My story
- Three years ago I was simply a girl who was passionate about the sea and sailing as well as theatre, lighting design and drawing. One day I realised I wanted to get into a big adventure, after a year of search and volunteer work I found Draken. A viking ship. Going across the North Atlantic.
- While sailing I was writing and drawing every day to record the daily routine and observations of life onboard and nature surrounding us. The adventure became one of my most life changing experiences. Going through my notes and putting them into a book helped me to adjust to land life when I got back. It was also a way to preserve precious details of the experience and emotions while they were fresh in my memory!
- After 2 years I finally decided to publish this book based on my journals so I could share this story with you. Now the only thing I need to accomplish the goal is to make sure there are people who are interested in this project and find the financial support to make it real!
The book
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The book is in English.
A working title of the book is 3 o'clock Mackerel time.
The book will be hardcover and contain about 64 pages with text and drawings/sketches on every page. Most of them I made on the ship and some were made later as illustrations.
The book is based on my sailor's journal. It tells the story of 21 days at sea, crossing the North Atlantic on the Draken Harald Harfagre, sailing from Norway to Newfoundland. It tells about our daily routine onboard and the way we adopted to the challenging conditions, the nature we encountered and things I learnt. The narration is divided in 21 day
A short extract from the book:
Living on the ship you get used to the idea that there’s no such thing as a simple, one-move action. Everything has to be planned, choreographed and given at least triple the amount of time to which you’re used to whilst on land. Making a cup of coffee might take about 10 minutes. Going to the heads takes up to 20. Simply walking from one end to another (which is less than 34 metres distance) can easily take about 3 to 5 minutes.
With every other step you think a few steps ahead, you need to maintain your balance, make sure to avoid all the lines and blocks flapping in the air, be ready for seaspray and expect the unexpected. With all that considered, you leave a little room for your dance through the ship to appear in the least bit graceful.
From now on we have two people to watch out for icebergs. We’re getting closer to the ice. No ships, no buoys, not a single sign of human intervention. It is a new and very special feeling when being on bow duty your main mission is to spot a white giant. A little white dash on the canvas of the sea, which can bring big troubles to our little wooden “canoe” if missed by the radars and the sharp eye of the lookout.
The story is written in English because I lived through the experience mainly speaking English and using English (as well as Swedish and Norwegian) sailing terms. Though, I am considering printing a Russian version too.
The campaign
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For those who contribute, you have a few cool perk options. Starting from a single postcard to the physical printed copy of the book, with a hemp line from the ship as a bookmark!!
By the time the campaign finishes (May 2019), the final version of the layout will be ready.
I will print as many copies as possible, based on the money raised and number of books claimed here. The quality also depends on the financial support I receive.
The goal I've set is flexible. It's based on covering all the expenses: the Indiegogo fee, credit card fees, editing and layout made by professionals, printing in offset and having about 500 copies in the end. If the campaign does not reach the goal, I might reconsider quality and quantity.
Though the book WILL BE PRINTED in any case.
I would be really grateful for any support and interest in the project! Thank you and fare winds to everyone :)