Oslo (Norway), May 2, 2026
After three years of preparations, we’ve arrived at our port of departure. We have everything that should be onboard onboard, and also cleared up all commitments and stuff that ties us to land. No job, no car, no clutter hanging out in our parents garage. Hypothetically, we could leave right this second. We are now only waiting for the hour of departure, which is less than 24 hours away.
Albatross is looking like an absolute beast tied long-side at Aker Brygge Marina in Oslo. The very recently painted boat still appears glossy, as the salty water has not yet washed over the boat to remove the shine. Eventually the gloss will disappear, but for now, Albatross is one shiny lady.
Contrary to what I thought, the last few days have not felt like total chaos and panicked. From reading about other peoples departures and talking to friends and family who has been on similar journeys, it seemed that the most stressful things about leaving would be to get everything onboard. Everybody talked about needing to drive last minute somewhere to get something very important. For that reason, out main goal these past two weeks has been to get everything onboard, without trying to install everything yet. However, in between the countless trips to get everything onboard, we’ve found time to organize and put things away.
Despite the lack of panic, Erik and I are incredibly, incredibly tired. We are, in fact, so tired that I cannot recall the last time I was this tired, or if I ever were. Last night, I slept 12 hours straight in something that can only be described as a coma. Several times a day, we need 30 minutes simply to lie down or take a nap. A few days ago, I noticed that I had lost the ability to multi-task because it requires too much of my concentration. Whenever I do slightly physically demanding tasks, like walking up one flight of stairs, my entire body fills with lactic acid. We desperately need to slow down.
“So, where is your first stop? Sweden? Denmark?”
Nobody asked this question until a week or two ago. Now, everybody is asking about it. Every time, when we respond that our first stop will be very close by, they’ve seen almost a bit disappointed. The first day, tomorrow, we plan on motoring a few hours south, then going to sleep. We might hoist a sail, but I doubt it. The only thing that matters on departure day is that you actually depart.