Fuchs:
Asexpedition leader, youare thepersonwho initiates the
project, the logisticsexpertwhoplansandmanages it andon
theshipyouare thecaptain. In thisposition, youaren’tmotivated
simplyby thedesire toclaimsomething for yourself.Whenyou’re
onanexpedition it’s likehavingamirror heldup in front of you.
You can’t put onanact, becausewithin threedayseveryonewill
see through it and recogniseyou forwhoyou reallyare. All team
members takea leapof faithbyputting their trust inmeasexped
ition leader. I have toearn this trust everysingleday. That is the
challenge that I set formyself.
When I findmyself standingondeck in theDenmarkStrait in the
middleofNovember battling forceelevenwindsandhighseas,
I have tomake the rightdecision foreveryone.This isbynomeans
easyand it doesn’t always turnoutwell.Nevertheless, all theex
pedition teammembersexpectme to tell themwhat todo. The
team thenputs theplan intoaction. It’smaking thesedecisions
and implementing them that creates trust –not because I ask for
it, but becauseof theactionand the combinedeffort of everyone
involved.
What kindof teamdoyouneed tosuccessfullydealwith the
enormousmental andphysical hardshipof theArctic?
Fuchs:
Inaddition to their expertise, the teammembersmust
haveexcellent social skills. This canbedifficult to identify in
advance. Iwant a team that isheterogeneous, yet has certain
things incommon.Whenyoualways travelwith thesamepeople,
a routine candevelop,which isdangerous.Whatwedon’twant
“Safety ismymainpriority.”
On thehighseas:
Since1989, Arved Fuchshas travelledover 300,000kmonhissailingboat, theDagmarAaen.
Arved Fuchs’polar sailingboat, theDagmarAaen,was
built in1931asafishingboat for use in theNorthAtlantic
andNorthSea. Itwasgivenanupgrade toensuresafe
passage throughdifficultwatersand for overwintering
survival in icy conditions.Thehullmade from6 cm-thick
oakplanksandoak frames is reinforcedwithup to6mm
of aluminium,while thesternandkeel areprotectedwith
up to3 cmof steel.Theboat ispoweredbya220m² sail
areaanda180hp, 3-cylinder, 4-strokeCallesenDiesel
engine type425CO.
Toensure reliablenavigationand communication, the
DagmarAaenhasstate-of-the-art technology including
radar, GPSsatellitenavigationandem-ergencyalarm
systems. DespitehavingGPS technologyonboard, Arved
Fuchsstill reliesonhis trustedsextant toguidehim. In the
event of anemergency, heandhis crewhaveaccess toa
12-person life raft.
Safetyat sea
Sextant andGPS
Photo:©AFExpeditionen
inour team issomeonewho is interestedpurely inself-promo
tion. Peoplewhoareout toprovesomething to themselvesor to
others. Another important element of asuccessful expedition
to theArctic is, of course, sacrifice.Noshowers, no contactwith
familyand friends.Wecanfindoutwhetherpeoplearesuitable
for a longer expeditionby taking themonshorter journeysor
sailing tripsfirst. I thereforegraduallyworkouthowwell someone
is likely tofit intoa team. Thisgivesmeand themembersof the
expedition team thesecurityof knowing thatwewill cooperate
andpull together inextremesituations.
Howdoyouensure thehighest level of safety for yourself
andyour team?
Fuchs:
Sometimes, asituation thatmight seemdangerous to
anoutsider isnot actuallydangerous for usbecausewehave
acquired theskills todealwith it. The risksare lessenedbecause
weknowwhatwehave todo. Youshouldalsoset yourself goals
that youhavea reasonable chanceof achieving. Youshouldn’t
be tooambitious.Noproject isworthsomeonesufferingor
losing their life.Of course, I alsohave toknowandanalysewhat
I need todo inorder toachieveagoal,what thepotential risks
areandhow I canovercome them. Despiteall of this, there is
still alwaysa residual risk. Although Imayknow that thereare
severestorms inanarea that I amexploring, I cannotpredicthow
strong theyactuallyare. This iswhy I alwaysbuild inasafety
margin tohelpme to respond todangeroussituations.
Sodoes thismean that youset clear limitsandareprepared
to turnback if continuingmeansputting thesafetyor even the
livesof your teamat risk?
Fuchs:
Forme, safety is themainpriority. I have cancelledexped
itions in thepast andamprepared todosoagain. Inmyopinion,
puttinghuman lives in jeopardy isahighly immoral thing todo.
Lookatwhat happenedonMount Everest in the1990s,when
anumber of climbers lost their livesandotherssimplypassed
thembybecause theywanted tobe thefirst to reach thesummit.
I believe that ethicsandmoralsare importantwhenembarking
onanexpedition. Success issimplynotworth risking thewell-
beingof your teammembers. A team is just likeachain; if I notice
that a link in the chain isbreakingandamember isn’t perform-
ing, I dismantle theentire chain. Anexpeditionshouldalsobean
enjoyableexperience. But as forme, there isno joy tobehad if
oneperson isn’t able tokeepup.
Is itmoredifficult tostop than to continue indefinitely?
Fuchs:
Whether I’m travellingbyship, onskisorwithadogsled,
I alwayshavemydestination in mind. Lettinggo isnever easy.
I amastrongbeliever innever givingup. Forme, however, never
givingupalsomeansnever givinguponyourself. That ismy life
insurancepolicy. It'snot uncommon tofindyourself stuck in
thedailygrindof a routine that constantlypushesyou forward.
Although this isaneffectivewayofmakingprogress, it also
involvesa risk that causesmanyexpeditions to fail. Imust be
prepared tocompletelychangemy thinkingat any time,what-
ever I am currentlydoing, and tomonitor theactionsofmyself
andmy team. I thenaskmyself if this is reallygoing towork. Is
what I’mdoingwise?Orwould it bebetter toadmit defeat and
tostop, even if I am just a fewkilometres frommydestination?
Youhave to teachyourself tostop, takestockand tryand look
at thesituation fromadifferent perspective.
Is thatwhatmakessomeonea leader?
Fuchs:
I thinkso, yes.
Haveyoubecomemoredaringover theyears, doyou
approachor do thingsdifferentlynow, andhowhaveyou
changedyourself?
Fuchs:
I think it’s important toalwaysbeawareof your own
limitations. I canstill runbehindadogsledwithout difficulty,
just as I could last year. Butmust I always climb the rigging
when it’sverywindy, just because I still can?No, I don’t have to
do that anymorebecause thereareyoungpeopleeager tomake
that climb. Theability to let goand todelegate toothers isa
quality that developsover time.Onceyouareprepared to leave
certain thingswell alonenowand then, you can continue tobe
activeasanexpedition leaderwell intooldage.
Is it difficult to return tonormalityafter anexpedition?
Fuchs:
I used tofind it verydifficult, but I’ve learned to livewith
it. And I likemy lifehere too– I’m certainlynodrop-out. I like
going to restaurants, to the cinemaor to the theatre. Theone
thing that hasalwaysbotheredme issuperficiality.When I return
froma long tripandamdocking in thePort ofHamburg, anda
journalist asksmewhen I amheadingoff againbefore the ropes
haveevenbeensecured to themoorings, I havedifficulty taking
themseriously. Thissuperficial tickingof boxes–assoonasyou
completeone thingyouhave tomoveonto thenext –sometimes
getsonmynerves.
Howdoyou take theseunique impressionsof nature
homewithyou?
Fuchs:
Therearesome images that staywithyou. This ismy
personal capital,which I haveaccumulated throughoutmy life.
The images frommy trip toLabrador in1977are just asevocative
todayas theyweresixweeksafter theexpedition. Thesame is
trueof theNorthernLights. I’veseen themsooften, yet amstill
fascinatedby them. Even todaywhen I am lying inmybunkwhile
off duty I oftendecide togoupondeck, andas I stand there
freezing inmy thinclothing, Imarvel at justhowgigantic theyare.
Theseare themoments thatmakemedowhat I do, themoments
that keepmegoing. I don’t go to thepolar regionsbecause I am
somekindofmasochist or tograpplewithadversity. I takeon
thishardshipbecause it bringswith it amazingexperiences that
enrichmy life.
The interview tookplaceon17 January2014 inOldenburg, Germany.
The interview locationwasprovidedby theBüntinggroupof companies
(
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1.2014
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