R/V G.O.Sars left Tromsø harbour 18 September with steady course heading for the “Eggakanten”, the continental shelf break northwest off the Norwegian mainland, approximately half-way to the Bear Island. The mission was to map the seabed as part of the Norwegian mapping programme MAREANO. The cruise is divided in two legs; the first, which we report from here, was undertaken between 18 and 30 September and the second leg which runs from 30 September until 11 October.  Onboard were 14 scientists and technicians within the fields of marine taxonomy, geology and chemistry.