Arrival!

Havhingsten arrived in the Orkney islands late last night after a disapointing turn of events. The winds failed the ship and instead of turning back and waiting in Norway, Captain Hvid accepted to be towed two thirds of the way across the sea. The latest reports indicate the voyage went very well and the crew slept last night in the local sailing club after having completed the last stage of the voyage under sail, but its surely a bitter disapointment that the voyage needed to be carried out this way in order to 'meet a deadline'. Ah well.
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“As a consequence of the decision of towing the Sea Stallion across the North Sea, this part of the passage has now been cancelled in the research plan for 2007. Primarily, this affects the of the research program dealing with the trial voyage itself – the possibility of estimating the travel speed across the North Sea, and the possibility of evaluating the functions and the logistics on board during a long crossing. These aspects will be reassumed during the voyage from Ireland to Denmark in 2008”, says director of the Viking Ship Museum, Tinna Damgård-Sørensen.

“It is frustrating that we can’t cross the North Sea as planned. But it hasn’t any vital consequences for the research plan, and we will have the opportunity again next year. In this situation we have to give highest priority to the experimental sailing north of Scotland and in the Irish Sea. Here the ship will be tested in some of the most difficult and important waters in the western Viking World” continues Tinna Damgård-Sørensen. Link.

So far there have been no reports on the TV news, but I'm ever hopeful to see some footage today.
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