Frederik supports 1000 year old Viking voyage

The Sea Stallion practising under sail.

Crown Prince Frederik is the new patron of the Sea Stallion voyage, reproducing a voyage of 1000 years ago. The Copenhagen Post reports on the recontructed replica long ship which will sail to Dublin and back to Roskilde through 2007 and 2008. Since Queen Margrethe launched the ship in September 2004, work on the 11th century replica ship has continued.

The ship's owner Carsten Brebøl's non-profit foundation has donated DKK 2 million to the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde to support the project. The original ship, Skulderlev 2, was built in Dublin in 1042 and found in Roskilde Fiord in 1962. Since then the ship has been on display at the Viking Ship Museum.

The Sea Stallion, named one of twelve representatives of outstanding Danish design and craftsmanship in the Cultural Canon by the Ministry of Culture, has been built at the Viking Ship Museum boat yard using the methods, materials and tools of the Viking Age. The boat has a length of 30 meters, a 3.8 meter width and a total of 60 oars. It can hold a crew of up to 100 which will be made up of Viking Ship Museum staff and 120 volunteers.

Follow events and news on the Sea Stallion website.

Photos 1. Building the ship, 2. 3. & 4. the launch by Queen Margrethe and 5. & 6. the ship under sail:


Some other replica ships:
Young Endeavour operated by the Australian Navy as a youth development project. The tall ship is a replica of Captain Cook's 1778 ship and was given to Australia by the United Kingdom as a gift to mark the Bicentenary in 1988.
The Duyfken is a 1606 Dutch replica ship which is visiting Australia currently to mark 400 years since the Dutch sailed to Australia. It has been hard going for the Duyfken in its recent voyage from Tasmania to Sydney. Tasmania is named after Dutch explorer Abel Tasman.