What Is It With Old Norwegians And Rowboats?
You gotta know when to quit, Olaf. Long-distance rowing trip turned fatal Aftenposten, May 2, 2006: A 67-year-old man who was attempting to row the entire length of Norway’s coast was found dead just two days after setting off from the North Cape. Richard Horntvedt of Molde had been an avid fan of rowing and Norway’s coastal culture since childhood. He left the North Cape Sunday morning for what was supposed to be a 90-day rowing trip along the coast, all the way to Norway’s most southern point at Lindesnes. He was reported missing Sunday evening, and wreckage believed to be from his boat was found on Monday. Reminds me of a fellow who used to live on an island in Lake Superior. Back in the 1930s, everyone in Bayfield knew Olaf Hanson. His Norwegian colleagues called him Stor Ole: “Big Ole.” He had a cabin on Stockton Island, where he made his living, fishing from his eighteen-foot rowboat. He ranged all over the big lake, often staying out as long as three weeks, and thought little of
