Update: New Speed Record Achieved By Viking Warship The Sea Stallion

New speed record for the Sea Stallion

02/08 - 2007

During sundays sail from Rahoy to the islands of Jura, Scotland, the Sea Stallion reached a new speed record. 13 knots has been the record so far.

13 knots was the speed reached by the Sea Stallion when sailing from Roskilde to the southern part of Norway just after departue the 1st of July. But on this sunday's sail the biggest reconstuction of a Viking longship reached 13,4 knots over ground - which means speed measured above seabed. The high speed was reached in the waters of Corryvreckan just of the Scottish west coast. With the wind hitting the aft and going downstream the Sea Stallion sailed through with a speed of 13.4 knots. That's 25 kilometres an hour.

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The Sea Stallion arrived in Port Ellen, Islay at 17.30 (British time) the 30rd of July.

A full ceremonial welcome will be afforded the Sea Stallion on its emotional arrival at Custom House Quay in the Dublin Docklands on 14th August at 1.30 pm. A naval ship, the LE Roisin and other smaller official vessels will provide a ceremonial escort.

Port Ellen is a small town in Argyll, Scotland. It is the second largest town on the island of Islay, after Bowmore. Port Ellen provides the main ferry connection between Islay and the mainland, at Kennacraig. It is the home of the Port Ellen Distillery, which ceased production of Scotch whisky in 1983, although a large malting is still in operation.

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UPDATE 27th July 2007:

The Viking Warship The Sea Stallion Is Now In Inverie!

• Viking Ireland - Maps


• Videos Of The Voyage


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• Collins Barracks (National Museum of Ireland) 


• Follow the Sea Stallion en route to Dublin


• Isle Of Skye


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• Dublin The Capital Of Ireland


• History Of Vikings In Ireland

Follow the Sea Stallion from Glendalough by the hour - all the way to Dublin. You can follow the ship up through Roskilde Fjord and up Kattegat to Orkney Islands and the Irish Sea. The voyage cannot be sailed in one stretch. The range of the longship is limited by the amount of water and provisions which can be carried. In addition, the crew needs times of rest ashore since the open warship is not designed for comfortable voyaging. Once the crew is ready to sail again, they have to wait for favourable wind in order to make a swift and safe passage to the next destination en route.

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20/07 - 2007 13:35
Around 14.30, the Sea Stallion set sail from Kirkwall bound for Loch Inver on the Scottish coast. The ship will sail via Cape Wrath and along the Scottish west coast to Loch Inver. The trip is 200 miles and it will take 48-72 hours.

Lochinver is a village on the coast in the Assynt district of Sutherland, Highland, Scotland. A few miles northeast is Loch Assynt which is the source of the River Inver which flows into Loch Inver at the village. Lochinver is dominated by the "sugar loaf" shape of Caisteal Liath, the summit peak of nearby Suilven.
Lochinver is the second largest fishing port in Scotland; frequented by European fishermen primarily from Spain, Portugal and France

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19/07 - 2007 13:49 The Sea Stallion is still in Kirkwall, Orkney Island The ship is expected to sail again the 20th of July c. 14.30 (British time). The ship will probably sail via Cape Wrath and along the Scottish west cast to Loch Inver. The trip is 200 miles and it will take 48-72 hours. ---oOo---

The Sea Stallion arrived in Kirkwall, Orkney Island at 02.28 am the 18th of July. The ship will stay in Orkney Island for a couple of days. 

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17/07 - 2007 

The Sea Stallion is now approaching Kirkwall on the Orkney Islands. This means that the ship will soon be entering waters notorious for dangerous currents and tidal races.

The plan is to sail through the Orkney Islands in order, among other things, to avoid the Pentland Firth. That this is not a sailing strategy of recent date is evident from the old Nordic texts.

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The Sea Stallion is under sail again! 17/07 - 2007 12:05 At 11.25 am, the Sea Stallion hoists the sail again. The ship will sail the last 40 miles to Kirkwall on the Orkney Island. Expected arrival in Kirkwall about midnight Tuesday the 17th of July. ---oOo--

The Sea Stallion from Glendalough
A warship from the Viking Age

Time: 6/07/07 20:50

From Egersund to the Orkney Islands the distance is 300 nautical miles.
State: Under sail
Latitude: 58° 42.23’ N and ongitude:02° 15.0’ E
Course: 268°
Speed: 8 knots

The information aboves gives a false impression as the ship is actually under tow - WE INVITE YOUR OPINION, DID THEY MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION?

The Sea Stallion left the harbour in Eigersund, Norway, at 00:10. The weather was calm, and the plan was to cross the North Sea on an easterly wind, predicted by the meteorologists.

The crew rowed the ship out on the North Sea and waited for the wind to come. But it never came. After eight hours of waiting in vain the weather forecast changed dramatically. There were no indications of easterly winds; on the contrary the meteorologist now predicted a moderate gale along the Norwegian west coast and the Scottish east coast.

The new forecast left the project with two alternatives: The crew could take the ship back to the Norwegian coast and keep waiting for favourable winds, or the ship could take a tow across the North Sea.

“During the last week we have resisted the possibility of taking a tow. But the latest weather forecast suggests that we are facing the risk of staying in Norway for weeks to come. We are thereby faced with the dilemma of carrying out a trial voyage on authentic premises – within a modern timeframe of seven weeks. This dilemma was foreseen in the research plan, which also gives us the answer to it: If necessary the ship must take a tow to carry out the voyage” says Carsten Hvid, skipper on the Sea Stallion.

Out of consideration for the overall aims of the project it has therefore been decided to tow the Sea Stallion across the North Sea. As the meteorologists predict heavy winds tomorrow it is, out of consideration for the safety of the crew and the ship, it has furthermore been decided to tow the Sea Stallion all the way to Kirkwall on the Orkney Islands.

Update Sunday July 15 

The Sea Stallion is now ready to cross the North Sea

On Saturday after 10 days of waiting at the southernmost point of Norway The Sea Stallion from Glendalough arrived at Egersund at the Norwegian west coast.

This evening the ship and its 65 men crew will set the course for the Orkney Islands.

The wind is expected to be hard and increasing as The Sea Stallion heads for the northern part of Scotland – going at a speed ranging from 10 metres per second to 15 metres per second. If the weather is  as predicted it will take approximately 60 hours for The Sea Stallion to cross the North Sea.

When the ship arrives at the northern part of Scotland it will have reached the half way point in its journey to Dublin. If the wind is easterly The Sea Stallion will continue its expedition after a short stop at Kirkwall and set out for the most dangerous part; the challenging waters north and west of Scotland said to be the most dangerous waters in Europe.

 

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The Sea Stallion in Egernsund!
14/07 - 2007 13:15
The Sea Stallion arrived in Egernsund just after noon Saturday. The ship will most likely depart from Egernsund Monday morning and then sail across the North Sea to the Scottish coast.

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The Sea Stallion is still in Båly, Spangereid, Southern Norway
12/07 - 2007 09:22
The wind is still not able to bring the ship round the Norwegian west coast and across the North Sea. It is hoped that the wind will change in a few days.

MAIN STORY
An 11th-century Viking longship has been reconstructed back to its original condition and group of explorers will soon depart on a seven-week voyage from Denmark across the North Sea to Dublin.
Named the “Havhingsten fra Glendalough” (The Sea Stallion from Glendalough), it is the largest Viking warship to ever be rebuilt.
When the Sea Stallion from Glendalough sets out to sea on the 1st of July and heads for Dublin, it will be the fifteenth time since the launch in 2004, the ship leaves harbour. The first fourteen were training sessions for the crew

The oak hull of the ship was discovered in 1962 along with four other ships, at the bottom of the Roskilde fjord. The boat was originally built in 1040 in the Glendalough forests of Ireland. The reconstruction began in  2000 at the dockyards of Roskilde's Viking Ship Museum in Denmark.

Now fully reconstructed  the vessel will depart July 1 from the Danish port of Roskilde, which once served as the Vikings' flourishing political and commercial center from the 9th to the 12th century.
Some may wonder how a Viking ship came to be built in Ireland, but it was Nordic settlers who founded the Irish cities during the Viking Age and whose descendants populated them for centuries as craftsmen, traders and warriors. The longship took part in clashes between the Anglo-Saxons and Normans in 1050-1060, when many Danish Vikings lived in Ireland, and was likely sunk in battle at the end of the 11th century.
This summer the National Museum will play lead host to the arrival of the Sea Stallion to Dublin in mid August. An exhibition to track the voyage will open at the end of June at Collins Barracks and the Sea Stallion will arrive in August to a week of activities and events at Custom House Dock and at the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks. The Sea Stallion will be on public view at Collins Barracks for the winter months before sailing back to Denmark.

=== SUMMARY AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ===

In 1962 archaeologists excavated five Viking age ships at the bottom of the Roskilde Fjord in Denmark. The largest of these, the Skuldelev 2, was found to be the remains of an ocean-going long ship built in 1042 in Dublin using Scandinavian ship-building methods.
A project to reconstruct this ship was launched in Denmark in 2004 and Her Majesty Queen Margrethe christened the ship "Havhingsten fra Glendalough" (The Sea Stallion from Glendalough).
In July a crew of 65 brave men and women will attempt to sail this vessel from Roskilde back to Dublin. This trial voyage will test the replica ship under realistic conditions in the very waters the original ship was built to cross.
Calendar of Events:
    •    28th June - Exhibition opens at National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Dublin. Track the voyage from Roskilde to Dublin and learn about the discovery of the archaeological remains of the construction of the replica warship. Admission Free
    •    1st July - Sea Stallion departs from Roskilde , Denmark.
    •    14th & 15th August - Welcoming ceremony for the Sea Stallion and two days celebration at Custom House Quay.
    •    17th - 19th August - Sea Stallion arrives in National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks with a weekend of Viking related activities
    •    August - early Summer 2008 - Both the Sea Stallion and the accompanying exhibition will remain on display at the National Museum of Ireland Collins Barracks.

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The original ship – Skuldelev 2
Date: 1042 A.D.
Place of origin: Close to Dublin, Ireland
The reconstruction – The Sea Stallion from Glendalough
Material: Oak
Length: 30 metres
Width: 3.8 metres
Draught: 1 metre
Number of oars: 60
Crew: max.80
Date of construction: 2000 – 2004
Time used: 44.000 working hours
Ballast: 8 tons of stone plus the crew (ca. 5 tons)
Sail: 118 sq.metre sail of linen