Monthly Archives: October 2020

With Restauration Through Hell Gate to the Promised Land

Join us on Sunday, November 8th at 1pm CST on a voyage, “With Restauration Through Hell Gate to the Promised Land”.

The Slooper Society of America have partnered with Vesterheim, the National Norwegian-American Museum and Heritage Center to offer this free 75-minute live presentation on November 8th at 1pm (CST)!

Norwegian storyteller Anne Elisebeth Skogen will join the webinar live from Ryfylkemuseet in Sand, Norway, to tell the story, With Restauration Through Hell Gate to The Promised Land.

There will be a host-led talkback following the performance. Guests will also hear from Slooper Society Vice President Kirk Mies, as well as Vesterheim President/CEO Chris Johnson about new and exciting updates taking place at Vesterheim.


Register Here

Registration at the above link is required!
After registering, you will receive a seperate confirmation email containing information on how to join the live webinar on November 8th.

About the Guest Speaker:

Anne Elisebeth Skogen grew up in the little town of Egersund, Norway, south of Stavanger. For the last 37 years, she has lived in Sand, in the fjords northeast of Stavanger. She is a teacher with additional education in drama and storytelling, and has spent the last 20 years teaching drama and theatre at a culture school for youth. Now retired, Anne Elisebeth runs her own storytelling business, telling stories for schools, organizations, festivals, and companies. She practices her stories in her “outdoor office”– while hiking in the mountains and in the woods! She has visited the United States with a tour in 2012, and performances in 2010, 2011, and 2018, and participated twice in the Moth Story Slam in New York. She is married to a historian, and they share an interest in Norwegian emigration. They have four children and two grandchildren.

The Restauration Has Been Rescued!

I don’t have all of the details yet but after several years of uncertainty during which time the Restauration replica ship was for sale, it has been purchased and will once again sail the waters near Rogaland.

Local businessman, Cato Østerhus recently purchased Restauration. It is my understanding that the ship will be based on the island of Klosterøy in Stavanger municipality, Rogaland county. Østerhus owns the Utstein Kloster hotel and Restauration will call this her new home where she will be available to the public. More information about the history of the hotel can be found here. The hotel appears to be perfectly located… 25 minutes to Stavanger, and only 1 hour to Pulpit Rock. And the island of Klosterøy appears beautiful as well. It looks fantastic and it is evident that Cato has big plans for the hotel. It is easy to see that Restauration will be a perfect addition. I can’t wait to visit!

But first Restauration must be repaired after being left in a state of disrepair and uncertainty these past few years. Jørn Flesjå, who owns and operates Ryfylke wooden boat building on Finnøy and who originally built “Restauration” in 2010 will oversee these repairs.

I do apologize for my lack of details. I will continue to monitor the situation and hope to have more updates soon. But as my friend Vidar Aarhus said so well, “The most important thing is that the ship remains in Rogaland and will be available in 2025!” Hurrah! Thank you to Cato Østerhus! We look forward to the time when we can once again visit.