Small Boats, Big Stories

The Thrill of the Wind

“Once you have been on the boat and felt how it rolls and rocks, you turn off the engine so you can feel the power of the wind and the landscape and the sea,” Peter says, his voice carrying the quiet thrill of adventure. “Being at the mercy of nature to move us along, I think that’s unique,” he adds.

For Peter, sailing is more than a hobby. It is a rhythm dictated by wind, ice, and tides. It is a way of experiencing life in its rawest form. Born and raised in innesota, Peter grew up surrounded by adventure: sled dogs, icy rivers, and endless forests. His parents ran a dog sledding tour business that guided visitors through the frozen wilderness.

“You don’t know what’s normal until you grow up with 50 to 70 sled dogs in the winter,” he says. Adventure was a family business, and Peter absorbed it naturally.

His father, Paul, was a man who tested limits. He joined Will Steger on the first unsupported dog sled expedition to the North Pole in 1986, where success depended on skill, grit, and a touch of miracle. Peter recalls, “The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. Whether you like it or not, you end up chasing something wild and big, just like he did,” he laughs. That early exposure to risk and resilience shaped Peter’s own path.

Life Among Glaciers

Peter’s life now takes him far from Minnesota to Svalbard, which is a dramatic, ever-changing Arctic landscape sculpted by glaciers sliding into the ocean. “I’ve been here in Svalbard pretty much on and off ever since 2017,” Peter says. “I’d heard it was a bit tricky to sail here, but there was a rumor that there was a need for skippers in this area. So I went for it, and I've been working as a skipper guide here in the summer season.”

When he is not working as a skipper in Svalbard during the summer months, Peter returns to Minnesota to help manage the family dog sled business there. Adventure lets Peter explore waters that haven’t really been navigated before, and every trip is a lesson in patience, observation, and adaptability for him.

Experiencing the Arctic

Marina Van Dijk, a seasoned local who has lived in Svalbard for three decades, offers her perspective on the region’s scale and solitude. “I came here to visit friends who lived in the middle of nowhere. I didn’t know much about Svalbard, so it was so many new things — all these big landscapes and, of course, the animals. You really feel the scale of the place, like you’re just a small part of something massive.”

“I talked to people who had been living here for decades. They told me that once every fifth year, the ice was safe enough to travel over the glaciers by snowmobile. In the 29 years I’ve been here, it happened only twice that the ice was safe enough to travel,” Marina continues.

Peter also reflects on the challenges and fleeting opportunities presented by the ever-changing ice. “Charting can be really difficult because it's changing so quickly. It’s really wild to see your boat as it's going further and further into waters, where a glacier was just 5-6 years ago. I feel lucky to see it before it's gone,” he says.

“The glaciers really are changing the landscape as I speak. Being on these smaller boats, we can now go into waters that have not really been navigated before,” he adds. Each day in Peter’s life requires observation, intuition, and a readiness to adapt. The Arctic is a living, breathing classroom, and both Peter and Marina are its students, learning lessons in patience, risk, and respect with every voyage.

Navigating Uncharted Waters

Guiding small boats through icy fjords is Peter’s way of experiencing the Arctic up close. Every route requires careful planning and attention, and the unpredictability of the environment is part of the thrill.

Marina Van Dijk observes, “With a cruise boat, you have no influence. You cannot change your destination even if there is something much more interesting in the next field.” For both Peter and Marina, the adventure lies in being present. On small boats, they often spot polar bear tracks, seals, and other wildlife.

“It's never too late to see it,” Marina says, recalling how they turned a corner to discover a patch of untouched Arctic splendor. Peter adds, “Adventure is more than just getting that picture of yourself with that one thing. It’s hearing the ice crack, feeling the Arctic wind, experiencing the good and the bad, type A, type B — all of it.”

Freedom of Small Boats

Marina treasures the freedom that comes with smaller vessels. “When you travel with a small bike, you can decide where you want to go. You’re still in contact with nature. You still have contact with adventure. You still have the freedom to go where the wind takes you.” This freedom shapes every journey. Each trip is a balance between careful planning and letting the environment guide them.

Peter reflects on the pace of modern adventure and its social pressures: “I’ve definitely seen how social media has affected travel and places to go. Going on a lot of adventures here, and a lot of what you hear, people want to see polar bears or whales. I do love seeing bears and whales as well, but the adventure is more than just getting that picture of yourself with that one thing and then going home. It’s the whole experience of hearing the ice crack or break and feeling the cold Arctic wind.”

This philosophy also connects directly to how Peter lives off the water. Life in Svalbard demands adaptability and resourcefulness. Power, for instance, cannot be taken for granted. Every electronic device, from navigation equipment to communication tools, needs careful management.

Peter’s life demonstrates a reliance on Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 Portable Power Station and SolarSaga 200W Solar Panels that let him work, explore, and connect safely in a harsh environment. On these trips, Peter uses a Jackery’s power station with foldable panels to quietly keep his essential devices running. From his phone and drone to his camera, it gives him just enough energy to capture the moments without pulling him away from the rawness of the Arctic.

Roots in Adventure

Looking back, Peter sees his upbringing as a foundation for everything he does. Camping in the Boundary Waters, dog sledding, exploring forests: all these experiences instilled a sense of endurance and curiosity in him. “I think my parents were trying to pass that down to us,” he explains. “The cool part about my parents' lifestyle is that my dad’s a very strong adventurer. It’s through him that I ended up here in Svalbard.”

Peter’s father’s journey to the North Pole remains a guiding example for him. He recounts, “The difference between failure and success depended on my dad’s ability to work a miracle.” It is a perspective that informs his daily life, whether guiding a small boat through icy fjords or choosing the safest route around shifting glaciers.

Life’s Lessons from Nature

For Peter, the Arctic is as much a teacher as it is an adventure place. Every day on the ice offers lessons in attentiveness and humility. “You don’t just see these landscapes. You feel them. You live them. The ice can move, the weather can turn in minutes, and everything you plan might change,” he says.

The impermanence of the glaciers and ice keeps him grounded. He watches as fjords and coastlines shift, reshaping areas that once seemed permanent. Every crack of the ice, every sudden gust of wind, reminds him to respect the environment and to stay present.

In Peter’s adventurous life, survival and wonder go hand in hand. It teaches lessons that extend far beyond navigation and adventure. Power, too, is part of the balance. On his boat, a Jackery power station and solar panels sit in the corner, quietly capturing sunlight to keep navigation tools and gear powered. It is a simple, portable solar generator that lets him focus on the shifting ice and the lessons nature has to teach.

Sharing Stories

Beyond the thrill of exploration, Peter is motivated by storytelling. He says, “People love telling stories and being part of the stories they tell. That’s what I want to do — go out there, experience it, and bring it back for others to feel.” For him, adventure is inseparable from communication. Every journey is a story waiting to be told, every turn of a glacier or sighting of wildlife a chapter.

Peter’s life is a balance of calculated risk, deep respect for nature, and a relentless curiosity. From sledding across frozen Minnesota lakes to navigating Arctic fjords, he thrives in environments that challenge most people. His stories are raw and deeply personal. They are a reflection of a life shaped by adventure, family, and the constant motion of the natural world.

Peter’s adventures are about being fully alive in each moment, whether under the Arctic sun, the polar night, or on a frozen lake in Minnesota. And through every turn, every glacier, every small boat, he invites others to not just see the world, but to feel it. In a place where electricity isn’t guaranteed, Jackery products are what make it possible for Peter to record the sounds of cracking ice, the sweep of a glacier, or the quiet of the Arctic night, and bring those details back into his stories.