Just a few days before the Sea Stallion departs for Dublin, members of the crew are busy painting, carving...Eric Nielsen carving numbers
medieval numbers in wood, and mentally preparing themselves for a journey across the North Sea.
Bearded Eric Nielsen has come all the way from Toronto in Canada to be part of the expedition. He is an experienced sailor and isn't in the least bit nervous.
- My children at home are envious. They have jobs and kids and don't have time for a trip like this, whereas I am retired. This will be a once in a lifetime experience.
Local Ole Summer from Roskilde is busy painting, but admits that he is a bit apprehensive.
- I am not experienced out at sea, so I have to admit that I am a little nervous. My children are getting used to having a father with an unusual hobby, who is gone for longer periods of time.
Selected volunteers
Both Eric and Ole are volunteers selected amongst candidates from all over the world. Ten nationalities are represented on the expedition. Some have been chosen for their sailing experience, others because they are doing historical or archaeological research, others like Ole and Eric because they are passionate about the Viking era. The team has met each other several times during the past couple of years to prepare for this expedition from Roskilde in Denmark to Dublin in Ireland.
Ole explains about the preparation last year:
- Last summer we sailed around the Skagerak. We spent a lot of time training how to manoeuvre the Sea Stallion using both sails and oars, which really takes a lot of coordinating when we are 65 persons on board. Just as important are our social abilities.
The team is split up into six teams with ten persons in each self-governing group. There are two shifts, but as Ole says:
- Even though we aren't on the sailing shift, there will be lots of practical doings such as preparing food, repairing the ship and of course sleeping from time to time.
On one of the training sessions we went ashore where there was a music festival. Eric says:
- All of us on the Viking ship got free entrance. The criterion was our smell. If we smelled of sweat and tar, then we could go in for free.
Females on board in 2007
One thousand years ago Viking expeditions were a male endeavour. Vikings were basically pirates, and the women stayed at home taking care of the children, picking berries and ensuring that the animals had grass to graze on or hay to munch in the long and dark winters.
Today females make up about 25-30% of the crew. Both men and women have trained on rowing machines all winter, invested a lot of time on this project, and can barely wait to get on board the Sea Stallion on Sunday.
Follow the Sea Stallion en route to Dublin: Right now the ship is moored in the museum harbour at the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, Denmark, but on Sunday the 1st. of July, you can follow the ship up through Roskilde Fjord and up Kattegat to Orkney Islands and the Irish Sea. Follow the ship
Birgit O'Sullivan
- 27. juni 2007
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