Grimstad, south of Arendal (where the ship was docked – see our previous blog post “Arendal, Norway”), is a waterfront town typical of the southern Norway coastline on the Skagerrak, with white houses, boats galore and an interesting maritime history that includes considerable wooden shipbuilding.

When Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906), who grew up in Skien, Norway, was 15 he moved to Grimstad to become an apprentice pharmacist, but by the time he moved from the city, several years later, he had written his first play, “Catilina”, while working in the town, along with many poems dedicated to the local girls.  The town has an Ibsen Museum, Norway’s oldest of its kind.  The museum comprises the pharmacy where the famous playwright worked, as well as the room where he wrote his first play.  Subsequent to this visit, as we were departing Bergen, Norway, on the ship, the Intrepid Explorer and your blogger were part of a cast from our onboard book club who performed a reading of selected scenes from Ibsen’s 1879 “A Doll’s House” and Lucas Hnath’s 2017 “A Doll’s House, Part 2” (as nurse Anne-Marie and as Nora’s husband, Torvald Helmer) in the ship’s theatre.

Grimstad is also famous as the home of the brewery, Nøgne Ø, whose name means “naked isle” in Norwegian, and comes, naturally, from Ibsen. Their beers are served all over Norway and are easy to find locally at bars and restaurants of Grimstad and Arendal – we enjoyed a Nøgne Ø beer in Arendal.

The purpose of our small group’s visit to Grimstad was quite specific – to meet Atle Bergshaven, whose family’s maritime heritage dates to 1772.  Today marks the 7^th generation of the family owing and managing the shipping company Bergshav.  As Chairman of the Board of Bergshav, Mr. Bergshaven was instrumental in constructing the vision for the world’s first private residential yacht.  In our discussion, we had the opportunity to learn more about the planning and building of our ship (christened in 2002).  At one point Mr. Bergshaven was also the president of board of directors of the company building and operating the ship, giving him a unique perspective on the history of our homes at sea.  We learned about the planning and development of the international team that guided the investment in and construction of the ship. 

Following our discussion, we had time for a guided tour of the historic Hasseldalen shipyard.  Dating back to 1842, the shipyard has buildings and slipways that have been noted by the Norwegian government for their maritime importance.  The Bergshaven’s family’s private collection of maritime artifacts is housed in “Navnebua“, a protected building with the names, on the outside wall, of all the larger ships constructed in the shipyard over the years.  Inside is a collection of over a thousand artefacts from the Norwegian, and particularly the local, shipbuilding and shipping industry. 

On the back wall are a large number of blocks used for the rigging of tall sailing ships.  On the next wall (on the right side of the photograph, above) the display shows an extensive collection of equipment used for loading and unloading.

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