Modern Viking Adventure: Fateful Voyage

In 2024, a small crew embark on a daring voyage across the North Sea aboard the Naddoddur - a replica Viking ship. Skipper Andy Fitze’s aim is to honour Viking culture, promoting the seafaring traditions of the Faroe Islands and encouraging a future generation of explorers. But in a vessel such as this, nothing is plain sailing. When disaster strikes, the crew must draw on all their training, skill and comradeship if they’re to make it out. But even that may not be enough to avert tragedy… A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. Written by Heléna Lewis | Produced by Ed Baranski | Assistant Producer: Luke Lonergan | Production Assistant: Chris McDonald | Exec produced by Joel Duddell | Sound Supervisor: Matt Peaty | Sound design by Jacob Booth | Assembly edit by Rob Plummer | Compositions by Oliver Baines, Dorry Macaulay, Tom Pink | Mix & mastering: Ralph Tittley. If you want to learn more about Viking history, listen to Noiser’s show Real Vikings: https://pod.fo/e/3a3956 For ad-free listening, bonus material and early access to new episodes, join Noiser+. Click the subscription banner at the top of the feed to get started. Or go to noiser.com/subscriptions If you have an amazing survival story of your own that you’d like to put forward for the show, let us know. Drop us an email at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Speaker 00

  At Edward Jones, we believe rich is more than caring about the latest and greatest. It's also taking care of what gives your life meaning. That's why your dedicated financial advisor meets you where you are, with personalized financial strategies that help protect what matters, so you can preserve your progress while creating a path forward. The key to being rich is knowing what counts. Let's find your rich together. Edward Jones. Member SIPC.

• 0:31Speaker 01

  Honey, that flu keeping you up?

• 0:32Speaker 02

  Yeah, I don't got this.

• 0:34Speaker 01

  You need Nyquil Intense Flu.

• 0:36Speaker 03

  Undo your flu symptoms with Nyquil Intense Flu. The nighttime sniffling, aching, aching fever, best sleep with a flu medicine. You do got this. Use as directed. Keep out of reach of children.

• 0:45John Hopkins?

  It is evening, Tuesday, the 27th of August, 2024.

• 0:50John Hopkins?

  Off the coast of Norway, a wild storm rages over the North Atlantic. I see sheets of rain fall from the glowering sky, and a low, freezing fog clings to the air, shrouding the shoreline from sight.

• 1:05John Hopkins?

  The slate-gray sea is in turmoil, the towering waves whipped into a frenzy by howling winds.

• 1:13John Hopkins?

  More than a millennium ago, these waters were traveled by the Vikings, devil-may-care explorers striking out from Scandinavia in search of riches and adventure.

• 1:25John Hopkins?

  The world has changed drastically since then, and yet today, a piece of history has been brought back to life.

• 1:36John Hopkins?

  Somewhere offshore, a sleek, black ship bursts through the fog, her rust-red sails billowing in the wind. She rides the waves with powerful grace, seeming to harness the energy of the storm rather than fighting it.

• 1:51John Hopkins?

  This is the Naderda, a replica Viking ship hailing from the Faroe Islands. Onboard is a team of six international adventurers. Their Swiss skipper, 56-year-old Andy Fitze, squints against the rain as he scans the swell ahead.

• 2:10John Hopkins?

  Now, only a couple of hours from the coast, they are nearing the end of their journey.

• 2:16John Hopkins?

  But just then, Andy sees something out of the corner of his eye.

• 2:21Speaker 05

  I was looking forward in this moment, and I saw in my perspective, just on the side, a wave is building up behind us, a wall of waves.

• 2:34John Hopkins?

  There is no time to do anything before the wave smashes into the Naderda.

• 2:40John Hopkins?

  The back of the boat lifts up into the air, and the bow plunges down towards the frothing swell below.

• 2:47John Hopkins?

  A heartbeat later, the vessel somersaults, capsizing lengthways and trapping the terrified crew beneath her hull.

• 2:57Speaker 05

  So it's a fraction of a second in no time underneath the boat. So there was no possibility to avoid this anymore, unfortunately, by steering right or doing some things at the last moment. It was just too big, the wave.

• 3:14John Hopkins?

  Submerged in the chaos of the freezing water, Andy fumbles to free himself from the safety line, which tethers him to the boat. With just moments until he runs out of air, he gropes through the icy darkness and yanks the release handle on his harness.

• 3:30John Hopkins?

  But nothing happens. The harness does not release. He is trapped underwater and unable to escape.

• 3:39Speaker 05

  I tried once, and it didn't work under the water. And you're running in your mind out of time, out of option, and out of mind. So I mean, your whole life is just hanging on the possibility that this harness release system is works now.

• 4:06John Hopkins?

  Ever wondered what you would do when disaster strikes? If your life depended on your next decision, could you make the right choice? Welcome to Real Survival Stories. These are the astonishing tales of ordinary people thrown into extraordinary situations, people suddenly forced to fight for their lives.

• 4:26John Hopkins?

  In this episode, we meet Swiss skipper and adventurer Andy Fitze.

• 4:31John Hopkins?

  In 2024, Andy sets out to recreate history when he and a small crew embark on a daring voyage across the North Sea aboard the Naderda, a replica Viking ship.

• 4:43John Hopkins?

  Their aim is to honor Viking culture and history, promote the rich seafaring traditions of the Faroe Islands, and encourage a future generation of explorers.

• 4:54John Hopkins?

  But in a boat such as this, nothing is plain sailing.

• 4:59Speaker 05

  We knew it can be a very rough place on a Viking boat. There is no shelter from wind, sun, rain. So we didn't know how the ship is really behaving in heavy sea states. So we prepared for all the different scenario.

• 5:17John Hopkins?

  Yet despite all of Andy's efforts, some events simply cannot be prepared for. When the ship encounters unexpectedly bad weather and is violently capsized, the crew will be thrust into a fierce battle for survival against the might of the North Atlantic. They will be forced to call upon all their training, skills, and comradeship if they want to make it out alive. But even that may not be enough to avert tragedy.

• 5:43Speaker 05

  The picture is this submerged Viking boat and a life raft tangling around with large waves coming over the boat, under the boat, beside the boat. So you can imagine, we had the fear that this life raft get destroyed.

• 6:03John Hopkins?

  I'm John Hopkins. From the Noiser Podcast Network, this is Real Survival Stories.

• 6:37John Hopkins?

  It's morning, the 20th of April, 2023, in the Faroe Islands, a small archipelago adrift in the North Atlantic between Iceland, Norway, and Scotland.

• 6:49John Hopkins?

  Formed by volcanic activity 50 to 60 million years ago, these 18 wind-swept islands sing with a stark, otherworldly beauty. This is a realm of rugged mountains and green, treeless valleys, encircled by dramatic sea cliffs and intersected by deep fjords. Settled by Norse explorers around the 9th century, the Faroes are steeped in myth and history, and the legacy of the Vikings remains evident in local culture and seafaring traditions today. On Suroi, the southernmost of the Faroe Islands, a handful of brightly painted wooden houses make up the village of Tveyrera, which sits on a craggy hillside overlooking an inlet.

• 7:38John Hopkins?

  Moored at a small jetty, a sailing boat bobs gently on the waves.

• 7:44John Hopkins?

  Inside, its Swiss skipper, Andy Fitze, wakes on the morning of his 55th birthday. He is two weeks into a sailing trip around the Faroes and decided to stop in Tveyrera overnight. As Andy sets about preparing for the day ahead, he is suddenly interrupted by a sound. Someone is knocking on the hull of the boat.

• 8:08John Hopkins?

  Going to investigate, he discovers an elderly gentleman standing on the jetty. The stranger invites Andy, along with his nephew slash traveling companion Martin, to breakfast at the local boat club.

• 8:21Speaker 05

  My nephew and I went there, and they welcomed us. And immediately, someone told me, listen, someone is coming in a couple of minutes, and they will tell a story. They didn't know us. I didn't know them. I didn't know the village, nothing, just nothing. Yeah, the man came, his name is Ernst. And this kind of man that has in his face a long story of being a seaman, he was 78 at then. And he starts immediately and say, listen, I would like to show you our history.

• 9:00John Hopkins?

  Ernst, this charming elderly seafarer, leads Andy outside the boat club. He walks and then stops in front of a pair of heavy wooden doors that face out towards the sea.

• 9:14John Hopkins?

  He pulls them open to reveal a workshop housing ropes, life vests, and other sailing equipment. But that isn't all. Andy's eyes widen, because there, in the middle of the room, is something extraordinary.

• 9:33Speaker 05

  There was lying this Faroese fishing boat, what is more or less a replica of a Viking boat, lying there with a lot of stuff on top of it. And then he starts to talk about this boat, the story about Viking, the story about Faroese island, the story about this boat, the builder. It was really so intense. It was kind of being a chosen one in his eyes.

• 10:07John Hopkins?

  Ernst tells Andy that this is the Naderda, a traditional Faroese boat built by a local father and son in the late 90s and modeled on an ancient Viking ship. Measuring just 10 meters or 32 feet, the double-masted vessel is constructed with overlapping planks in the lapstrick or clinker Viking style. It is both an exquisite feat of craftsmanship and a work of art.

• 10:41John Hopkins?

  She was named after the ninth-century Viking explorer Nadod, who was credited with the discovery of Iceland after he was blown off course whilst sailing from Norway to the Faroes.

• 10:53John Hopkins?

  In the past years, the Nadodur has lived up to her illustrious namesake, completing voyages to Norway, Iceland, and the Shetland Islands. But by the time Andy first sets eyes on her, the ship has not been sailed properly in decades.

• 11:09John Hopkins?

  Ernst explains that he was the Nadodur's last skipper, but that he and the other men of the boat club are too old to undertake any serious expeditions in her now.

• 11:20John Hopkins?

  They need someone to take over the role and keep their heritage alive.

• 11:25Speaker 05

  And then he say, "Andy, I want to have the opportunity that next generation sails this boat again, because it hasn't been sailing for 25 years." "I know, I stand here." "And I just open my mouth and say, 'I promise you I'll come back with a crew.'"

• 11:52Speaker 00

  At Edward Jones, we believe rich is more than caring about the latest and greatest. It's also taking care of what gives your life meaning. That's why your dedicated financial advisor meets you where you are with personalized financial strategies that help protect what matters, so you can preserve your progress while creating a path forward. The key to being rich is knowing what counts. Let's find your rich together. Edward Jones. Member SIPC.

• 12:22Speaker 01

  Honey, that flu keeping you up? Did you take Nyquil Intense Flu?

• 12:26Speaker 02

  Nah, I got this. Okay, I don't got this.

• 12:31Speaker 01

  Yeah, you need Nyquil Intense Flu.

• 12:34Speaker 03

  Undo your flu with Nyquil Intense Flu. Nyquil Intense Flu provides powerful relief of your flu symptoms, so you can sleep.

• 12:42Speaker 01

  You do got this.

• 12:44Speaker 03

  Nyquil Intense Flu, the nighttime sniffling, aching, aching fever best sleep with a flu medicine. Uses directed, keep out of reach of children.

• 12:52John Hopkins?

  Taking on an endeavor like this is not for the faint-hearted. But to Andy, it is an irresistible opportunity.

• 13:01John Hopkins?

  Though he has forged a highly successful career in the tech industry, Andy is also an experienced adventurer with a passion for exploring extreme and remote places.

• 13:12Speaker 05

  I love to be in the nature, because nature gives me the incredible feeling that I'm responsible for what I'm doing. I like to be on my own, organized, everything by myself, because I like to be responsible for what I'm doing and also taking all the risk by myself. Nature can be very helpful to your own soul, to your body, because it's so direct and so it's real. And I like to have this directly experience on my own life.

• 13:46John Hopkins?

  After a childhood spent sailing and skiing in Switzerland, Andy journeyed to Southampton in southern England, where he undertook training to develop his skills as a skipper. Over the years, he built up his experience, leading sailing expeditions around the globe. He soon discovered that what appealed to him wasn't simply racking up the voyages and ticking off locations, but something rather more poetic.

• 14:10Speaker 05

  I figure out I cannot go to the sea and just sailing from A to B. That's not what I like to do. No, I like to tell a story. Why are we doing this? So I immediately recognize I have to tell a story. Why are we doing this? What is behind the scene? And this was really cool. So I start to explore things with a story behind.

• 14:34John Hopkins?

  Alongside Andy's love of stories is a desire to explore challenging, uncharted territory, particularly at high latitudes in the northern hemisphere. And although he is a man drawn to extreme places and undertakings, is very far from being an adrenaline junkie.

• 14:51Speaker 05

  I probably never crossed this line or went too far. So I start to figure out how I can teach myself, how can I review myself to go as close as possible to this risky edge. I know others telling me, "You are already over the edge." From their perspective, I see a bit different perspective. You have to be very frank and very open in a review process and telling you often that you are not in an environment that you know everything. So you have to be very open as a leader to talk and to listen to your crew.

• 15:32John Hopkins?

  For Andy, being a leader means preparing himself and his crew for every eventuality, a process he describes as building options.

• 15:42John Hopkins?

  By anticipating potential dangers, he is better equipped to push up against risk and undertake the kinds of expeditions which appeal to him.

• 15:51Speaker 05

  Yeah, I never had the feeling in my life that I had near that experience, never before. And as has been always the feedback also from the crew member. We were very planned, organized, very well in advance. And it gave me always the perspective during the rising, not more risky. So the capability of do some things and anticipate the different challenges in a serious matter. And that has been always the case.

• 16:27John Hopkins?

  Andy's passion for intense and extreme adventures has only become more pronounced since a life-altering diagnosis.

• 16:37Speaker 05

  They've recognized a cancer, skin cancer on my body. Fortunately, they found this early enough to cut it out. Yeah, they told me later on, two months, and then it would be too late. So it's changed really my perspective to life, as I have three boys. And what would be happen if they would be too late to cut it out? So I told myself, "Let's go out, make some things happen with your life." And probably also kind of it started there that I have no passion for things that just not helping each other, not the society, not the next generation. I like to do real stuff.

• 17:20John Hopkins?

  It's hardly a surprise then that Andy seizes the opportunity proffered by the Nadodur. It is a meeting of all his passions, poetic stories, extreme exploration, and a chance for a new adventure, one with a purpose.

• 17:36John Hopkins?

  Upon returning home from his 2023 Faroe Islands trip, Andy makes contact again with Ernst. Together, the two men weave a story around the planned expedition and work out how they can utilize it in some way for good.

• 17:52Speaker 05

  He's kind of my mentor in this. Being together with Ernst, this visionary old man, sea man, he told me immediately, "Listen, I want to do it for the next generation." And I couldn't agree more. So let's do it for the next generation. And then we ask ourselves, "How can we do it?" And he told me, "Listen, if you could bring someone young, but also scientific on the boat, it would be so, so good."

• 18:21John Hopkins?

  Andy mulls over Ernst's words as he begins gathering a crew and making plans for the voyage. And then fate intervenes.

• 18:32John Hopkins?

  In early 2024, he becomes a member of the prestigious Explorers Club, an international organization based in New York which is dedicated to promoting field exploration and scientific inquiry. And it is here that Andy happens to meet someone who fits all of Ernst's criteria. Her name is Carla. She is an ethnographic field researcher and archaeologist in her late twenties specializing in the Viking era.

• 19:01John Hopkins?

  Upon hearing about Andy's planned expedition, she leaps at the chance to join.

• 19:06Speaker 05

  She start to train herself to be a good crew member. On a Viking boat, everyone has to be involved in everything. So it doesn't help if you're just an knowledgeable. You need to do everything from steering to set the sails or using the oars, everything, cooking. You need to be practical as well. And she had done a good job in preparing herself. So that was just four months before we left, she joined the crew.

• 19:40John Hopkins?

  Alongside Andy and Carla, there are four other crew members: LeVar, a world-renowned Faris ocean rower; Martin, Andy's nephew and fellow adventurer; Seni, a Swiss photographer; and Georg, a Swiss engineer with a talent for fixing almost anything. It takes months to organize everything and finalize plans, and Andy is careful to ensure every possible consideration is taken for the safety of the crew.

• 20:06Speaker 05

  We had everything with us be proper prepared from a safety perspective. The boat was full with safety equipment, so we had survival suits. Everyone has knife with them. We had a life raft. Everyone had a lifeline and the life vest and so on and so on. There was a multi-layered strategy for safety. So we really prepared very well. We just want to do it right, really right.

• 20:35John Hopkins?

  This is, after all, an extreme undertaking. Andy and his crew intend to sail from the boat club in Tvoi Rora to the Norwegian city of Trondheim, which served as the capital of the country during the Viking Age. It is a journey of 500 nautical miles, nearly 1,000 kilometers, and will take between three and five days. Being a replica Viking boat, the Nadodur naturally has no engine. Unlike modern sailing ships, she also uses fixed sails, so steering is limited by wind speed and direction.

• 21:12John Hopkins?

  The only onboard shelter consists of a piece of tarpaulin stretched over the back of the vessel, which provides sleeping space for up to two people.

• 21:22John Hopkins?

  The crew will therefore be at the mercy of the elements. Waves can easily break over the sides of the shallow-hulled ship. To be successful, the entire crew must learn a whole new set of skills.

• 21:34Speaker 05

  None one of us has sailed this. So we told ourselves we have to learn from scratch. So forget the things that you learned before as a sailor. Just ask any silly questions, because we never know how this boat will behave. So we start to learn. And it was funny. And yeah, we end up with the feeling we will do it, because it was really, really cool. And this is a great boat that we feel comfortable in the open sea.

• 22:10John Hopkins?

  In mid-August 2024, the crew convene at the Boat Club in Tveyrera to begin their adventure. Over the next week, they gather supplies, do practice runs in the boat, and prepare for different scenarios, including capsizing. Evenings are spent bonding over meals and long conversations in the boathouse, and the six adventurers are soon a tight-knit team. They are practically celebrities on the small island and even make the front page of the newspaper.

• 22:41John Hopkins?

  In addition to training for their voyage, the crew also fulfill their promise of trying to inspire the next generation by giving a talk to a crowd of several hundred local schoolchildren and teenagers.

• 22:52Speaker 05

  We could talk to them about what it means to be Viking, that you see some things behind the horizon and imagine what could be, and leading your own life towards a vision and being a known explorer. And Carla has been there also on stage and a huge role model for all the young girls. And it has been so great to see their open eyes of these girls, to see Carla talking to them.

• 23:27John Hopkins?

  It's around 3:00 PM on Saturday, the 24th of August. Outside the Boat Club in Tveyrera, hundreds of local people have gathered to wave off the explorers. Needing a window of decent weather, Andy has twice been forced to delay their departure. Now, however, everything is in place and conditions appear favorable. Decent winds, bright sun, pleasant seas.

• 23:53John Hopkins?

  Though there is a definite feeling of excitement in the air, it is also tinged with trepidation.

• 23:59Speaker 05

  For the first time in my life, a journey with a lot of, not uncertainty, but some things that I have never done before. I was super sure from a preparation perspective that we are ready, that we're doing some things that are first, A, doable, and B, enjoyable, and C, very important from a story perspective to keep the heritage of Vikings ongoing for the next generation. And beside me was Ernst, my mentor and storyteller. And he was smiling, and I was so proud that we got to this point.

• 24:40Speaker 05

  It was great, great spirit on the pier. It felt absolutely right to go.

• 24:49John Hopkins?

  After a couple of final alterations to the boat, the crew sets sail, passing off into the wide, open ocean.

• 24:59John Hopkins?

  For the first few miles, the Nadda is accompanied by dinghies, bearing the old men of the Boat Club, shouting out last instructions and encouragement.

• 25:08John Hopkins?

  Eventually, though, the dinghies fall away, and the Nadda and her six adventurers are left alone in the North Sea.

• 25:16John Hopkins?

  There is little time for reflection at first. Instead, the crew ready themselves for the onset of night, organizing food and shift changes. They watch as the sun sets over the water and the sky grows dark.

• 25:32Speaker 05

  It was a milky way night, the first night, absolutely beautiful stars. So it was beautiful to see the nature around us. We had been totally alone. We didn't see any ship in the first night, sailing absolutely quiet. And then we start to tell story to each other. And especially Carla, start to tell story about Vikings. And it was amazing to listen to her, to things that I really didn't know. Why did the Vikings build this boat like this? How they use it, for which purpose they use it?

• 26:13Speaker 05

  And this was great spirit on the boat, absolute great spirit.

• 26:24John Hopkins?

  It is Monday, the 26th of August. On board the Nadda, the mood has changed. Until this point, sailing has been smooth and uneventful. But the weather forecast has recently altered, and now it looks as if strong winds and stormy conditions are on their way, far earlier than previously predicted.

• 26:45Speaker 05

  We prepared for four days crossing as the longest possible time. That the weather changed towards being earlier the storm and from another direction, so against our capability more or less. But we have been pretty sure we can cope this. We can cope the four meter prediction wave, the 40 knots of wind. We had a feeling that's doable.

• 27:15John Hopkins?

  Armed with the latest weather forecast, Andy instructs his crew to make ready.

• 27:20John Hopkins?

  They prepare the storm sail, eat some hot food, and don survival suits, which will provide insulation and buoyancy should anyone fall into the water.

• 27:30John Hopkins?

  Andy double-checks their equipment and reviews emergency procedures with the crew.

• 27:36John Hopkins?

  The night is calm enough. But the following morning, the storm sets in and only continues to grow worse as the day passes. It seems they might be in for a wild ride.

• 27:48Speaker 05

  The storm as predicted started to increase, the wind increased. The air like predicted then first. But then we recognized in afternoon, it's going further. So it's not 40 knots of wind, it's not 50, it's not 60, it's probably 70 or more knots of wind. And the waves are not ending by four meters, not by five meters, not by six meters. So we saw during the afternoon and early evening, large wave around us, heavy wind. I prepared to go for the worst.

• 28:32Speaker 00

  At Edward Jones, we believe rich is more than caring about the latest and greatest. It's also taking care of what gives your life meaning. That's why your dedicated financial advisor meets you where you are with personalized financial strategies that help protect what matters, so you can preserve your progress while creating a path forward. The key to being rich is knowing what counts. Let's find your rich together. Edward Jones. Member SIPC.

• 29:02Speaker 06

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• 29:11Speaker 07

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• 29:35John Hopkins?

  It is early evening on Tuesday, the 27th of August. Off the west coast of Norway, storm clouds mass above the turbulent grey sea.

• 29:45John Hopkins?

  On board the Nadda, the six strong crew must shout to be heard over the crashing waves and screeching wind. Now into the fourth day of their voyage, they should reach their destination in a matter of hours, even in spite of the tempestuous conditions. Though the weather is significantly worse than expected, under skipper Andy Fitz's leadership, the mood on the boat is focused, and the Nadda is handling the swell with practiced grace.

• 30:13Speaker 05

  Super surprised how stable their Viking boat. Everyone was calm and concentrated. We had also good chat to each other. So we had talks and discussions or anything, so there was no fear. There was question about how we handle this or this, so we had to talk about what happened. If we're capsizing, what is the procedure? But there was no fear.

• 30:40John Hopkins?

  Andy maintains a close eye on the forecast and keeps in contact with the Maritime Rescue Centre for any updates.

• 30:48John Hopkins?

  However, as time passes and conditions continue to deteriorate, Andy and the crew begin to realize the weather forecast was wrong.

• 30:58Speaker 05

  It's not as predicted. It's much more, we had again more wind, more waves around us, wild waves. And we have been sailing with this Viking boat like a surfer, because Viking boats can speed up and not like a regular sailboat to 10 knots. We have been 15 knots, 20 knots, once a time, even close to 30 knots of speed. And we could steer very well, very precise on top of waves, staying there like a wave surfer. And steering very precise also to the valleys of the waves and going out again.

• 31:43Speaker 05

  Everyone was involved in a task, was occupied by themselves, and have done a great job in steering, navigating, or building out water of the boat this time.

• 32:00John Hopkins?

  In these stormy seas, the Naddada is strangely enough in her element. The boat's narrow body rises and falls with the crests of the ice-cold waves, her rust-colored sails swelling with the force of the wind.

• 32:16John Hopkins?

  Onboard, the crew weave around deck, bailing out water, attaching lines, hauling ropes, doing what is required to keep the vessel on course.

• 32:26John Hopkins?

  So focused are they on their work that it takes a moment before anyone registers the dull, repetitive thud of propellers overhead.

• 32:36John Hopkins?

  Andy looks up. In the swirling skies above, there is a helicopter. The Naddada's alarm system has gone off because of the high swell and waves crashing into the boat. This has alerted a search-and-rescue helicopter team. But Andy quickly signals up to them that everything is okay. Despite the tempestuous surroundings, the crew still feel in control.

• 33:01Speaker 05

  We knew the route. We knew our steering, our heading. The haul crew was fine, and we had the chance to reach the coast in around two hours. And then I went through my options and say, if I would say, yes, I have an emergency there with the first helicopter. I had no plan to abandon the ship. If I stopped the boat, we would immediately capsize and they could end up in a disaster. Declare an emergency if you are good on the way, if everyone is healthy. It's even questionable, it's legally right to declare an emergency if you're good on the way.

• 33:46John Hopkins?

  Satisfied that all is well, the helicopter disappears into the storm, leaving the Naddada alone once more.

• 33:55John Hopkins?

  Now, about 25 miles from shore, the crew are hoping to reach land within a couple of hours. But as the ship skims across the waves, Andy spots something.

• 34:07John Hopkins?

  Suddenly, they are confronted with a whole new problem.

• 34:12Speaker 05

  Then we saw from far these energy waves. I saw a lot of them. What is an energy wave? If you have a stable wind pattern over weeks or over days, you have established waves with a lot of energy in it. And then if the wind changed to another direction, you have a cross-wave pattern. So it means one wave come from one direction and 90 degree, you have the old waves with a lot of energy in it. And you can imagine if these waves combine and there is a pattern where these two waves just crashing to each other from a energy standpoint, and it goes just up.

• 34:58Speaker 05

  So it's exploding to the sky.

• 35:02John Hopkins?

  Andy and the crew cling on tight, shouting to be heard above the storm as they attempt to judge the ever-changing swell. With each new onslaught, they make minute alterations to the sails in order to keep the Naddada steady. It is a feat of immense concentration and skill and will be near impossible to do in the dark.

• 35:26John Hopkins?

  With sunset fast approaching, Andy issues the order to pick up speed, aiming to reach land before nightfall. The crew adjusts the sails, and the Naddada surges forwards, unleashing her full potential.

• 35:41John Hopkins?

  Shielding his face against the penetrating sting of the rain, Andy concentrates on the way ahead, preparing to ride the oncoming waves. And that's when he sees something in his peripheral vision.

• 35:54Speaker 05

  I was looking forward in this moment, and I saw in my perspective, just on the side, a wave is building up behind us, a wall of waves.

• 36:07John Hopkins?

  Within seconds, the enormous wave lifts the back of the boat into the air before slamming her bow into the water.

• 36:15John Hopkins?

  There is no time to react before the Naddada flips over, capsizing lengthways and thrusting her crew into the icy uproar of the North Sea.

• 36:25Speaker 05

  So it's a fraction of a second in no time underneath the boat. So there was no possibility to avoid this anymore, unfortunately, by steering right or doing some things at the last moment. It was just too big, the wave.

• 36:44John Hopkins?

  Plunged into freezing darkness, surrounded by ropes and broken masts, it's impossible to tell which way is up. Immediately, Andy's ingrained training kicks in. Fumbling in the water, he reaches for his harness release in order to free himself from his safety line. His fingers find the handle, and he gives a hard, sharp tug.

• 37:07Speaker 05

  I tried once, and it didn't work under the water. And you're running in your mind out of time, out of option, and out of mind. So I mean, your whole life is just hanging on the possibility that this harness release system is works now.

• 37:28John Hopkins?

  Pulse drumming in his ears, Andy's hand tightens around the handle again. The air in his lungs is diminishing with every passing second. All hopes of survival rest on the success of his next move. Heart pounding, he gives another firm yank on the handle. And suddenly, the mechanism releases.

• 37:50John Hopkins?

  Finally free of his safety line, Andy makes his way through the foam and tangled debris beneath the boat. When he thinks he's clear, he pushes his way upwards, surfacing into the havoc of the storm. Clinging to the side of the boat, he presses the emergency locator beacon attached to his shoulder, a backup in case the Naddada's alarm system hasn't already activated. At the same time, he sweeps his gaze across the waves, scanning around for his crew. He sees three other figures floundering in the frothing sea.

• 38:25Speaker 05

  I start to count in a wavey condition, so the breaking waves over us. And I count together with myself for, and as the two ladies has another color, life, survival suits, I recognized we're missing the two ladies.

• 38:47John Hopkins?

  Forty-one-year-old Seni and 29-year-old Carla are nowhere to be seen. Panic rises. Before Andy can react, Seni suddenly surfaces, coughing and spluttering.

• 39:00John Hopkins?

  But there is still no sign of Carla. Andy spins around, frantically searching the dark, churning waters for any indication of her. And that's when he sees something that makes his blood run cold.

• 39:14Speaker 05

  I saw the two boots of Carla beside me, upside down. So she was tangled underneath the boat. So immediately, I focused which two other ones to get her out there. But it has been very wild, and we couldn't see any move on her body.

• 39:37John Hopkins?

  Despite Carla's lack of movement, Andy quickly dives back beneath the boat to try to free her.

• 39:43Speaker 05

  I couldn't believe that a young lady, 29 years old, is dying in front of my eyes. So I was shocked.

• 39:50John Hopkins?

  Beneath the hull, he reaches Carla, still motionless, and starts cutting through her safety line with his knife. But before he can free her, Andy feels a huge force surging up around him.

• 40:04John Hopkins?

  The next second, another enormous wave lifts the boat, and what's left of the vessel is flipped back over. The Naddada is righted once again. But this has a horrifying consequence.

• 40:20John Hopkins?

  Carla is still trapped beneath the boat, her leg caught in the rudder. Andy splashes back towards the Naddada and tries to disentangle her. Tossed and battered by the waves, he eventually manages to wrestle Carla free and drag her into the boat, which is now full of freezing cold water.

• 40:41John Hopkins?

  With the storm howling in his ears, Andy opens her survival suit and begins CPR, ignoring everything else going on around him. But despite his best efforts, it appears the very worst has already happened.

• 40:54Speaker 05

  We're too late.

• 40:57Speaker 05

  I was not anymore skipper in this moment, I was Andy, and I couldn't stop to keep going and keep my fight to her, to give the last chance for her to survive, to bring her back.

• 41:22Speaker 02

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• 41:45John Hopkins?

  This October, on the Noiser Podcast Network. Real Dictators Returns. We're in the Dominican Republic for the story of Rafael Trujillo. On Short History of, we'll uncover the secrets of the Hoover Dam and follow Mary Shelley, the creator of Frankenstein and his monster. On Real Survival Stories, a modern Viking adventure as a replica Norse vessel embarks on a daring voyage across the North Sea, and a man is struck blind all alone at the very top of the world. In Jane Austen Stories, Emma continues with Dame Julie Andrews. And in Sherlock Holmes Short Stories, Holmes and Watson unpick an epic mystery of hidden treasure and murder in the Sign of Four.

• 42:28John Hopkins?

  Get all of these shows and more early and ad-free on Noiser Plus. But no matter what he does, there is no sign of life. Eventually, he is forced to admit defeat. She's gone. Now comes an agonizing choice. The Naderda's life raft has already self-inflated, and is currently bobbing amidst the sharp debris of the wreckage, drifting further away from the boat with every moment. Andy has a responsibility to ensure the rest of his crew reach it safely, along with the emergency bag, which is still onboard the ship. But to do that, he must leave Carla behind.

• 43:13Speaker 05

  The picture is this submerged Viking boat and a life raft, tangling around with large waves coming over the boat, under the boat, beside the boat. So you can imagine, we had the fear that this life raft get destroyed. I have been still on the boat and with Carla. Toughest decision in my life, the decision between staying with her or rescue my life and the rest of the crew.

• 43:47John Hopkins?

  Seeing his distress, Georg, the Swiss engineer, shouts something into the storm. His words almost carried away by the crashing waves and roaring wind. He tells Andy to tie Carla's body to the boat so that she can be recovered later.

• 44:04Speaker 05

  Binding her up means at end, we're not losing Carla, because I was sure this boat is not sinking. So let's give the chance that we will have Carla later on, the body.

• 44:22John Hopkins?

  With Carla's body secured to the Naderda, Andy now turns all his attention to the surviving crew members. He grabs the emergency bag and jumps into the sea. With his movements restricted by his bulky survival suit, he battles through the freezing waves and floating debris, struggling towards the lifeboat where his crew are waiting. Eventually, his hands grasp the orange inflatable. Chest heaving, he hauls himself onto the raft, then turns back to the Naderda. And once again, he is met with a shocking sight. Before his eyes, the ship is lifted up again and capsized by another huge wave.

• 45:05Speaker 05

  I couldn't believe what I saw. In this time, in this second, the Naderda turns once again, and I saw it last time, Carla. And I was sure, wow, this has been so close. I could be on this ship right now and could be again underneath. So it was sure has been the right time to step away.

• 45:31John Hopkins?

  But the crew are still in danger. Andy's only priority at this point is ensuring that he and the other four surviving crew members get out of this situation alive. Gripping the raft, he sends out another emergency call to be absolutely sure that rescue services know they're in distress. Then he tells his crew to prepare themselves. Although help should be on the way, rescue is far from guaranteed.

• 45:56Speaker 05

  And I told them, don't believe you get rescued with the next helicopter. Can be technical problems, weather, whatever. And they have to turn away, and they lose sight, and we have to stay the whole night in this situation. You never know. So keep going and stay calm and stay ready to be rescued.

• 46:21John Hopkins?

  The crew huddle together on the raft, clinging to each other as they are battered by the waves and gales. A blurry outline begins to materialize in the distance. As it nears, the crew see that it's a large fishing vessel, heading towards them, having been alerted to their distress. But it's too big to approach the tiny raft safely in the stormy seas. Over the radio, Andy tells them to keep their distance. They still cling onto the hope of rescue from a helicopter. If one arrives, Andy tells everybody he will be the last to be evacuated, a skipper's duty to his crew.

• 47:03John Hopkins?

  The never-ending waves continue to blast around their life raft, until at last, another sound emerges from the frenzy. Andy and the crew crane their necks upwards. They watch as a frogman is lowered from the helicopter towards the small, orange inflatable. Despite the plan for Andy to go last, the frogman grabs him first and quickly wrestles him into a harness.

• 47:29Speaker 05

  Besides, on my own plan to be latest, I have been the first. Being in this sling together with him, body on body, holding each other, one, two meters in the air, and then another wave crushed over us, and we have been totally drowned again in the water.

• 47:49John Hopkins?

  Before the wave can claim them, the helicopter pulls up further. Drenched in icy salt water, Andy and his rescuer rise slowly through the air. When they finally reach the cabin, the focus turns to winching up the other crew members. It is an almighty operation in desperate conditions, but in time, everybody is safely evacuated from the raft. Andy and the remaining crew of the Naderda are taken to shore and checked over by medical teams, shielded from the already gathering press by the police. Andy is both grateful and awed by how smoothly everything runs.

• 48:31Speaker 05

  I mean, you could get rescued around the globe, but what we experience in Norway is extraordinary. This was this kind of experience of calmness, of professionalism, of culture, of we're doing our best for you and not blaming. I feel just home and a good environment, friendly, warm, and helpful.

• 49:01John Hopkins?

  Remarkably, none of the surviving crew are injured, though all are in a state of deep shock over what they have just experienced, chiefly over the death of Carla.

• 49:11Speaker 05

  We have been with the care team, social team, even crew members of the helicopter came in the night to us, and we talked and talked, debriefed, debriefed. Yeah, and it was super emotional the first night. Every second, someone else start to cry.

• 49:37John Hopkins?

  The day after the Naderda capsizes, Carla's body is recovered. It is assumed she must have hit her head during the accident and lost consciousness. A few weeks later, a remembrance service is held in her honor at the boathouse in Tvoira, where this story began many months ago. Standing beside the recovered Naderda, Andy gives a speech highlighting Carla's adventurous spirit and endless curiosity. A plaque is also erected in her memory so that she may continue to inspire future generations of explorers. Here, where people's lives are intrinsically bound to the sea and to the spirit of the

• 50:21John Hopkins?

  Vikings, Carla's death is mourned deeply. But the remarkable survival of her fellow crew members is met with gratitude and incredulity.

• 50:29Speaker 05

  Every single person on the sailors' club start to hug me. My wife told me, listen, they know what it mean to lose someone at sea, but you brought back Carla. But the real miracle, how did you survive? How could you come out of this situation on Gale Force 12 storm? How can you manage to survive? And they didn't believe me or us till they could really physically touch me. Yeah, I physically touched him, and it's true.

• 51:14John Hopkins?

  Carla's death was the result of numerous terrible circumstances converging together.

• 51:21John Hopkins?

  An investigation into the accident confirms that no individual blame can be apportioned. But it's a reminder that even with all the safety precautions and preparation in the world, at sea, nothing is guaranteed.

• 51:36Speaker 05

  So to great things as leader, as skipper, is building options. So you have to build options before you use it. And for the first time in my life as skipper, I didn't have any options left. So feels weird and feels very, very on the edge. But there was no options to turn around or doing this or this. So I tried hard to find options, but there hasn't been anymore. Being a survivor should make a difference in your life. I will go out again to explore and I have to keep in my mind I don't do this for great risk. I do it for the greater purpose.

• 52:19Speaker 05

  I think I have learned a lot of being prepared for the next exploration, whatever I do. And I do have a list of possible things that I would like to do. And this list is called Sleeping Beauties. Sleeping Beauties is the term that cartographers use for the uncharted territory. And I called my bucket list for sailing exploration Sleeping Beauties. I think it's a good term of exploration combined with science, but also with purpose.

• 53:06John Hopkins?

  Next time on Real Survival Stories, a horror scenario plays out at the top of the world. In 2011, 36-year-old amateur mountaineer Brian Dickinson is attempting to scale his fourth major peak in just three years. The Navy veteran is taking on the highest mountain in each of the seven continents. And now it's the turn of Mount Everest, the tallest of them all.

• 53:29John Hopkins?

  But after the triumph of reaching the summit, Brian's whole world suddenly turns white and his life hangs in the balance. When prolonged sun exposure bleaches his corneas, Brian is snowblinded, unable to see, and facing a terrifying prospect. He must feel his way alone with no means of communication and no possibility of rescue, back down to the nearest camp. He's going to have to overcome Everest again, and this time he'll be doing it blind.

• 53:56Speaker 06

  And I remember thinking, I'm at the highest point in the world. I'm completely alone, I'm blind, and no one's coming to get me. And without overthinking it, I got up and I just started moving.

• 54:09John Hopkins?

  That's next time on Real Survival Stories. Listen today without ads and without waiting a week by joining Noiser Plus. This October on the Noiser Podcast Network, Real Dictators returns. We're in the Dominican Republic for the story of Rafael Trujillo. On Short History of, we'll uncover the secrets of the Hoover Dam and follow Mary Shelley, the creator of Frankenstein and his monster. On Real Survival Stories, a modern Viking adventure as a replica Norse vessel embarks on a daring voyage across the North Sea and a man is struck blind, all alone, at the very top of the world. In Jane Austen's stories, Emma continues with Dame Julie Andrews.

• 54:51John Hopkins?

  And in Sherlock Holmes' short stories, Holmes and Watson unpick an epic mystery of hidden treasure and murder in The Sign of Four. Get all of these shows and more early and ad-free on Noiser Plus.