THE DOCUMENTARY PROJECT:
To continue the Draken’s legacy of re-experiencing the adventures of a Viking ship in the modern world and modern seaways, a documentary is set to be released, chronicling the Draken’s maiden voyage from Haugesund, Norway across the Atlantic to Canada, and her adventures through the Great Lakes. This film highlights the drama and rawness of crossing the North Atlantic, as well as the innovative ideas and techniques that go into the ship’s building and sailing, and the impact she had on the people of the ports where she visited.
The 2016 voyage had a cinematographer on board the Draken, as well as on a support ship for the duration of the journey, leading to rare and unique footage of the ship’s travels. While the initial filming has been completed, your donation will go towards post-production costs, like narration and editing.
THE SHIP:
Quick Facts:
Name: Draken Harald Hårfagre (Dragon; Harald Hairfair, the first king to unify Norway)
Recreated time period: Late Viking Period; circa 1000 A.D.
Length: 115 ft. (35 m)
Width: 26 ft (8 m)
Height from keel to top of mast: 79 ft. (24 m)
Draught (depth under water): 9 ft. (2.5 m)
Top speed under sail: (14 kts)
Hull: Norwegian and German Oak
Mast: Douglas Fir
Sail: Silk/Canvas
Rigging: Hemp/Tar/Linseed oil
Nails: Low coal iron
Meet the Draken Harald Hårfagre:
This modern day Viking ship is continuing a revolutionary expedition of innovation and education, after crossing the Atlantic Ocean in 2016 on an epic voyage from Norway to Canada, following in the footsteps of Leif Eriksson himself, the first European to explore North America. Her mission is to inform the public about Viking culture and how a renaissance of traditional skills, can be considered innovative techniques for future sustainability programs.
The Draken was created as an amalgamation of knowledge derived from a patchwork of different sources. Along with archaeological examples, current Norse shipbuilding techniques, the ancient Norse sagas, contemporary written sources and analyses, and ancient pictorial evidence were referenced before starting construction.
Archaeological remains of Viking ships are limited to burial ships and shipwrecks, and some materials involved in their construction are better preserved than others, due to the conditions in which they are found. The main archaeological reference used in the creation of the Draken was the Gokstad, one of the best preserved Viking ships, on display at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. Other archaeological ships; the Skuldelev, Hedeby 3, and Klåstad, were also studied in preparation for building the Draken.
An additional source of information about the construction of Viking ships comes from the shipbuilding traditions of Vibrandsøy, Haugesund, Norway, where the Draken was constructed between 2010-2012. Along the coast in Haugesund, people still build and use clinker-built ships (with the strakes of the hull lapped over each other), also known as Nordlandsbåt, which are thought to be built in the same fashion as ancient Viking ships. These Nordlandsbåtar do not utilize drawings in their construction, but instead rely on ratios and formulas passed down through the generations and known by heart.
Finally, trial and error of three prototypes, and sail training on the Draken before departure (in which the mast broke in two[!!], as captured in the documentary); along with modern seafaring regulations, solidified the final form of how the Draken would ultimately look.
THE 2016 CROSSING:
In April of 2016, Draken said goodbye to her home port of Haugsund, Norway, with a crew of 34. The crew was pretty much 50:50 men and women, and 50:50 professional sailors and volunteers (over 4,000 people applied for volunteer positions!), hailing from over 13 different countries.
One of the first tribulations encountered was shortly after departure, when one of the primary shrouds (the rigging which holds the mast upright) broke, requiring the ship to take refuge in the Shetland Islands. Once repairs were completed, the ship sailed to the Faroe Islands, into Iceland, then Greenland, and finally Newfoundland, Canada, where the only known Viking site in North America is situated (L’Anse aux Meadows).