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Viking longship all set to sail

— PHOTO: AP

The Sea Stallion in Roskilde in Denmark.

ROSKILDE (Denmark): On the skipper's command, deckhands hauled in tarred ropes to lower the flax sail. Oars splashed into the water. The crew, grimacing with strain, pulled with steady strokes sending the sleek Viking longship gliding through the fjord. A thousand years ago, the curved-prow warship might have spewed out hordes of bloodthirsty Norsemen ready to pillage and burn.

This time, the spoils are adventure rather than plunder.

The Sea Stallion of Glendalough is billed as the world's biggest and most ambitious Viking ship reconstruction, modelled after a warship excavated in 1962 from the Roskilde fjord after being buried in the seabed for nearly 950 years. Now it is preparing for a journey across the legendary Viking waters of the North Sea — leaving Roskilde in eastern Denmark on July 1 and sailing 1,900 km to Dublin, which was founded by Vikings in the 9th century.

``It's like a banana boat. It moves like a snake,'' said crew member Preben Rather Soerensen (42), after a recent test sail in the Roskilde fjord.

The crew will explore the challenges of spending seven weeks in an open vessel with no shelter from crashing waves, whipping wind and rain. Working in four-hour shifts, the history buffs and sailing enthusiasts will have to steer the 100-foot-long ship through treacherous waters with a minimum of sleep, comfort and privacy — just like the Vikings did.

``They must have been incredibly tough to do what they did,'' said 24-year-old crew member Triona Nicholl, an archaeologist from Dublin. ``We all have waterproof gear. We have radios and life jackets and all the stuff. They must have been hardier people.''

The Vikings turned to the stars and their ancient Norse gods for help as they navigated across the open sea, reaching as far as Iceland and North America. Many perished in the hostile waters of the North Atlantic. This crew is putting their faith into modern technology: a GPS satellite navigation system and radar. They wear baseball caps and windbreaker jackets rather than chain mail shirts and helmets. Mobile phones are allowed, but no battle axes. — AP

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