Norway’s self-styled Wild Viking sailor guy, Jarle Andhoey, last seen retreating from Antarctica a year ago after failing to establish that anyone other him was responsible for the tragic loss of his boat and three crew in a Ross Sea storm in 2011, has taken to pitching soda pop. As part of a deal with the manufacturer of Solo, a popular Norwegian soft drink, Andhoey will on Wednesday launch a giant 26-foot Solo bottle from Tenerife in the Canary Islands, setting it adrift with a free case of Solo and a giant 12 square-meter message inside. Lest it pose a threat to navigation, the giant bottle is equipped with nav lights, solar panels, a satellite tracker, and an insurance policy.
Those interested in following the bottle as it floats across the Atlantic Ocean (including any bluewater sailors making late-season passages to the W’Indies) can track its progress on Solo’s Facebook page, where pix from the bottle’s onboard camera will be posted every 8 hours. To ensure that images are clear, the giant bottle also has a 140-liter fresh-water tank to feed an automatic spritzer that rinses off the camera lens.
The big bottle, in the shed, waiting to float
Andhoey, with his keen instinct for publicity, had this to say about the project: “Like all great expeditions, it has demanded months of hard work and preparation. I just hope it’s not run over by a tanker on the first day.”
Jarle Andhoey… working up a thirst
The bottle, which weighs 2.5 tons, was constructed by Bard Eker, co-owner of Koenigsegg, which builds exotic high-end super-cars.
If you’d like to complain about this idiocy, or congratulate Joakim Sande, CEO of Solo, for his marketing acumen, you can e-mail him directly at joakin@solo.no or give him a call at +47 954-39287.
What some people will do for a little notoriety!
Where are you now? Love, the Mow. . . .