The pirates are in town

Sailing into the Stockholm means a lot of maneuvering and hard work for the skipper. The local captain’s couldn’t care less about smaller pirate ships coming in to take over the city. But our eyes was set on the goal – we were on our way to celebrate Captain Simen’s birthday.

You can probably figure that this city is one of the most expensive places we have ever taken Harry. We therefore needed to use our skills as pirate negotiators to haggle on the price in Wasa guest harbour. We ended up saving about 30 euros and decided that we needed two nights in order to overcome the very much anticipated hungover.

Looking away from the fact that absolutely no one accept Euros in this supposed to be a member of EU-country, we managed to scrape together the cash for a decent birthday meal for the adventurous and highly likable, not to mention extremely handsome, Captain Simen. We went Italian and the food perfect. One of the servers as very nice, the other one probably hated life in general. But we had our great time before seeking out the cheapest bar downtown Stockholm.

Back in FF Harry we was by a bottle of regular gin and sat down to enjoy the good sides of life. In the end Varg fell asleep on the dock while me and Simen waited around for a man from the Swedish radio to interview us. We haven’t actually heard the interview yet – but since it was live, we were high on life and gin.. I suppose it can’t be too bad of a morning interview that went out to all of the good Swedish people.

We have spent today recycling bottles and taking good care of each other. Also we got to see some of the capital in daylight before we returned to the harbour to take care of laundry.

Captain Jack

Entering the Baltic

We are currently breaking through the waves of the Baltic sea. Our journey through Göta Canal is over. We have said our goodbyes to our convoy-friends and ended our last night under a full red moon and later on the aft deck of a Russian pirate ship that were heading the other way. They came over for a chat, bringing beer while we ended our waffle-sale on the dock in order to pay for our diesel needed to get to the next port of call – Stockholm.

The view from our office.

Captain Simen is working his skills on navigating through wind, rain and Baltic waves. Varg is sleeping, trying to make sense of his stomach after knocked out by Russian pirate alcohol. I thought I would spend a second informing you about our fundraiser we have started in order to be able to purchase our new pirate ship.

We are at 13.326 Norwegian kroner. This is amazing and we are extremely happy and maybe a little ecstatic about the help and support many of you have given us! It warms our hearts to tell people we meet about our journey. We remain positive about reaching our goal on 40.000 kroner, but we still need your help, so if you have the chance to throw some change in our direction.

A shipshape ship ready for adventure.

We will highly recommend that you consider taking a trip on Göta canal. It was something we had been looking forward to all summer and was well worth the money. Also the fact that got to take the trip during the low season made everything a whole lot better. There was close to no waiting in, before or after the locks and the bridges was waiting openly for us. Riding in a convoy also invited us to get to know some great people and make new friends. Varg actually rode most of the journey with Captain Tommy and his crew. There may be two captains onboard the FF Harry but Captain Tommy was the captain of the whole convoy, which in the end counted five boats.

One of 64 locks passed.

Taking a boat through a canal is a very special feeling. We are however tired of locks and are looking forward to the next months of boating open waters. I spent a long time last night trying to figure out what the Russian pirates kept in their cargo, but this remain a secret. They did however have a bottomless bottle of Russian alcohol – which have set the paze of today. But we are heading for the Swedish capital and aim to be there Thursday morning. It should go smooth and not considering the weather it should take us about 24 engine hours.

A big shout out to everyone we met throughout both Dalslandscanal and Göta canal! It was great to meet you all. Also a big thank you to everyone who bought our pirate waffles, postcards and philosophy.

Thank you, see you soon,

Captain Jack

In the waterways of Baltzar

For a hundred years, starting in 1832 and all the way through the 1930’s and 40’s, this canal-system was Sweden’s most important route and way of transport. The system is 190 kilometers long, 87 kilometers of these was dug out by hand by 58.000 Swedish Soldiers during the 22 years it took to create us this wonderful journey, and also the shortest way for us, to Stockholm.

If you entered this site by a mistake and actually tried to find our fundraiser CLICK HERE and it will open in a new tab so you can keep reading.

FF Harry gloding through the water.

A visionary by the name of Baltzar von Platen trumped through his plan of these waterways. At the time they used bulls to pull boats through the canals – boaters paid 8 cents every thousand alen or about 594 meters. Sadly he died in 1829 and never got to make this journey by himself. We are therefore taking it upon us to make this trip for him a 186 years since it’s opening. Tonight we docked in Motala – the city of which Mr. Baltzar was buried.

Red line for the distance traveled. We are basically half way there, but tons of water has to be moved for us to hit the sea.

We are driving a convoy with two sailboats. Great people in both of them. The first is brother and sister on their way back home, after having ventured since May (just like us) The other two musicians and a real sailor of 72. Having sailed for 60 of them we feel safe about pimping out Varg this afternoon since the Musicians have to make their living. This ship is also going to Stockholm to be used for a temporary home this winter.

Varg is steerinng narrow canals for the first time.

The weather could of course be more willing, but as hard as it is to admit – the summer is over. We are looking for ways to make enough money. We have come a good way and have a lot of supporters all the way from Spain, Germany and the US, maybe a couple in Norway and hundreds in Sweden. After finishing this blog I’m heading out to track down a used waffle-iron. Maybe pirate-waffles can be a good way to attract people to buy our amazing pirate-postcards (that you’ll get for free in the mail if you support our fundraiser HERE)

Making our way forward.

I think that must be it for this little update. There is laundry to take care of, dishes to wash, a ship to clean, and garbage recycled before we leave town this afternoon.

Juno has made a habit of passing by.

Ship O’hoy,

Captain Jack

This ship can handle any storm

Two pirate aspirants joined us to explore life onboard FF Harry. Their plan was to spend a couple of days with us. They left this morning, having given us close to two weeks of their valuable time. As observant Captains it is our strong belief that they learned a bunch of new things about themselves, made some strong friendships and gained necessary knowledge about the world we live in. It wouldn’t surprise me the slightest bit if they both quit school and come back knocking in a few months.

FF Harry resting for a few hours on a small island in the middle of Vänern.

We are docked in Sjötorp. At the very start or the end of Göta Canal. This small little village seem to survive on visitors like ourselves. We are waiting for our colone to take is through this long waterway that eventually will take us to the open ocean. Tomorrow morning at 8:30 we will embark on this 5 day journey where we will average 40 kilometers every day out to the sea.

The last few days have been a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. We still need to rise quite a bit of cash for our new ship that is waiting for us a miles north of Stockholm. Many people have contributed and we are forever greatfull! At this moment we are at 11326 kroner and we have still a few weeks left before we are supposed to take over the ship. We are very confident about making this happen. But all help you can give us will take us a long way.

Please check out our fundraiser HERE and feel free to help us out with as much or a little as you can. Please don’t be shy, we really do need your help as soon as possible!

We met up with a new friend in Säffle. He had seen us from his car as we were sluicing down one of the locks of Dalslandscanal and invited us to visit his cabin for food and drinks. How could we say no.. Of course, there was this journey of crossing over from Åmål. We tried one time first but the waves was just way to high for our overloaded pirate-ship. But about four five hours and a couple of six-packs later the weather had cleared a little-bit and all we had to deal with was 1,5 meter waves and a bottle of gin. Usually we should be able to sail this distance in about an hour – we spent four hours and didn’t get into the harbour until midnight. Way too late for our friend Jens Petter.

Crewmate Varg had tried to put up his tent, but Gin decided this was good enough.

But the next morning he showed up during breakfast. The sluice was sadly closed for the season, but we left Harry alone and took a ride on Jens Petters boat. Besides: we planned to cross the infamous lake Vänern’s hard-to-ride waters at night, in hope that the winds would have calmed down enough for us to make a more pleasant crossing than the night before. We had a great time with our new friend, it was nice with a little execution with nice talks, time to reflect, good food and a plastic glass of wine.

The night crossing went well, but it took way longer than expected, so after about eight hours we decided it would be smart to rest for a few hours. We therefore made up camp on a rocky island about halfway across the lake. Of which most of we never saw anything. It was pitch dark and impossible to navigate by anything but our cellphone-draft. In the morning, after a nice little breakfast we ventured the rest of the way, and six hours later we anchored here; in Sjötorp.

The Captains prove once again, that anyone can sing.

Since the high season for the canal ended a few days ago, we are now in what is referred to as to booking season, meaning we are now waiting for our convoy, the first available. It was a little pricey, we paid 3560 kroner, about 350 euro to go all the way through. But then again, it is supposed to be an extremely beautiful journey, and we have been looking forward to it all summer long.

Best of luck to all you wonderful readers for the next few days. We’ll be back with the tale of Göta Canal as soon as possible. Probably with an update before we get all the way through.

Captain Jack

If you havent allready visited our fundraiser, this is a good time. Just click HERE and it will open in a new tab so it’s easy for you to keep reading ; )

Another chapter is over

We have gone through all of the Dalslands Canal. As per usual pirates work very hard wherever they go. This time it’s for real. We have to come up with 4000 euros within a couple of week in order to afford the ship we kind of already bought. In between putting up a little pirate show and selling our amazingly fantastic postcards (that all contributors get in the mail) we are trying to enjoy the wonderful nature we pass by. I’m happy to report that all our hard work, campaigning and show-making is paying off. We are at this moment at 9266 kroner (920 euro), meaning; we are a quarter of the way to our goal. And the nature is breathtaking.

Varg enjoying time on deck.

After weeks of working 14 hour days, 5 days a week it is nice to spend some time enjoying just transiting through Sweden. We do after all get to see some of the most beautiful nature northern Europe ever can come up with. The people are friendly, the weather is not what it has been all summer, but then – we are finally not being fried to crispy human bacon or washed out totally.

Captain Jack and Captain Simen talking to the lockkeeper.

The crew of five have been enjoying the journey these last couple of days. We have eaten well and gone through some very special waterways. So far the aqueduct in Håverud is probably the most special – it’s not everyday we get to drive FF Harry over a water-bridge. However, there is a lot of beautiful places to sluice in this now 150 year old waterway. And if you ever have the chance we highly recommend making the trip.

Waiting at the very top of the Håverud locks.

Tonight we stay in Åmål. The chapter of Dalslands Canal is over. Next we’ll head for Göta Canal. But not until we are rested and ready to continue. Also, two of our crew members, Lone and Snorre, are disembarking in Åmål. Tomorrow morning they will sadly be gone. They are continuing with their second year at a Folkehøgskole in Hadeland. Left to take care of our ship will be me, Simen and Varg. I’m sure we’ll be fine, but we’ve had a great time with this crew. There is plenty of great moments to look back on. More and new crew is also joining in the near future – very much needed to help sell all the postcards we need for our new pirate ship.

One of the locks ready for FF Harry

It’s always a little sad whenever a chapter is closing in. Lucky for us – this is not the end of the story. So feel free to follow our journey, the blog and also on instagram. Add us to see pictures, check this site once in a while for updates and if interested you also find us on snapchat and Simen is still on facebook.

Both Captains smiling at the same time.

 

As you probably know by now, we do need your help to fund our new ship. We are in touch with a friend and fellow pirate you can read more about further down the page, a French freethinker that has spent most of his life, over 30 years in India – but also 18 years sailing the seas. He will most likely come with us to teach us the basics of sailings, even though he crashed his own ship into some big rocks in India. Read about our first meeting with Marc and his brother Patrick in one of our first blogs.

Snorre taking a selfie again.

Now, if you are able to help out with 1 euro, maybe 10? Basically anything you want would be very much appreciated. THIS IS THE LINK TO OUR GOFUNDME

Have a great weekend!

Much love from all of us onboard!

♡ @jackmikkel ♡ @simengeorg ♡ @vargvagabond ♡

+ Lone and Snorre

How to get to Stockholm

We are finally on our way. It’s not easy for pirates to wake up at seven in the morning, just to pack and get their asses on the ship. It would of course be easier if they all woke up on a bigger vessel – and that will happen in a few weeks. For now we have just left the secret Pirate Bay for the last time this season, gone through our first three locks in Lennartsfors and are motoring our way down Lake Lelång. The crew have had enough coffee for a small army, and we are ready for adventure!

Varg, Lone and Snorre fighting the powers of sleep.

Yesterday we first spent a great time saying our goodbyes in Töcksfors. We’ve made several good friends during the summer. The little village has been very good to us, and it has been a great place to stock up for our pirate supermarket, have a beer or two, charge our batteries and spend some time in more social areas whenever needed. We may be a little tired of huge shopping centers and overcrowded parking lots – Being followed by security guards and seeing garbage piled up in any corner, ditch or sidewalk, that’s what civilization will give you.

But the people have been nice. The Töckforsians proved to be reliable kind of humans. Very friendly and always with big smiles and interest in strangers.

Joe’s Diner at the mall gave us a goodbye iscream-meal with Belgium waffles gift. Thank you.

The crew at the moment counts five as we head for our first bigger stop; Vänern. To get there we will have to pass twenty-four locks. Not cheap, the whole ordeal costs 260 Euro. A little more than we want to spend right now. But on the other side we have known this for months and also, our fundraiser is starting to pick up. As this is being written we have 3371 kroner funded. It’s still a long way to go before we hit 40.000 (4000 euros) but we have faith! “Yes, yes” you say “don’t buy a sailboat if you can’t afford it!” But we have to, the crew is in need of indoor accommodation and also Harry is not fit to sail on open water.

This said, please don’t hesitate about lending us a hand here. If you can only give 1 euro that’s a big big help and also thank you for showing us your support. Remember that all who donates will receive a postcard, hand-drawn of FF Harry by Mathilda Höjdemo, in the mail.

PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK TO THE FUNDRAISER

There is also other ways to help us:

Paypal to: jack.revheim@gmail.com

Direct transfer to Norwegian bank: 1202.33.61858

Vipps: 40468611

If none of these works for you – please contact us. We’ll find a way! And thank you SO much to those who allready contributed to make THIS happen:

But first of all, we want to have a great adventure venturing through the canals of Sweden. Most of the crew has never visited the Swedish Capital and we are also expecting more crew to join us in a week or two. For now, we are all very excited to be on our way.

FF Harry relaxing behind Lily before entering our first lock of this epic journey.

Next port of call: Billingsfors.

Captain Jack

#ffharry

It’s Sunday. The last one we have in Pirate Bay at least as of this year. As per usual I have some time to write before the other pirates wake up – demanding coffee and breakfast. The wind is a bitch today and since it’s no fun being outside right now I found the time to reflect on the people met and the pictures taken this so far on this life changing adventure we have embarked on. 

Now, before writing any further, I want to ask for your help. We will of course find a way for us to go on, but we really want to expand and make space for all of our pirates onboard. In order for us to do this as soon as possibly and most neccesary before winter shows up – We have found our new pirate-ship. It’s not a whole lot bigger and in all modesty very cheap. We have started a fundraiser on GoFundMe and I ask in the most possible humble way if you may be able to contribute with what you can. There is no shame in 50 cents, every single bit helps. So please follow this link: THIS BLUE TEXT IS THE LINK to read more about the campain. Everyone that helps out will get a special postcard of FF Harry, made by a local artist, Mathilda Röjdemo from Töcksfors. Just make sure you send us your adress 🙂 If you want to contribute more directly please don’t hesitate to contact either me, Captain Jack, or the handsome Captain Simen.

When we started our journey from Fredrikstad, Norway in May – there wasn’t much of a plan. Other than finding a place to put up our camp, plant some vegetables and figure it out on the way. Three months later we have made hundreds of friends, taken thousands of pictures, became somewhat of a famous ship on the lake, and as it turned out – we found our calling as holistic pirates.

Throughout the weeks past, the crew have shifted as pirates have had time to join us. Some have flown in from the great far north, traveled 3000 kilometers just to be with us. Others came paddeling straight into our very own, and may I say, very well hidden Pirate Bay.

We have arranged full moon parties, other huge parties and we have been the township for canoeists stuck in the wind. We have hunted away people from illegal bird sanctuary islands, been the nose and eyes for the fire department on the water during a fire – and arranged for an ambulance at several occasions. In a way, I’m proud to say, we have been pirate rangers. The main goal has allays been to make sure that as many as possible, us included, had a great experience at Lake Foxen this summer.

We have had a great time with many of the locals and we have made the #ffharry something to be proud of. There is of course a lot of people to thank in the process and you are of course all on our list for the special postcard hand-drawn and printed just for friends of FF Harry and his Captains with crew. (I would love to show you the postcard, but it’s way to exclusive to be printed as a digital copy.)

As you probably know by now, we are setting the course toward the Swedish capital very soon. It has been a blast on Foxen, but I would be lying if I said that we are not looking forward to new places, new people and new experiences. We are after all a holistic research vessel before the pirates we have been known to be. We will of course keep sailing our very own handmade pirate-flag. But this journey is about more than piracy. It’s about living life as interesting as possible. And in a way where we can connect with great people, learn from your culture and hopefully give you a wonderful experience back.

The pirate supermarket is closed. We worked 14 hour days, 6 days a week. The poor engine has really proved it was up to the test and that we can trust it for many miles more. The money made is just enough to get us to Stockholm. You can just imagine the price for the whole ride: there is 11 Euro for each lock – 64 of them, then diesel, oil and food for the crew. I want to say especially a big thanks to all of you that used the Pirate Supermarket, and know that the money is going to be well spent.

This brings us back to our fundraiser. This is a friendly request – not an order from the Captains. We could really, really, really use your help. Our hopefully new ship is located just north of Stockholm. We have a long journey ahead of us, and as a Captain I would feel much better about taking our crew on this journey in a tiny-bit bigger boat. One with sails that is. One where can all sit inside to eat and sleep. Not having to cook on the engine-top would also be a big step in the right direction. The autumn rains and the colder winds are also going to make this hard for us unless we upgrade in the near future.

All the pictures in this post is from Instagram and the hashtag #ffharry. Thank you to all photographers! If nothing else it would be awesome if you followed our hashtag, this blog and jackmikkel + simengeorg on instagram. Also, if you have any great memories with us, it would be fantastic if you posted them under the hashtag #ffharry on Instagram. We would love to bring you with us to the next chapters of this adventure. Also we are still going to host the Foxenfestival outside Lübeck, Germany where we invite all we have met, will meet and friends of friends to a nice get-together when we get there. Stay connected to get the exact time and place!

For good measure HERE is the link to our crowdfunding one more time 🙂 Don’t worry, it will open in a new tab so you can keep reading about our amazing adventures so far.

All the best from the Captains,

Jack and Simen

 

Pirates to the rescue

The winds were in charge yesterday. It’s the first time both captains ordered life-jackets on deck. The waves measured 1,5-2 meters and the canoeists didn’t stand a chance. Lucky bucky, it didn’t rain – the only issue was a little crisp wind from the south east of 47 km/h. This would of course be fine if we didn’t get stuck on a reef in the middle of it all – But all went well. During the day we had three rescue missions and one big transport back to the redcoats base-camp – before our own safe return to Pirate Bay.

This windstuck policeman managed to take a swim in the storm and sink his canoe before we returned him to friends. Foto: Snorre

The ducklings have grown up. I’m not actually sure if they have been mentioned in the blog, but there has been a couple of flocks around the bay which has now grown up to be big birdies. I am happy to report just saw them well and healthy when I ate my morning apple a few minutes ago.

FF Harry drifting for the sunset. Foto by Instagram: expl0re_n4ture

Our shop is temporary closed. There is way to much stuff to handle before our departure in a few days. We are planning a trip to Tøcksfors on probably Monday. There is a couple of packages waiting for us, a pirate to pick up, and food need to be stocked for the journey ahead. But before this happens – camp need to be pretty much closed down for the winter.

Lone and Snorre – pirate recruits

Lucky for us, we still have our two new recruits onboard. Snorre and Lone, They will most likely have a blast helping out the next couple of days. Also because there is supposed to be heavy rain starting in a few hours. My honest opinion is that meteorologists and shoemakers should reconsider their professions, none of them have any idea of what they are doing. Shoemakers these days, at least the one we have talked to, have never made a shoe – and the weathermen have been mostly wrong all year long. But. There is chance that it’s going to rain constantly for the next 20 hours.

Please consider taking a look at our fundraiser on gofundme: THIS IS THE LINK

This is Captain Simen wanting you to check out and help us with our fundraiser.

The clouds are coming. Wind is picking up again. It will rain for sure. I have to go save everything out of the way. Nice blogging to you, see you soon, bon voyage!

Captain Jack

The last weeks in Pirate Bay

Our extremely secret pirate bay has been the host to many a canoeist, friend and pirate-crew this summer. At the peak we had eight tents in addition to crew sleeping in the ship and one on raindeerskin by the illegal fire. The gardens have had a hard time in the heat – and sadly we won’t get to see it grow to it’s full potential before departure. 

Captain Jack

The winds have been picking up and the trees are becoming more ready for the coming, probably record-breaking, winter every passing day. The crew onboard FF Harry would love to stay longer in this amazing inland landscape of the Swedish kingdom. Sadly the slusses are closing their locks for the season in just 10 days – and we have to get our asses moving in order to escape the deep freeze.

Make sure to follow #ffharry on Instagram.

This of course calls for the crew to slowly get packing. We have finally gotten the dishes under control and are gently pacing down the pirate supermarket in order to make time for all that has to be done in days to come. But we will of course make our daily trips around to serve hungry canoeists the care and chocolate they deserve.

We do however need your help. We have made a fundraiser that we would love if you wanted to take a look at. It’s all about the future of FF Harry and our holistic work on our journey, first east then southward, until we all can meet up on the Foxen Festival outside Lűbeck in a couple of months (or when we get there) Follow this LINK and feel free to help making the world a better place.

Captain Simen

The crew this week has been extended by two crew members, temporary stepping in for Varg (that had to go summer-camping back in the old country) he sent his little brother with girlfriend; Snorre and Lone. So far they are doing a great job adapting to life in Pirate Bay.

The Captains themselves have started the hard job of planning our escape all the way to the great ocean. To get there, we will have to cut Sweden in half. It’s hard planning toward the end of season when by the look of it, before conquering the capital, we will have had to deal with somewhere about 65 locks, sharp waves, and weeks of engine hours.

Follow the journey, remember this LINK, and stay afloat!

Captain Jack

Pirates know how to party

How is it even possible to describe the people, the connections, and the atmosphere that sum up this week.. I could try, but it would be as hard as remembering the names of all the amazingly fantastic people we’ve met. It started with a hundred bangs. Thor was angry and he made the sky cry for us. Our garden got some real rain and the ship a much needed wash.

Varg enjoying life.

As per usual on Monday afternoons – we went shopping. But since the local sheriffs are looking for the pirates we decided to sluice our way to civilization. Free again, the guy running the place has a huge heart for Harry and was probably a pirate in previous lives. We went shopping. Got 20 cases and hoped it would last. It didn’t.

Beer arriving.

By the end of two days later we realized we had to order more. Luckily we’ve made friends and was able to get 15 more cases. Of course Paul had to buy a car in order to transport this massive load all the was from Gothenburg, but it happened. And a lot of people will be forever thankful.

“Arrrh”, you might think, and so did we when we before we knew it had 30 people visiting the secret pirate bay Friday night. Some were people found on illegal bird sanctuaries, some had been doing business with us for days. Some had just heard the rumor of the lake and some just happened to be in the area. The setup was awesome – and totally paid off. Not much is needed to say, except as this text is being written I’m the only one still awake in our camp. It’s eight o’ clock on Saturday night.

Canoists arriving.

It would be unfair to describe every detail of the week. You’d get totally jealous of our life and we don’t want that for you. I want to thank every single person we have met, and every soul we have raged. The pirates will live on and with the smiles on your faces we can deal with life for a lot longer than expected.

Canoists leaving.

Note that Scamtrack has prohibited all use of fires, gas stoves and cigarettes. Two groups was sent home this week. Why they treat grown up people like a kindergarten is a question still to be answered, but you can’t really blame them. There is a lot of canoeists out there that have never even been close to nature, and with all love and respect: Take care, be safe, and don’t fuck up.

Captain Jack