[REi]

Stary news ci z chipa maja refleks...

Oslo, Norway - April 25, 2005 ***8211; 16:00 CET/10:00 am EST

The weather in Oslo was pleasantly mild as Jon S. von Tetzchner prepared for his transatlantic swim this morning. After struggling with the wet suit for over an hour, the 195 cm tall CEO looked sharp and focused as he took his last steps on Norwegian soil before entering the freezing Oslo fjord.

"We are so proud of Jon for doing this," said Anne Stavnes, HR manager, Opera Software. "Considering that the closest thing Jon has ever come to swimming was in the hot springs in Iceland when he was a kid, and those aren't even 3 feet deep."

Sporting the Norwegian and the U.S. flag as an appropriate symbol of the journey ahead, the company inflatable raft, "Phantom", had been duly prepared for the long trip. Manned with a satellite phone, maps, food, water and a book with inspirational quotes from the Viking sagas, Opera's PR manager, Eskil Sivertsen, has taken it upon himself to row alongside Jon for the duration of the trip, partly out of guilt for having made his CEO's bold statement public.

"It's the least he can do, having put me in this situation in the first place," says Jon S. von Tetzchner with a wicked grin on his face. "Besides, I can't swim to the USA without maps, and this wet suit doesn't seem to have any pockets, so it's good to have him there ***8211; also as someone to talk to along the way."

Several members of their families and many representatives from Opera were present on the docks to see the two bold adventurers well off when they made their way, slowly but surely, toward the open sea ***8211; Jon swimming, Eskil rowing.

"Look at me! I'm floating! I'm floating!" was the last thing people heard from Jon as he kicked off into the distance.

The next update on the remarkable and heroic journey will be available here on Tuesday, April 26, at 10:00 am CET (04:00 am EST).

Stay tuned!