Please select your home edition
Edition
Barton Marine Pipe Glands

Yacht Berserk lost in Antarctica – safety measures questioned

by Nancy Knudsen on 28 Feb 2011
Skipper Jarle Andhoy, safe and on his way back to Christchurch SW
As the search for three missing crew of the yacht Berserk is abandoned serious questions are being asked about the safety measures of their expedition to Antarctica.

The three crew tragically lost to the Antarctic Ocean have been named as Norwegians Robert Skaane, 34, and Tom Gisle Bellika, 36, and sole British crew member Leonard Banks, 32. Other reports claim that Leonard (Lennie) is South African.


The surviving two of the original five members of the crew are Norwegians Jarle Andhoy, 34, a Norwegian TV celebrity who was the skipper of the yacht, and Samuel Massie Ulvolden, 18. They had been trying to reach the South Pole overland when the Berserk was caught in a severe storm and set off its distress beacon. After abandoning their quest and driving their quad bikes for almost 24 hours non-stop they have reached New Zealand's Scott Base and caught the last flight out of Antarctica to Christchurch before the approaching winter makes escape impossible.

An extensive air and sea search found no trace of the 14-metre Berserk, which disappeared in Mc Murdo Sound, 15 nm north of Scott Base, in minus 12-degree Celsius waters on 22nd February, except for its damaged life raft which appeared to have floated free from the yacht and had not been used.

Independent observers had questioned the safety aspects of the expedition before the yacht left Auckland. One Auckland mariner, commercial skipper Kevin Peat, who saw Berserk in the Viaduct said the boat had been made unseaworthy by its heavy cargo, including the quad bikes lashed to the deck.

'They had all the stuff sitting on the dock and we thought there was no way they could get it onto the boat, but, over a two week period they slowly, but surely, lifted the gear into the boat,' Peat said.

'We thought it was a joke, no way you would go with all that gear out it onto the ocean, certainly not the Southern Ocean.'

He said that the 'gear' included 44 gallon drums of fuel lashed to the deck, along with quad bikes, and that one bike was lashed over the engine room hatch.

Berserk was structurally sound, he said, but all the weight would have compromised its righting moment, meaning the boat would be vulnerable to capsize.

He said it would have cleared Customs but as a foreign flagged vessel, it could not be prevented from sailing, even though it was unsafe.

One of the vessels to respond to the emergency beacon was New Zealand's ice-strengthened patrol vessel, HMNZS Wellington, which was in McMurdo Sound at the time.

Simon Griffith, skipper Lieutenant Commander of the Wellington, told stuff.com.nz that they had encountered the Berserk at Back Door Bay.

'The yacht seemed a very sturdy, oceangoing yacht and they were three cheerful Norwegians,' Griffith commented, and the yacht was warned severe weather was coming.

However, other indications were that Berserk had not followed protocol in their voyage to the Antarctic. They needed to get permission from the Norwegian Polar Institute to sail below 60 degrees south, and official Jan-Gunnar Winther confirmed they did not have permission.

Scott Base manager Troy Beaumont commented, 'There are a whole lot of treaties down here and they have managed to violate every one of them,' he added.

The two surviving Norwegians are expected to meet with Norwegian consular officials on their arrival into New Zealand.

The Berserk expedition was attempting to mark the centenary of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen's South Pole expedition, which reached the South Pole on 14th December, 1912.

V-DRY-XLloyd Stevenson - Catalyst Yacht Tender 1456x180px BOTTOMRS Sailing 2021 - FOOTER

Related Articles

Aussies hunt 'Ashes on Water' win
The BONDS Flying Roos are looking to bounce back with a vengeance in Portsmouth Fresh off a bruising weekend in New York, the BONDS Flying Roos are looking to bounce back with a vengeance as they take on long time rivals Great Britain in their home waters at the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix, held in Portsmouth.
Posted on 18 Jul
4 Ultim rocketships to contest Rolex Fastnet Race
The giant 32m long by 23m wide flying trimarans are taking part in the 100th anniversary edition While the 50ft flying catamarans competing at SailGP Portsmouth this weekend will be impressive, charging out of the opposite western end of the Solent will be giant 32m long by 23m wide flying Ultim trimarans taking part in the 100th anniversary edition.
Posted on 18 Jul
SailGP comes to Portsmouth!
We speak to the sailors ahead of the weekend The Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Portsmouth takes place this weekend, with the 12 teams competing in F50 catamarans close to the waterfront, where a massive grandstand has been built for the spectators.
Posted on 18 Jul
SailGP: No practice racing at Portsmouth
The Practice Race was a fizzer, however the future of the SailGP fleet development was revealed. The scheduled Practice Day failed to fire at SailGP Portsmouth, after the forecast, admittedly light, breeze failed to male an appearance. The self propelled start marks were making a much better speed than the F50s.
Posted on 18 Jul
Django ready to fly YCCS burgee at Admiral's Cup
The event brings together two-boat national teams to compete across offshore & inshore formats The countdown is over. Tomorrow, Saturday 19 July, the 2025 Admiral's Cup officially sets sail with the Channel Race, a 150-nautical mile offshore challenge that marks the start of this iconic international regatta.
Posted on 18 Jul
Elite Training at New Sailing Centre
Canash Beach, St Vincent, hosts international sailors The SVG Sailing Association held a successful High Performance Race Training Clinic, at the newly established High Performance Centre at Canash Beach, St Vincent. The four-day event ran from July 13th to 16th.
Posted on 18 Jul
McIntyre Mini Globe Race Leg 3 Preview
The race to South Africa starts from Vuda Marina Fiji on 26th July In a world-first sailing challenge, 15 solo sailors from eight countries are navigating identical 5.8-meter (19-foot) self-built plywood yachts around the globe— The fleet has enjoyed a five week stopover in Fiji at the end of Leg 2.
Posted on 18 Jul
Third time Finn World No.1 for Alessandro Marega
Maintaining the top spot in the Finn World Ranking List Italy's Alessandro Marega maintains the top spot in the Finn World Ranking List for the third consecutive release. He remains World No. 1 with an 80-point lead over France's Laurent Hay.
Posted on 18 Jul
World Sailing Nations Cup to make grand return
After a seven-year hiatus, World Sailing has officially opened the bid process for host cities After a seven-year hiatus, the World Sailing Nations Cup, the ultimate event to crown the world's top match-racing nations, is making its much-anticipated return.
Posted on 18 Jul
Trophies arrive at RNIYC in advance of Eurocup
RS400 UK & Irish National Championship starts in just over a fortnight Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club took delivery of the prize ware for the upcoming RS400 Eurocup and UK/Irish Nationals 3rd-8th August.
Posted on 18 Jul