Description

pp. 214, “A BESTSELLER in Norway and nearing this status in North America too, this beautifully illustrated book is an ideal read for anyone dreaming of an adventure on the high seas or simply loves to travel. It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime adventure packed with drama and excitement and unique and charming encounters with cultures from all corners of the globe. A must for armchair sailors and everyone who yearns for destinations of a different kind. At the peak of their careers, Norwegian-Canadian couple, Anne Brevig and Martin Vennesland sold most of their worldly belongings and moved onboard their sailboat, Nor Siglar in Vancouver. B.C. For six years, while working downtown, Martin as a consulting forester, Anne as a comptroller of an international shipping company, they lived in their 40-foot French sloop to save and prepare themselves and their yacht for an around the world voyage. Martin, who grew up on the south coast of Norway, had long dreamed of sailing back to the old country on his own keel one day. While he was practically born with salt water in his veins , Anne, on the other hand, was just a country girl . Having grown up on a farm inland near the Swedish border, she could barely swim until she was 16, had never set foot on a sailboat until she was 38 and got seasick easily. At 45 and 59 years of age, they quit their jobs and cut all ties, trading a secure and comfortable lifestyle ashore, for one of uncertainty and danger on the high seas. Nine years later, their offshore adventure ended in Norway, where Nor Siglar has become their floating summer home, while they once again have taken up residence in Vancouver. Nor Siglar, which means Northern Sailor in Old Norse, was not only the couple s faithful yacht, which brought them safely from port to port across the big oceans for nine years. She was their beloved floating home as well. In fact, she was their one and only home – for 15 years. So their adventure was not just a circumnavigation, but also a unique life style. During their 56,000 nautical mile voyage, which is approx. 2 ½ times around the world at equator, they visited 76 countries and island nations, met a multitude of interesting people from different backgrounds and cultures, and had many exciting and touching experiences, while also encountering dangerous and dramatic challenges. The couple survived both stormy and pirate infested waters, collision with a whale and getting caught in a huge fish net in the middle of the Indian Ocean. They experienced groundings and electrolysis, break-ins and a scary emergency stop in Algeria, not to mention Martin s back surgery in Morocco and Anne s never-ending battle with seasickness. But the good far outweighed the bad. Most memorable of all, was the close personal contact acquired by donating eyeglasses and first aid supplies to needy people in isolated places. The most unique incident was helping a Kuna Indian family transport a deceased relative on Nor Siglar deck from one island to another to his funeral; the most rewarding, adopting a poor Muslim family in Morocco. In short, theirs was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure full of highs and lows. By sharing their dream in this beautiful book, they hope to inspire others to follow their own dreams too, whatever they may be. The first edition, which was published in Norway, became a bestseller and is sold out. The English version is already into its second print and close to becoming a bestseller too. Deservedly, 9 Years on the 7 Seas has received glowing reviews, both from the media and the general public.”