(News Release)
Toronto, ON –
A courageous crew of sailors from around the world set sail aboard
the world’s largest Viking ship.
Departing from her homeport in Haugesund, Norway, on Sunday, April 24, Draken
Harald Hårfagre and her crew committed to the daring
journey to cross the North Atlantic for
her Expedition America.
The great ship will be joining the fleet of
international tall ships in Toronto for the Redpath Waterfront Festival presented
by PortsToronto from July 1 to 3.
The
Expedition America project curator, Sigur Aase, wanted Draken Harald
Hårfagre to follow in the wake
of one of the most challenging Viking explorations – the Viking discovery of
the New World.
Built with archaeological knowledge of ships, extensive
research of Norse literature and using boatbuilding traditions, Draken Harald
Hårfagre is what Vikings considered a “Great Ship.” Before casting her sails
for Expedition America, Draken Harald Hårfagre was celebrated with a Dragon’s
Head Ceremony.
The dragon’s head is traditionally not mounted until departure for
long journeys to defend the ship and her crew from sea monsters, bad weather,
evil creatures and unexpected raids. The ship’s mythological head was revealed in the ceremony, and the great
adventure of sailing the historical route was wished “Fair winds and following seas.”
"Even though she is a great sailing ship, no one can
predict the weather conditions along the way and the crew will face a real
challenge," states Björn Ahlander, captain of Draken Harald Hårfagre.
"It’s hard to say which stretch will be the toughest before we’ve set
sail, but the waters of Cape Farewell by the coast of Greenland are among the
most dangerous waters in the world. It’s extremely windswept and there will
probably be a lot of ice."
Draken is
crewed by 32 sailors from Norway, Sweden, USA, Canada (Jeff Lievre, Vancouver Island),
Estonia, Russia, Spain, France and the UK, all of who were chosen from over 4,000 male and female
applicants worldwide. Draken Harald Hårfagre does not provide any shelter for the crew other than a
tent where the rotating crew sleep, 16 at a time, four hours work and four
hours sleep. The crew will take on the challenge of crossing the North
Atlantic Ocean, taking the same route the original Vikings travelled 1,000
years ago from Norway to Iceland, Greenland, Canada and finally the USA.
"It is a challenge to tame the Dragon, which makes
reliable seamanship extremely important for the expedition," adds
Ahlander. "The work onboard is heavy, wet and cold, therefore it demands a
great physical and mental condition. There will be no privacy for the crew,
they will be exposed to rain and cold weather with only short breaks to
sleep."
Draken
Harald Hårfagre is 114 ft long and has an oak hull, a Douglas fir mast, hemp
rigging and a 260 square metre silk sail. If there is not enough wind, Draken
Harald Hårfagre is equipped with
50 oars that take two oarsmen per oar to row. For voyage updates, visit https://www.facebook.com/DrakenHaraldHarfagre.
ADDITIONAL REDPATH
WATERFRONT FESTIVAL FLEET
El GALEóN
Step back in
time aboard El Galeón, a breathtaking 1:1 scale reconstruction of a 16th
century Spanish galleon that was part of Spain’s West Indies fleet. Built
in Spain by the Nao Victoria Foundation to be a unique vessel where tradition
and modernity meet and represent the Spanish culture, El Galeón is a replica of
the Spanish galleons that linked Asia, America and Spain for three centuries. El
Galeón will participate in the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Great Lakes 2016 series, and
the Festival will be the first port to launch the series. With more than 3,400 square
feet, the ship has six decks to explore, 164 ft long and has three masts and seven
sails.
PRIDE OF BALTIMORE
II
Built in Baltimore’s inner
harbour, Pride of Baltimore II was
commissioned in 1988 as a sailing memorial to her immediate predecessor, which is
a reproduction of an 1812-era topsail schooner. Distinguished from other
topsail schooners of the time by its backward-raked masts, the Baltimore Clippers
had the speed and agility to outmanoeuvre the heavier ships of the Royal Navy. Pride of Baltimore II has sailed nearly
200,000 miles and visited over 200 ports in 40 countries in North, South, and
Central America, Europe, and Asia. The Pride of Baltimore II has a sail area of 9,018 sq. ft.
and is 157 ft long.
BRIGANTINES
Harbour Square Park will be host to four Canadian
Brigantines at this year's RWF, the STV
Fair Jeanne (Ottawa), St. Lawrence
II (Kingston), TS Playfair (Toronto),
and STV Pathfinder (Toronto).
BE INSPIRED BY THE
ROYAL CANADIAN NAVY
Visitors will have the
opportunity to tour the decks of two of the Navy’s 55-metre coastal defence
vessels, Her Majesty's Canadian Ships (HMCS) Kingston and HMCS Goose Bay, throughout
the weekend. Early risers can come
to Harbour Square Park and join the Navy for a fun and motivating 5km run, July
1 and 2 at 8am. Join the Royal Canadian Navy at Toronto’s HMCS York! They are
actively recruiting for a variety of exciting careers and opportunities.
2016 Redpath Waterfront Festival partners include Redpath Sugar, PortsToronto,
The Waterfront BIA, and Waterfront Toronto, among others.
The Redpath Waterfront Festival is an annual summer event providing
on-land and on-water programming for people of all ages and interests, with the
goal of promoting Toronto locally and internationally as a premiere waterfront
destination. With music, food, nautical programs and entertainment, the festival
offers something for everyone to enjoy. Every three years, the event welcomes
majestic TALL SHIPS® to Toronto. www.TOwaterfrontfest.com
No comments:
Post a Comment