Sailing Salve
Sailing and football are not something you’d necessarily expect to go hand in hand, but they’re proving remarkably compatible at the 2025 Homeless World Cup. The Catherine Booth and its crew have been taking teams out sailing on the fjord in between fixtures throughout the tournament.
Captained by legendary sailor Jan Steven Johannessen, who has attended nine Olympic Games, and crewed by Kjetil Balle, Arnfinn Austlio, and Sigbjorn Svepstad, the Catherine Booth is actually the second incarnation of the Catherine Booth. The original boat was the Salvation Army’s first foray into Norway. Launched off the back of a weather event that killed 70 fishermen, its explicit design was to rescue fishermen and sailors lost at sea. This new iteration, built in 1994, is still saving people, Johannessen explains, this time from drug and alcohol addiction rather than the sea.
Day to day, the Catherine Booth operates as part of the Norwegian Salvation Army’s activity offerings for people experiencing substance abuse or mental health challenges. Other programs the Salvation Army offers include football, which provides a pathway into the Norwegian Homeless World Cup team. Hence the sailing program’s compatibility with the 2025 Homeless World Cup, which is playing out at Oslo’s waterfront Rådhusplassen. The fortuitous co-location of the football event and the dock means players can board the boat for short sailing trips around the harbour between Homeless World Cup games.
The Catherine Booth setting sale with Team Wales on board
The Catherine Booth is a Colin Archer model, one built in recent decades but based on famous designs that are more than 100 years old. The 36-foot (10.9-metre) boat is steady, stable, made from carefully selected oak wood cultivated for decades and cured for years to ensure its strength and long-wearing capabilities.
Johannessen came to skipper the Catherine Booth after he had to give up competitive sailing after sustaining a neck injury. At a loose end, he contacted the Salvation Army after hearing they were starting a sailing program for people experiencing drug addiction and mental health challenges. Since then, he and his crew have been taking Norwegian participants out on the water to learn sailing skills.
The sailing program provides both seamanship, but also a calm environment—being out on the water brings a focus, fresh air, and a kind of meditative peace not often found on land. It’s also proving a welcome refresh and salve for the Homeless World Cup participants between games—one few people could have predicted would be on their bingo cards.
Weather permitting, Johannessen and his crew will be providing sailing trips for players over the remainder of the event, and continuing their program in Norway long beyond it.
Jan Steven Johannessen talking to the Homeless World Cup’s Fiona Crawford
Words by Fiona Crawford | Photos by Anita Milas