Log Book

After disembarking at Warnemünde port, Samir Salameh from the University of Delft stated: “This is one of the projects I will still talk about in twenty years."

The third and last leg of Science Sets Sail has now arrived at its final port, Rostock. After two days of heavy weather, the teams have had the chance to form a very close bond which is a great basis for building long-term collaboration projects, life-long friendships, not to mention a bit of fun in...

Heading from Gotland to Bornholm under almost full sail, on the evening of August 7th we enjoyed a beautiful heavenly spectacle sitting on the deck of the Thor Heyerdahl: a partial lunar eclipse.

Olga Wudarczyk, a guest from RWTH Aachen to FAU’s chemistry team, explains her research regarding odour perception.

Upon arrival at Ronne on August 9th, the scientists of watch number 2 came up with a special challenge for the Thor Heyerdahl crew members. They bet that the crew – captain included – could not all climb the rigging at once, wearing blue boxer shorts and Thor Heyerdahl T-Shirts.

Journalist Christina Merkel, of the local newspaper Nürnberger Zeitung, comments on her impressions of the project – and reveals how she would survive if she was shipwrecked.

The sight of land had never been so welcome to a sailing crew, or so it felt, when the shores of the Swedish island of Gotland rose up from afar. One day at anchor – what a tempting prospect for our researcher teams on leg 3 of Science Sets Sail. Taking a nap without running outside to the railing! ...

What you learn aboard a sailing ship: The sea is the boss! What no one expected, became reality. As the Thor was heading towards Gdansk, a storm hit the ship and a wild Baltic sea - with wind speeds of 7-8 and waves high enough to roll over the railing. Quite clear: our teams on leg 3 were in troubl...

The Science Sets Sail organisational team were thrilled to be presented with a thoughtful thank-you gift from Prof. Dr. Jouni Partanen from Aalto University in Finland - a 3D-printed replica of the Thor Heyerdahl.

In the FAU press office, we are loving how interested, engaged, and excited everyone has been about Science Sets Sail. We are now well over half way through our voyage, with only one final Open Ship Day in Gdansk to go, and want to thank all the institutions – including partner universities and medi...