The exploits of Carl Johan Bech have come to light after granddaughter Súsanna í Búðini revealed the details in a radio interview. 

She is hoping that one day the artefacts of her grandfather's voyage can be displayed at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne.

"This is an incredible story and shows the unique spirit of the Faroese people and our passion for the Olympic Games," said Faroese Sport and Olympic Committee vice president Jon Hestoy.

Hestoy is currently leading a campaign for the Faroe Islands to get IOC recognition to allow the territory to compete in its own right at Paris 2024.

In 1952, Bech was a well known veterinary surgeon and a keen sailor who used his craft to reach his work.

Speaking during the radio interview Búðini said: "He was a great adventurer and had the idea to sail to Finland."

Joining him for the trip were Jákup Hans Jacobsen who lived in Dalavegur.

Bech described him as "a reliable man."

The crew was completed by teenager Anders Hansen.

Their boat, a small sailing craft named "Tusk" had a 12 horsepower two cylinder Solé motor to be used when the sea was calm.

“My grandfather kept records of everything. Everything they took with them was noted.  Petrol, diesel oil, cod liver oil and all the provisions," said Búðini.

They set off from the Faroes capital Tórshavn on July 6 1952, a fortnight before the Olympic Games opened in Helsinki.

"I know that my grandmother, Etly, and my great grandmother, Helena, did not know anything until they had arrived at Bergen," said Búðini.

"My mother, who was 17 at the time, knew, but she did not say anything about it.

"The weather had not been good, but suddenly it cleared up, and they just left.

"They had probably planned to use the sails a lot, but the strong headwinds made this impossible.

"They had planned to stop in Shetland but the weather was so bad that they just sailed by."

Eventually they reached Bergen in the Norwegian Fjordlands.

"My grandfather was not unfamiliar with Bergen, as he had made this trip 27 years earlier," said Búðini.

"A long time had passed since then, but they remembered it. As their journey continued, they were invited to various events. 

"From Bergen they sailed on through the skerries to Haugesund and Stavanger. Then, due to strong winds, they sailed eastwards and then to Ålborg."

Here, the crew was reduced to two. The journal records that Jacobsen "had to go home for the hay harvest."

By the time they reached Gothenburg in Sweden "my grandmother signed on as the cook."

Bech’s boat navigated the Swedish canal system and their progress sparked great interest in the Olympic city with journal records recording “the news spread and people rallied round the boat.”

He had already arranged tickets to attend the Olympic Closing Ceremony.

“They asked him if he had a Faroese flag," said Búðini.

"As far as I remember, the Chinese delegation had already left for home, so there was an empty flagpole.

"At any rate, the Faroese flag was flown together with all the others, and my grandfather was extremely proud that he had played an active role in making this happen."

Although the Danish team at Helsinki numbered 129, it did not include any Faroese athletes.

Despite a Faroese Olympic Committee (FOC) being established in 1982, rower Katrin Olsen in 2008 and swimmer Pal Joensen in 2012 and 2016 were both obliged to represent the Danish Olympic team. 

This was because the FOC had not received recognition by the IOC. 

A change to the wording of rule 34 of the Olympic Charter in 1996 stipulated “In the Olympic Charter, the expression country, an independent state recognised by the international community.”

Although the Faroes have self Government, they are officially part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

They do compete in their own right in the Paralympics where swimmer Christina Naess won their first gold medal in 1988 and now also take part in the qualifying stages of the FIFA World Cup.

National Olympic Committees across Scandinavia have offered their support to the campaign for Olympic recognition for the Faroe Islands who have received dispensation to compete in the European Games in sports where their national governing body has international recognition.