Since early childhood, I think that I can say that we were different from the rest. That in turn led to us awaking some attention at school and other places, both in a positive and a negative manner. Having reached manhood, we still continue to stand out, both together, and in our own respects. In the last years I have worked and studied abroad for long periods of time. But our friendship has been untainted. Every time I come home, we pick up the conversation right where we left off, even in the middle of a sentence!

Our parents have also always been the best of friends. Our families have endured happiness, sorrow, Christmas dinners, birthdays and funerals together. That feels good to know.

Already when we were small kids, I and Finn Olav dreamt about various projects. A 20 meters tall robot or a tunnel to China, the list is endless. Most of these projects we were not able to fulfill completely, since we were too small or the projects too big. But we made our attempts, tried and failed. Since then we have become adults. We have attained improved means to realize our

My point is that already from early childhood on we have dared to dream. We have dared to fantasize. And we never tried to prevent our minds from straying past unknown horizons. We have had to learn to endure laughter and disbelief when our surroundings have been led to think that this time, this time they have really lost their minds! Sometimes that is a very sound and healthy corrective. Sometimes it is necessary to ignore.

In the course of the three years that our voyage is planned to last, we will have many friends and a lot of family members visiting us on board. And we look immensely forward to that. But at the end of the day, this circumnavigation is OUR dream. A dream which we have dreamt together since the very beginning, a dream that we may only have one possibility to realize. And that one time is now. We now find ourselves standing on the threshold of a magnificent adventure – one that we will no doubt enjoy recalling precious memories from for the rest of our lives, together with our friends and eventually our future families.

As we now set our course for the high seas in a small sailing yacht, this is not only a story of two adventurous men going on a long journey together. It is the story of two childhood friends bound together by a lifelong and unbreakable friendship. Two kids which were never able to stop dreaming the really grand dreams. And who let their dreams fly with the winds far, far away, across the seven seas and straight into the heavens.