The Draken Harald Hårfagre, the largest Viking longship in the world, is on her way, hopscotching across the Atlantic, to raid and plunder visit the United States this summer. After departing Haugesund, Norway and sailing for a day at sea, the longship had to put into Lerwick in the Shetland Islands to repair a broken shroud. The task was made significantly more difficult by modern electronics. Electronic cabling for antennas running down the backside of the mast complicated the repair. This is not the first time that the longship has diverted to Lerwick. In 2014, the put in to replace a broken mast.
The goal of the voyage is to explore one of the most legendary of all sea voyages – the Viking discovery of the New World. Draken Harald Hårfagre and her crew will sail for Iceland, Greenland and Newfoundland and then through the St. Lawrence Seaway to the Great Lakes before returning to the US East Coast in the late summer.
I wonder if their GPS shows “There be Dragons here” ?
Pete, a map with sea monsters and huge octopus with big teeth and a few dragons.
On Marinetraffic she shows-up as Draken Harald H, drop the last part of the name.
Current port is Troshavn in the Faroe Islands.
That the Norse reached N America is well established by archaeological finds on Turtle Island (the present-day native Vinlanders’ name for the continent later named N America by invaders who were often authentic raiders and plunderers) and needs no re-enactment for support. There is much yet to find and discover by conventional archaeology. The interest in building the best possible interpretation of vessels from bygone days is to test the proposed building methods (preferably using tools identical to those of the past) and the sailing qualities of the reconstructions. This can lead to improved interpretations, etc. Re-enacting proven or assumed navigational feats can have a solid purpose. This is not the case of the Harald Hårfagre : Norse longships reconstructions have been sailed avross the Atlantic before, starting the XIXth c. Those “replicas” were smaller than Harald Hårfagre. I personally doubt that the so-called Vikings (Norse raiders and plunderers; Norse traders and explorers were no more on a viking than later honest merchant sailors were “on the account” as pirates) would have used boats the size of the Harald Hårfagre. Size is not a measure of seaworthiness, safety and endurance. Somes sequences of the the video suggest this longship is a cow to handle and set sail. Using such a longship, undeniably a beautiful one, is like suggesting the James Cook and other sea explorers of the XVIIIth c. would have used ships-of-the-line for their voyages.
Anyway, lesson 1 of the re-enactment is that the Norse would not have reached N America had they had electronics. Besides, the use of such equipment is cheating.
Hello Draken Fans and hopefully CREW! I am in Michigan and have been watching your voyage! My son is on a tall ship Appledore IV sailing the Great Lakes alongside the the Draken! What a beautiful ship! Wonderful crew! So many of us here are SO HAPPY that you were able to continue your journey and explore our beautiful Great Lakes! Wishing you safe travels! Today, via marinetraffic.com site the Draken was in Manitowoc Wisconsin off the western shores of Lake Michigan. SKOL!