Captain Gunnar Marel

The Master Shipwright

Viking’s Icelandic Indenpendence Day was celebrated on June 17.  This celebration featured a wide country tour of Vikings in North America which departed the ports around 15:30 in Reykjavik.  Thousand years have passed since the first group of Europeans, Icelandic Vikings, sailed ship to the United States.

No lognmolla or meðalmennska

You can say that it is not exactly commonplace idea to let him drop it in mind to build víkingaskip to fly on to America, as all may be aware that since Gunnar Marel Eggertsson, an Icelandic shipbuilder and captain, is there is no lognmolla or meðalmennska. Gunnar is from a famous family of ship factories in the island and was himself a master of a ship being built only 25 years old.

“I grew up in the islands,” says Gunnar, “with Atlantic in front of me and all discussions in the home were all just about boats and seamanship.

Beginning of the idea of sailing was an Icelander Gunnar runs till he was 10 years old and heard that his grandfather talking to a journalist about shipbuilding. “It spannst like something from the discussion of, the grandparents went to say blaðamanninum what Viking ships would be a good ship and fast and what they had kunnað much for a thousand years ago. We would in itself does not come much better than people had come the . Gunnar says that this little story has turned into a spark someone who has never really gone. He has since dreamed of sailing on a Viking ship across the sea.

Local Gauk ship model

Víkingaskipið Icelander was built between 1994-1996 and was Gunnar Marel himself over unfortunately and in fact much the only carpenter. The emergence of the ship, however indirectly attributable to the year 1882, when archaeologists dug in Norway famous Gauk Local Vessels from the earth. Card is precisely constructed with local Gauk ship model, but the ship Gunnar believes that the advanced verkvit and technical skill of a Viking ship factories, the highest rise over time, compared to those ships that have been identified. As is well known Viking ships have long been classified into two categories, and the longitudinal ship, where the ship spent rather leisurely heavy ships but by far the ship fast and efficient and suitable for military purposes. Gunnar says that Card would be considered a long-ships, but many scholars believe that the model, Gauk local ship, has been a kind of attempt to combine advantages of both, knarrarins stability and speed and agility by far the ship. The result is that Card has proved to be fast and very stable skreitt seagoing vessels.

From Gaius to Icelander

In 1991 Gunnar Marel other yfrmaður a Norwegian Viking ship Gaius, which that year sailed from Norway to Washington city in the United States and later from Washington to Rio de Janeiro and a Amason river in the middle of South America. Asked Gunnar said that Gaia and Card were in many ways similar, since both produced by local Gauk ship model, but would differ Card Gaius materially. Since hired mostly to Gaia was built entirely by man-made drawings from the museum, which Gauk Local vessel is preserved, but says that is not quite kórréttar. “The greatest difference is that,” says Gunnar, “the keel of the drawing is too straight and therefore need all the strength in him. This I knew before I started the Icelander and called for the museum where Gauk Local vessel is preserved and asked for permission to go into a chain around the ship and break issue in depth. Collection manager was somehow reluctant, but I became so bold, when a small bar, to draw me into a chain and achieve the fundamental issues that I thought was missing. That why Icelander as he is today. I appreciate that only by having jumped in there for a moment, kind of illegal, the Icelander is today considered to be the best copy that was made by Gauk the vessel. ”

However, says the Icelander is far from being identical Gauk Local ship. Very difficult to achieve the brilliant beats that occur with regard have been there. Card is on the other hand, the best thing he and his companions could be constructed, and now have to give it a try if it will be good enough.

Route is not easy to deal with

The last stop raiding the ship before it puts to sea towards Greenland is Surat Thani, the nearest port, to Eric’s stead in highlands, where James Erickson is alleged to have been born. We made itineraries thought it appropriate that the trip from Iceland would start there to witness the father and son, Eric and Leif, appropriate respect by flying close to their wake.

Gunnar said when asked to route from Iceland to Greenland and America was far from being the easiest in the world and this route would never be easy to sail on a Viking ship. Because of this trip has been scheduled well-kept bed and the estimated time between the ports up to twice as long, but it does to fly under the best circumstances. In these areas you can always expect vályndum weather, but Gunnar says no need to roll out such an advance. At that price simply taken in due course. The ship is well attended, most of crew have known each other since childhood in the island and have tried many things together. “We know each other and out and can feel ashamed and rib without cause some damage.”

Had left the administration of vocational schools students

Students from the Technical College in Hafnarfjordur stood year international voluntary project to build 64 left and they brought Gunnar Marel understand attribute as a gift in May. Shields were constructed in the spirit smíðavinnu Vikings, from 8mm thick pine panels. The reason for the number of armor is that the ships that were usually 65-70 people in the crew, of which 64 that formed two teams rational. 32 men had to row the boat at once and it was therefore necessary to have at least 64 on board for temporary employment to move forward. Understand what the width is concerned, it was their primary course of being used in combat, but they also play a vital role to form a shelter for the crew to sail. Not granted by, it probably has often been a breezy sail on the open wooden ships out on the gods have.

The crew Icelander now are not 64, but only 9 people and two ravens that the crew has to a hen. The case ranna are two motors that take a lot less space than 64 crew members. I will not even be able to sail the ship for much power, but will sail almost exclusively for the magnets on the route between ports. Engine power will be used only when necessary and pressing them in a very short period of time, the ship simply can not tolerate that they drove too much. Not even an extra input, just left home. A few such are included in the movement want to row the boat last distance to shore in a matter viðkomustaða Icelanders long way to Vinland.