This year's school start was a thriller
The Covid-19 pandemic almost put an end to this school year as well. The central health authorities would not allow for vaccination of 16- and 17-year-olds, but Kristiansand municipality came to the rescue. Now almost everyone on board is fully vaccinated. On Sunday 22 August, 60 excited teenagers were able to say goodbye to friends and family before embarking on a nine-month voyage.
- It has been a drama, which is now over, says the Director of the Foundation The Ship Sørlandet , Knut Arne Gjertsen. Most of the students who are sent away are 16 and 17 years old. Just a few weeks ago, it was uncertain whether these would receive the corona vaccine.
- It was inappropriate for us to travel without them being vaccinated, says Gjertsen.
Only recently did it become clear that people under the age of 18 will also be offered a vaccine. The foundation could not wait for that message.
- We put pressure on the health authorities this summer, but no decision was made. After a meeting with mayor Jan Oddvar Skisland on 5 August, we received a clear signal that the students could be vaccinated here in Kristiansand, he says.
All the students, teachers and crew had received at least one dose of vaccine when they left on 22 August. Sørlandet stay in Norway for a few weeks and do sailing training, before they return to Kristiansand on September 10 for the second vaccine dose. - Only then do they travel out into international waters, says Gjertsen.
In the next few months, the ship will pass through ports such as St. Malo in France, Porto in Portugal and Cartagena and Las Palmas in Spain. At Christmas time, the ship crosses the Atlantic towards the Caribbean islands and Bermuda. June 5, 2022, the ship is back home in Kristiansand.
At this link you can follow the ship's movements.
