Eight Bells: Troels Kløvedal

Troels Kløvedal

Marine electrician, sailor, author and film maker Troels Kløvedal, 75 died early on December 23. He died peacefully in his home after two years of ALS, a debilitating illness that tied him to his home in the countryside of Jutland, Denmark.

Troels Kløvedal inspired many Danes to go sailing and discover the world. He set the example himself by buying in 1967 an old steel ‘galæse’’ from 1905, and sailing her around the world three times with varying groups of people. Starting out with sending photos and articles to newspapers, he finally made documentaries about the ship’s tours – and her crew.

His many books have become collector’s items and do not only vividly describe the sailing tours to destinations as the Mediterranean, Indonesia and China, but also (maritime) history, literature (both Danish and international), practical sailing tips and tricks, and encounters with the many people he met on his trips. Only last year his last book came out, which immediately became a bestseller.

Kløvedal was a hippy, with his feet firmly planted at the deck of Nordkaperen, a head always thirsting for knowledge and a heart as big as a barn, loving and caring for the people he met. He leaves behind five children, of which his son Mikkel and grandsons Emil and Theis have continued Troels’s sailing and cruising legacy making television programmes – and calling out new generations of Danes to faraway shores.