We were incredibly lucky on this trip: the wind and weather allowed us to sail all the way up to Rossøya: the northernmost rock in Svalbard. It’s part of Sjuøyane, a small group of at least seven islands helpfully called “Seven islands”.
Getting here involved sailing overnight, and being on watch from midnight to 4am, helping the crew log the trip and check the engines. The sea thankfully wasn’t too rough, and it was an amazing experience.
Not so much luck on the way back: I ended up barfing over the railing while holding on in the wind and rain.