The case in summary: • Pensioner Bjarte Vestøl has rowed from Kristiansand to Grense Jakobselv.• He has spent 4.5 months on the trip, and rowed between 30 and 40 kilometers on an average day’s leg.• The weather conditions have been demanding, with everything from stiff gales and snow to sun and calm. The temperature at night has varied from minus 14 degrees to around 20 degrees Celsius.• An important part of the motivation for the trip has been to collect money for the Stine Sofie foundation, an organization that works to prevent and uncover violence and abuse against children and young people. • Vestøl has collected around NOK 70,000 for the foundation on his two trips.• He plans to continue rowing, but is done with long-distance trips for this time. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. On Saturday 13 July, pensioner Bjarte Vestøl (66) arrived at Grense Jakobselv in a rowing boat. Vestøl had then spent 4.5 months rowing from Kristiansand to the border town in Sør-Varanger. Last year he also spent four months in the rowing boat, but then went to Hurppu in Finland. In total, he has put almost 6,000 kilometers behind him. – I wanted a challenge, both physically and mentally, says Vestøl. – I have also never heard of anyone else who has managed to row to the Russian border, he adds. Between the stages, Bjarte Vestøl has slept in his rowing boat. The temperatures have varied from minus 14 degrees to around 20 degrees. Photo: Bjarte Vestøl Challenging weather conditions On an average day’s leg, Vestøl has rowed between 30 and 40 kilometres, he says. The very longest stages have been 70 kilometres. The shortest only a few kilometers. – I can row longer, but it is good to have some time to recover for the next rowing trip, he says. When Vestøl started his journey, he had around 25 kilograms of food and 20 liters of water in the boat. – I have missed having access to food all the time. I have my lunch box, but sometimes I have to be careful about how much I can eat. There can be long stretches between the shops, he says. When Bjarte Vestøl reached the North Cape, the sea fog also became telling. Photo: Bjarte Vestøl Along the way there have been demanding weather conditions, with stiff gales and snow on some days. Other days it has been sunny and calm. According to Vestøl, the temperature at night has varied from minus 14 degrees to around 20 degrees Celsius. – I don’t have a change of clothes with me. When I wear all the clothes, I keep warm, even if it’s cold, he says. Ror for the Stine Sofie foundation Vestøl emphasizes that an important part of the motivation has been to collect money for the Stine Sofie foundation. The non-profit organization was established after the Baneheia case in 2000, and works to prevent and uncover violence and abuse against children and young people. On the two trips, Vestøl has collected around NOK 70,000. – The case was a great trauma for the whole of Southern Norway. It was a terrible tragedy that befell the city’s population. The foundation does a fantastic job, both to prevent and help victims, he says. – Are you done rowing now? – It may be that I have to row back to Kirkenes, but otherwise I am done for this round. But I will row more, he says. Stine Sofie’s Foundation Stine Sofie’s Foundation is a non-profit organisation, which was established after Stine Sofie (8) and Lena (10) were brutally raped and killed in Baneheia in Kristiansand in 2000. They work to prevent and uncover violence and abuse against children and young people, look after those who are vulnerable and strengthen their rights. In 2016, they opened the Stine Sofie Center which is a unique offer for children and young people who are exposed to violence and abuse. Here the children and their families can play, learn and master in a safe environment. Today, around 65 people work in Stine Sofies Stiftelse and they are based in Grimstad. Here you can see the report on Nordnytt when Bjarte Vestøl reached the goal in Eastern Finnmark. Published 18.07.2024, at 15.40
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A journey of almost 6,000 kilometers – news Troms and Finnmark
