![Ellen and Birger Ellen and Birger live full-time on their Fontaine Pajot Lavezzi and are paid to clean up remote natural reserves in Norway. (Photo/ Birger Haftor Nilsen and Ellen Gjertsen)](https://cdn.practical-sailor.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/original_b8f9a001-2cd4-4dfe-b7be-00c4f3212c76_20230913_1223072-1-696x529.jpg.optimal.jpg)
On the small island of Bolga in northern Norway, 17 nm north of the Arctic Circle, a 40-ft. catamaran lies at a quay. It is blowing 36 to 47 knots while the rain whips against the windows. Ellen and Birger (both 57) take a break in their work as beach cleaners, while the first autumn gale passes. Ellen is not a fan of the rain because it makes the rocks and stones slippery, slowing their progress. Since 2017, the couple has cleared marine waste in the outer archipelago in Nordland. They were amazed by the amount of plastic on the shore and started by cleaning a little each time they anchored in an area on their 32-ft. Bavaria.