Sailing evening at the Ishavsmuseet.
In mid-March, it was common for ships going to the Arctic Ocean to prepare for the trip. This preparation often took about a week. All equipment had to be found and carried on board. The equipment had to be checked and made ready. Since the last Arctic trip, the ships had had other activities than herring fishing. Blubber tanks, bunkers and provisions had to be put in place. Extensive work, and a hectic life on the docks with so many ships that were to be decommissioned. The young people climbed into the rigging and had great expectations that their turn would come. The old-timers were constantly running errands down to the docks to make sure that everything was as it should be. The steward had his full responsibility of making coffee, in addition to making sure that all provisions were on board and in the right place.
The evening before departure there was usually a "sailor's party".
Friday, March 23rd from 7:00 PM There will be another "sailor's night" in Brandal. The Ishavsmuseet invites you to a sailor's night with the theme of the Arctic priest Monrad Norderval.
Norderval organized a series of sailing parties in Ålesund for the seal-catching fleet. In the disaster year of 1952, there were 23 Arctic vessels preparing to catch seals from Sunnmøre. Norderval organized a party at Festiviteten in Ålesund on March 12. Here he gave a speech to the sealers, who otherwise enjoyed freshly baked pastries, coffee and hot chocolate. There was also a showing of silent films from the Arctic Ocean, and plenty of carol singing.
The sailing date was set for March 13th, but naturally no skipper made it out on such a date.
From 1935, Norderval was the parish priest in Ørsta, and from 1948 in Ålesund. Growing up, Monrad spent a lot of time in the fishing and hunting community at Skjerva in Ålesund.
Norderval took advantage of a number of opportunities to accompany fishing and trapping vessels from Sunnmøre to the fields.
After the catastrophic hurricane in the West Ice in April 1952, in which 79 fishermen died, Norderval was on the Arctic Ocean at the first opportunity that presented itself after the accident. That opportunity was the fishing in the Denmark Strait in the summer of 1952. At that time, Norderval was with the "Kvitungen" as a fisherman and fisherman. He found that the right place for his priestly ministry at that time – two or three months after the disaster – was precisely among the fishermen in the ice in the Denmark Strait.
This year marks 60 years since the last major tragedy in the Vestisen. At the same time, it is 110 years since Monrad Norderval was born.
On this first sailing evening at the Ishavsmuseet, these two years are being celebrated.
Atle Hopland from Ålesund knew the Arctic priest Norderval well. He will talk about Norderval this evening at the Ishavsmuseet. Hopland has been a priest, among other things, in northern Norway before he came to Ulsteinvik in 1983. He is well known in the villages after his long priestly service and many people know him and have a relationship with him after meeting him in different phases of their families' lives.
Atle is very interested in art and has been the leader of the Ulstein Art Club for several years. Many people probably also know Atle as a good storyteller, and it is this side of the retired parish priest that we will see this evening at the Ishavsmuseet.
He grew up on the same street as Norderval and knows the man and the culture of the city well.
Harald Knutsen will start the evening by telling us about the preparation of the ships and the bustling life on the docks and in the streets in the days before departure.
The accordion was perhaps the most common instrument on board the ships. This evening, Knut Selvåg will join us for an accordion evening after which the evening will end with proper Arctic cuisine, namely salted meat and peas. Contact Ishavsmuseet to book a dinner. webjorn@ishavsmuseet.no tel 700 92 004 / 95 11 76 44
