Draken has crossed the North Atlantic Ocean!…..arriving in St Anthony, Newfoundland on June 1st!
This has been the toughest leg with ice, winds and weather challenging the ship and the crew. What an achievement!
The route that Draken has chosen is the old seaways the Vikings sailed a 1000 years ago, when the Norse people settled the arctic Islands. Along the way there has been many trials that has challenged the ship and her crew and this last leg has been an especially hard one, with icebergs, fog and unpredictable winds. The crew has been cold wet and hard working to get the 35 meter long open wooden ship to conquer the harsh waters of the North Atlantic Ocean.
Im proud of the crew and the achievements we have made along the way. It has not been easy, we have faced a lot of problems along this voyage but the crew have been in good spirit and worked hard all the way, says Capt. Björn Ahlander.
It all started with a daydream, to build a large, seaworthy Viking ship, just like the ones spoken of in the Norse Sagas. Draken Harald Hårfagre is now a true story, having sailed the challenging voyage across the North Atlantic Ocean. It is a dream coming true, says Sigurd Aase, curator and owner of the Draken Harald Hårfagre project.
Specifications: LOA: 35m / 114 ft, Beam: 8m / 6.2 ft and Mast Height: 24m / 78.7 ft , Draken is the world’s largest Viking Ship, an interpretation of the large ships written about in Norse lore. The Gokstad ship, the most preserved Viking ship ever found, has served to be the source knowledge of an actual built vessel and also the traditional boat building tradition in Norway with the Nordlandsbåt. With these 3 ingredients, the Sagas, archeology and boatbuilding traditions have combined to create Draken.