Boat salvage

Bjarne Brandal had lived a whole life far from Sunnmøre and seal hunting when he returned home as a grown man and settled on Gurskøya. There, among other things, he had highlighted his commitment and ability to take a stand through the so-called Rødseth case. But his upbringing in Brandal and the genes from Arctic people in previous generations were there, and he was triggered when he was made aware of Polar Star which was moored in the neighboring area, rusty and ugly. He contacted the old skipper Sigmund Bøe and went to inspect it. Bøe's verdict: She looks no worse than she did when we came from the Arctic Ocean!

Thus, Bjarne Brandal set about saving the ship. Together with Lars, he reached an agreement with the bank and got the Swedes to turn back before they arrived. Bjarne then called a public meeting in Brandal in the fall of 2000 – later referred to as the revival meeting. Awakening and protecting what little was left of the proud Arctic history.

The initiative aroused sympathy far beyond Hareidlandet and Gurskøya. The Norwegian Association for Maritime Protection wrote this about Polar Star the same winter: “The years after World War II were characterized by bold and large-scale fishing efforts in coastal and distant waters on the Møre coast. Polar Star is a worthy representative of our Arctic fleet and now the only operational steel sealing vessel from this era that marks the transition from wood to steel. It has a very interesting history, and has had to endure great hardships – we are dealing with a real 'Arctic struggler'.”

The plan was to create a foundation for Polar Star, but it ended up that Bjarne Brandal first bought the ship himself, and later formed the limited company with the telling name Star 1 Maritime AS together with his relative Jarl Brandal (boat expert) and Lars (finance).

They met with goodwill from both banks and insurance companies locally, and not least great enthusiasm from volunteers. The ship was taken to Hjørungavåg and put into dry dock. From there, they reported Sunnmørsposten in 2001 about a lot of reminiscing and a lot of fun in the volunteer group. The initiator boasted uninhibitedly about the good helpers. They stayed on as long as there was good and hot soup available, along with fresh bread and plenty of coffee.

The hope was to get Polar Star So nice that she could maybe walk at a bit of a tourist pace.

They found the ship in better condition than they expected. With the extensive volunteer effort and financial support from both local businesses and Innovation Norway, she became both beautiful and seaworthy. This meant we started to move away from thinking about white wine and shrimp on board, to thinking about acquisitions, said Chairman Bjarne Brandal to Sunnmørsposten in 2005. Life is short and it's important to have something to be happy about. And the joy lies in the fact that seal hunting has finally returned to Sunnmøre.

Then had Polar Star, a few years earlier judged to be finished on the Arctic Ocean, made a comeback in the Vesterisen. And would go on to have two more seasons there before it finally ended.

It has cost "a few million" and a lot of free work, said the shipowner.

But it was a matter of concern that the crew had been brought in from Northern Norway. The industry had been down in Sunnmøre for so long that the fishing expertise was gone.

The free work also became a point of contention. A couple of the guys from the volunteer group stood up in The Vikebladet in 2005 and demanded compensation for their efforts. They had kept hours and claimed that they had an agreement on wages. The hourly rate was several thousand. Now the ship was in the ice and had government support and could earn money, thanks to the "volunteer work", they said. The case ended up in the conciliation board, and the two were awarded several hundred thousand in payment.

Three years later, Star 1 Maritime AS went bankrupt. Polar Star was saved from nail production, thanks to our idealism and volunteer efforts. But financially it was a loss-making project, both for owners and volunteers.

Closing for the project Polar Star There was still a local will to continue the work of protecting the 60-year-old ship. Banks and companies in shipping and shipbuilding came forward when Willy Nesset took the new initiative in 2008.

And the rest is history…