The Vikings Are Here

Had an exclusive visit to the Draken Harald Hårfager, the world’s largest reconstructed Viking longship. The 115ft long boat arrived on Merseyside following a dramatic voyage from Norway, surviving storms on a treacherous 3 week journey. A huge wave snapped the boat’s mast just off the Shetland Islands last week. Norwegian boatbuilders have been flown over and are now making a new 78ft (24m) mast in Wallasey Docks, from a huge Douglas Fir log which was sourced from Dumfries. As a far distant relative of the Norwegian Andersen Vikings, I immediately appreciated this huge craft with its stunning carvings and traditional Viking boatbuilding techniques. I will follow the progress of the repairs on my website. Below is a collage of my shots from earlier today. Keep in touch for more updates.