CAPTAIN PREBEN VINDENES

MEET CAPTAIN PREBEN VINDENES

text and photos by Courtney Flanagan

Captain Vindenes is perhaps not an unusual Norwegian in that he was born on an island (Norway has thousands) to a family of fisherman. After high school, he devoted his career to the sea, beginning as a seaman on fishing vessels and freighters, and after taking the necessary schooling for the required certificates, moving onto the ranks of officer. He has been a captain for 24 years, and on this particular boat since 2004. The seafarer's life has taken him to Africa, Central America, the Caribbean, and most recently, to Antarctica. He particularly likes working on a scientific research vessel because of the great variety in both where he goes, and what is being done.

Most recently, the G.O. Sars took a seven week cruise to Antarctica. Though there were many research reasons for the trip, a key point was to reinforce Norway's presence at the South Pole. The Antarctic trip seems to definitely have been a highlight for this unpretentious, clearly capable skipper.

Another highlight in his career was a trip working on an icebreaker off the coast of Norway near Spitzbergen. That is where he saw his one and only polar bear! (Evidently, students who go to Spitzbergen must take a survival course, and cannot leave town without a guide and a gun.)

The Captain told us about another interesting animal encounter in the Antarctic. Evidently at one point when the ship dropped an echo sounder, a humpback whale became totally fascinated by the equipment. The whale kept swimming around it the whole time it was in the water, and ultimately rubbed up against it. To this diarist, it seems that, in the whale's eyes, the machine seemed to have romantic possibilities!