

As for what pays for these misadventures, I blame the TV stations who buy his TV-shows (The German station TVNorge, and the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK). There's some other unsafe nonsense going on in the southern ocean paid by Animal Planet - namely Sea Shepherd's activities - and last year they intersected when Steve Irwin's helicopter found Berserk II's life raft.

Andhøy has sunken two "Berserk" boats already, and gotten himself arrested and fined in a growing list of countries. I hope they stop him this time, and it's not true they can't stop him in international waters - Norwegian authority still applies over the vessel, and the Antarctic Treaty applies below 60 degrees south.

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by Hud3

Do you really see Andhøy's stunts as "advancing civilization"?

I don't know. Is he 14 years old?

[rognvald]

Originally Posted by Landkrabbe

Amundsen and Nansen may have been daring, but they were meticulous planners and organizers, so comparing Andhøy to them is a bit silly. Also, Nansen, Amundsen and Scott were there not just for bragging rights but for exploration and science (oceanography, geography, biology etc.)

Andhøy submitted a cursory - i think single page - application for this voyage to the Norwegian Polar Institute, which says he's there to search for the sunken boat, lay a wreath, and perhaps go to the south pole. His motive of understanding and finding closure for last year's disaster is understandable, perhaps even commendable, but to repeat it without adequate permits, insurance and equipment is just so dumb. Why not postpone the trip for just a year so he can properly prepare?

As for what pays for these misadventures, I blame the TV stations who buy his TV-shows (The German station TVNorge, and the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK). There's some other unsafe nonsense going on in the southern ocean paid by Animal Planet - namely Sea Shepherd's activities - and last year they intersected when Steve Irwin's helicopter found Berserk II's life raft.

Andhøy has sunken two "Berserk" boats already, and gotten himself arrested and fined in a growing list of countries. I hope they stop him this time, and it's not true they can't stop him in international waters - Norwegian authority still applies over the vessel, and the Antarctic Treaty applies below 60 degrees south.

Landkrabbe, Disregarding government sanctions, should it really matter why he wants to go and how much he plans if he chooses to accept personal responsibility for his adventure and not rely on "governments" to save him from a possible misadventure? The issue here is government intervention in peoples lives. On a personal note, I'd think I'd like Andhoy on my Longship-- a real Viking!

[LakeSuperior]

Originally Posted by Landkrabbe

Andhøy has sunken two "Berserk" boats already, and gotten himself arrested and fined in a growing list of countries. I hope they stop him this time, and it's not true they can't stop him in international waters - Norwegian authority still applies over the vessel, and the Antarctic Treaty applies below 60 degrees south.

Do you have some kind of stake in this issue?? There are a countless number of more noble causes that you could spend your time and energy on!

[Landkrabbe]

LakeSuperior, two forum posts here do not a lifetime crusade make, and there's also no reason why talking about this should get in the way of curing cancer, stopping mind-control cults, exploring interplanetary space, or whatever.

A correction to my earlier post: The laws of the flag state of the vessel would still apply, and for some things the home country has personal jurisdiction. I forgot that this "Berserk III" probably isn't Norwegian-flagged. If it's New Zealand-flagged, the flag state - or someone working as their agents - would still have the right to stop the vessel in international waters, right?

[Mr B]

Landkrabbe, why are you so interested in stopping some one else from sailing any where,

You sound like a Government agent, Are you a Bounty hunter,

Just from this thread, Andhoy can certainly sail a boat, He's been all over, Why stop him,

I think its time governments and do gooders, stepped out of running peoples personal lives for them,

[DeepFrz]

I think its time governments and do gooders, stepped out of running peoples personal lives for them,

I think that's a good line for your local rep.