Popular polar evening at the Ishavsmuseet on January 31st.

Trygve called himself a "disgusted brandøling", raised in the Arctic village, now living in Hjelmeland in Ryfylke, and working as the first curator at the Ryfylke Museum. Trygve opened a long series of polar evenings that will take place this year.

More than 30 years ago he studied history in Bergen. He wrote his main thesis "From feather dust to distant waters". This was the starting point for the lecture at the Ishavsmuseet this Friday.

125 people had purchased tickets to hear Brandal talk about the skating era in Hareid and Ulstein.

Brandal took over a period of about 40 years where there was great development among the fishermen in Hareid and Ulstein. It was the era of ice skating. The transition from the Sunnmørsåttringen to larger, covered vessels.

In 1880 there were 79 boats in Hareid and Ulstein. 21 from Hareid and 58 from Ulstein. 20 years later this had changed somewhat. Now there were 27 in Hareid, 13 in Brandal and only 7 in Ulstein.

Trygve further explained that the fishermen from Hareid and Ulstein were by no means poor. They were happy to join forces and invest. While they were fishermen, they were also owners of their boats.

Sunnmøre was in a unique position and had a very modern fishing fleet. Nevertheless, the shipwrecks were many and dramatic. One of the ones Trygve told about was the schooner "Perlen" from Brandal which went down with 9 men in 1887. It sank on its maiden voyage. Only three of the crew were later found.

After the lecture, there was a long line for the dinner buffet. Over 70 of those in attendance secured themselves a plate of klipfish with all the trimmings to end a fine evening at the Ishavsmuseet.