Sigurdur “Siggi” Jonsson is a Naval Architect and Ocean Yachtmaster and has been skippering Aurora Arktika since 2006. His work and play has taken him all over the world: from skiing in Canada, climbing in the Alps, kayaking in Greenland to sailing in Antarctica.
His passion for the lands and cultures of the North Atlantic and the Arctic is second only to his enthusiasm for sharing this with new friends. We met him and Aurora Arktika!
You are not “just” a sailor: please introduce you to our readers.
Yes, I’m not “just” a sailor… I grew up in the small fishing town of Ísafjörður in NW Iceland. Here the mountains meet the sea with hardly any flat land in between (!) so it was natural to have hobbies to suit the landscape. So mountain climbing and skiing were combined with kayaking and sailing. The North Atlantic is my home and I love to invite people to come and explore this area with me. I spend most of my time in Iceland but also in east Greenland. Here the landscape and culture are quite different from Iceland but an absolutely fascinating place with wonderful people.
What kind of boat is Aurora?
I have had Aurora for ten years now. I bought her from Sir Robin Knox-Johnston whose company Clipper Ventures used her for the Clipper Round the World Race. She is the first generation of the Clipper yacht and was four-time around the world before I got her. But as much as I like sailing… our trips are not “sailing holidays”.
I like to say that Aurora is a “movable backcountry hut”. She is basically a vehicle to get us to some interesting and fascinating places which we would otherwise not be able to reach. There we may spend time at anchor and go off the boat for activities like skiing, hiking, kayaking, SUP´ing, photography etc.
You never dream of sailing in the Caribbean?
Yes, one day I will go and sail somewhere where it is warm! I did go south once… but all the way to Antarctica and did a trip from Ushuaia to the Antarctic peninsula. And I sailed to the Azores once and liked it!
But I really love the high latitudes. Whether navigating in Greenlandic ice in the endless summer nights or seeking shelter in a midwinter blizzard in Iceland. There is something „fresh“ about the cold crisp air and just dealing with elemental nature with no (or at least very few) other people around.
Finally, a question that we always do: what does it mean for you the word “sail”?
“Sail” for me means to be free to go wherever I like, whenever I like. Go to places with no roads and enjoy being there with good people who enjoy being in nature.