In love with a Sea Stallion - and my husband

Nurses the crew on their voyage to Dublin

Sea Stallion in Roskilde harbour

Susanne Mahlstrøm will serve as a nurse on the replica of the original Viking longship that is bound for Dublin on Sunday July 1. She is also a full-fledged crew member.

Living in an old fishing village just above the museum island in Roskilde, Susanne quickly fell in love with the Sea Stallion as she watched the ship evolve into a beautiful ship.

Farmers and Sailors

- I grew up on a farm on a small island called Omø. There were sailors and fishermen along the coast, but coming from an agricultural environment we belonged to two different spheres. Nonetheless, I already back then loved the sea, the coastal winds and the ships. From my hilltop home today overlooking the Viking Ship Museum, I have from the very beginning been fascinated with the replicas of Viking ships that are made here. The smell of wood chips and the tar, the beauty of the Viking patterns and forms. One winter I even made a snowman right besides one of the Viking ships.

Susanne's husband Allan Ohms has been associated with the museum as a lawyer.  A couple of years ago Susanne was therefore invited on board one of the Viking ships for a VIP trip in the Fjord. Here she met skipper Carsten Hviid.

- I asked him: Don't you need a nurse on the Sea Stallion? He then asked me: Are you serious? I thought about that for a split second and answered: Yes.

Safety on board
Since then, Susanne has spent much of her spare time preparing for the up-coming expedition to Dublin.

- I had expected that I would be taking care of blisters, but actually I have been on a survival course, made evacuation plans and made health reports on each crew member, learned how to treat sick on board a ship and even attended a maritime life support course for the marine on Fanø.

When asked if this isn't overdoing a Viking trip, she quickly answers that the crew's safety comes before everything else, so for instance everyone has to wear a life-jacket. Our job is not to play Vikings, but judge the ship's abilities. On the expedition there are a few rules. One of them is that the ship is vital and we have to do all we can to ensure that everything is in order. The second most important thing is to keep an eye out for the person sitting next to us. We come in the last row.

Sanitary matters
This must be the chance to discreetly ask about sanitation on board. How do they tackle this when 25% of the crew are women?

- It's not luxurious. We have a small tent with a bucket and a toilet seat. Every person using the toilet has to ensure that the bucket is emptied and cleaned after use. There are hygienic regulations on board, so everyone has to wash their hands in saltwater and soap - and if there isn't time forthis then in hand spirits. It would be a disaster if one of us got a stomach infection, because it spreads like wildfire.

Like a cork in water
Susanne admits that her garden and home aren't in the same state as they usually are.  Nonetheless, her family is very supportive, and her two children have found out that their mother is pretty cool when she is working on the boat or out giving talks on the expedition.

- As a nurse I meet many people doing the most incredible things during their holidays, such as climbing Kilimanjaro or crossing a desert. For me this expedition is about living in a minimalist manner. I have like many others always led a privileged life, so now I want to see how I fend for myself in a group with a very basic lifestyle. And of course I love the nature, the wind and the sound of the water.

- I am not afraid. The ship is like a cork in water, so I feel safe onboard her.

Related Information
The Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde and the Sea Stallion, Link 
Interview with Eric Nielsen and Ole Sommer, two crew members