James is 59 North’s ‘Ship’s Photographer’ and has sailed with us both in Scotland in 2017, for two months above the Arctic Circle in summer 2018, and on the passage south from Annapolis-BVI in 2019. James was along to document the 2018 and 2022 adventures to Svalbard. Not really a sailor beforehand, James has now sailed thousands of miles with 59° North.
James lives in the UK and is an arborist, avid climber, and rabbit enthusiast. You can see his incredible work and buy prints of his adventures at jamesaustrums.com
James Foreword from 80 NORTH:
If you’ve never sailed, how do you even begin to dare to dream of being at sea? It is a world so far removed and so different from life on land. Generally, our biggest fear is the unknown, and fear is invariably intensified by tall tales. Those who do not go only know what they hear in the wild stories brought back. I always saw adventure at sea as being equal parts intrigue and apprehension.
When Andy and I met in Oslo in 2014 we got along instantly; we both had the same passion for adventure, or perhaps just an inability to say no to a wild idea. We also had a shared intuition that adventurous experience is worth way more to an individual than material things. I had no idea when we met that our friendship would culminate in something as ambitious as this trip in the High Arctic.
The second time we met was in Scotland (the first time I met Mia), when I came sailing aboard Isbjörn as a trial run for the larger trip. It was a taster, to see if I could handle being at sea. I sailed with them around the west coast, stopping at a couple of whisky distilleries, and ending with a short night sail to Fair Isle and Shetland. It was a jolly good time, with some great overnight sails and some choppy weather. Enough to see how testing it could be, but also enough that I was confident I could cope with more. In fact, I wasn't just confident, I was bitten. And I desperately wanted to see where else sailing could take me.
Remote parts of the planet are of course where adventurers are most inspired, and Svalbard is a location that historically, has drawn a hell of a lot of attention. It was the starting point for many of the first North Pole expeditions, and the archipelago itself has been an extreme setting for many bold adventures. It is famously dangerous for its large polar bear population, and the land mass itself is encased in an ice mass that manifests in an endless covering of glaciers, with treacherously unpredictable crevasses and seracs. There couldn't be a finer objective for modern adventurers to set their intentions.
It has always been an honour and a pleasure for me to contribute to the visual presence of 59 North online and in print. So I write this in the gratitude felt by me and many others who have been lucky enough to benefit from Andy and Mia’s hospitality and enthusiasm. They continue to open the door to those who seek out the experience of thrilling exploits, making what may seem impossible, possible.
// James Austrums, September 2019
Ship’s Photographer
jamesaustrums.com
