Olivier has left France 41 years ago to sail the world. His combined passion for the sea, the mountains and virgin spaces soon led him to polar regions where he settled. He is the first French skipper to carry out the Arctic Ocean crossing under sail. After spending some time in Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, Alaska, Canada, Siberia and Greenland, he sails back in 1999 to Europe with his first mate Jean Michel Guillevic through the North West passage. Since then, he has settled in Tromsø, Norway, north of the Polar Circle, and created 69NORD.. His never fed passion for the North keeps him open and curious of the world which surrounds him, and gives him many oportunities to learn more each day from these so called “hostile” areas which he choose as his favorite play-ground.” For 22 years from his Norwegian base camp, Olivier has set sail every summer for sailing school polar expeditions where customers were involved in the maneuver of “Southern Star” his polar sailboat and offshore companion. Spitsbergen, Iceland, East and West coasts of Greenland, Canada, Alaska saw the bow of the great sloop. To find the time to work on two projects matured for years, Olivier sold in April 2024 his polar sailboat “Southern Star”, on board which he was embarked seven months a year. The first project consists of increasing the athletes’ mental training activity and health & wellness activities for all, with Sophrology, relaxation and functional breathing OxygenAdvantage by integrating these activities within 69Nord’s programs. The second is a polar expedition project that for the time being remains confidential. The usual activity of the center does not stop, on the contrary! Olivier remains at the maneuver. “69Nord Sommarøy Outdoor Center” offers you a complete range of outdoor activities.

An eco-responsible approach “The sea has taught me sufficiency. My sailboats, whether private or professional, have always been simply equipped, an essential point for long-distance expeditions. Repairability and reliability of equipment, optimization and saving of resources, and the fight against waste have become automatic over time. The sea has also taught me that sufficiency and natural spaces can bring wellbeing and fulfillment without compromising comfort or safety. It is simply this model that naturally inspired us when creating our ecolodge Båthuset (the boat house) and that we propose to share with you“. Olivier Pitras Båthuset was originally a house built in 1952 by Harry Lauveng, a fisherman from Sommarøy. We have recently completely renovated it following the recommendations of the international “Green Key” label. The work was completed at the end of 2022. It is located on the water’s edge, with direct access to the beach and has everything you need to feel good. It is south-facing and benefits from the slightest ray of sunshine, which is not a detail in our regions. The view offers, in the background, a vast panorama of the north coast of Senja Island, about ten kilometers away. The archipelago of small deserted islands completes the foreground with turquoise waters. The original volumes (the rooms look like boat cabins) have been respected to keep an energy sufficiency more necessary than ever in cold regions and in times of climate change. The insulation, which is particularly careful, also contributes to the sufficiencyy of the building, as do the fifty-eight other points on which we have focused in order to be able to live comfortably while limiting its footprint on nature as much as possible. The second floor is the common area with the a TV, dining room, the lounge area where the wood stove is located. This room, facing mainly south, opens onto the terrace and its staircase that goes down to the beach.

L'écolodge est situé dans une zone résidentielle calme et paisible au coeur d'un archipel féerique.