In daily life he is a student of the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University (Den Kongelige Veterinære Landbohøjskole). In his spare time he pursues a hobby which only few 28-year-olds would throw themselves into with shining eyes. Hans Jacob admits readily, that he has a tendency towards 'wooden constructions of any kind':
'Well, I'm studying forestry. And if I can combine that with my other great passion - sailing - it can hardly get any better.'
Hans Jacob has been sailing dinghies and keel boats since he was 10 years old, mostly in Danish waters. But a few trips lead him to the Baltic Sea, round the south of Sweden, further to Stockholm and from there through the Göta Canal. Once in the boat called Ninon – a boat of the type 'Måge' from 1912 – which Hans Jacob together with three friends had refurbished and sailed during one summer.
Hidden ulterior motives
Hans Jacob is also skipper on Imme Skinfaxe – a reconstruction of Skuldelev 3 – one of the five Viking ship wrecks, that were excavated in 1962 in the Roskilde Fjord together with Skuldelev 2, which again is the original for the reconstruction of Sea Stallion.
Imme Skinfaxe is based in Copenhagen's Sydhavn and was built in Frederiksværk in the beginning of the 1980ies. Poul Nygaard, Søren Nielsen and Tom Nikolajsen were among the boat builders then and all three are today employed by the Viking Ship Museum and are animating spirits on board the Sea Stallion.
'I heard about Sea Stallion and the voyage to Dublin from the crew of Imme Skinfaxe. I would have registered for it in an instant if adolescent sluggishness hadn't hindered me. In 2005 we decided to use Imme Skinfaxe's summer trip to meet with Sea Stallion in Nykøbing Sjælland (on the Isefjord). Of course not without ulterior motives. It was there that I sailed with Sea Stallion for the first time - and I was totally sold. Since then I have been crew member in the aft ship where I work the braces.
Braces are the lines which steer the yard (a wooden bar the sail hangs on).
Risk of getting a beating
Hans Jacob is very much looking forward to the long stretch over the North Sea – despite the fact that he knows the risk there is for him and the rest of the crew of getting a beating at the open sea:
'It goes for all of us that the voyage to Dublin will challenge our limits. The waters we are going to sail in are known for being able to give proper beatings in bad weather, but that is also why I am drawn to the trip over the North Sea: The adventure and the challenge of sailing such an impressing ship at open sea is a reward in itself,' says Hans Jacob and adds with a glint in his eye that 'there is also a lot of goodies in the tuck box,' which contains chocolate, cookies and candy for the night watch.
What is the best thing about sailing with Sea Stallion?
'The social aspect works really well. I think the crew works incredibly well together despite very different backgrounds. If so many people shall stay in so little space and in such a long time we cannot avoid to step on each others toes once in a while. But in my opinion the trial voyage in 2006 showed that there is a high tolerance.'
And as crew member on Sea Stallion one can get pleasure from the smallest thing:
'A special highlight on this year's voyage was when after 8-10 days at sea the aft ship was given a new glass of coffee-creamer by the galley. By then we had been drinking café latte without latte for a number of days.'
Lengthy discussions
What is the worst then?
'It has only happened once that I felt tired and sluggish on Sea Stallion: I am aware that it is a big ship with a big crew. Therefore it is necessary to hold common meetings. Though, sometimes I do think that it becomes a bit too stiff and is only about trivial matter. We sat there with 65 men on a sunny island in Norway and discussed an hour long how the hot water should be delivered to and fro in the ship, whether we should prefer private or common thermos flasks ... I then felt disheartened.'
Otherwise there are not many things that can make Hans Jacob lose his composure. But like all good sailors he has deep respect for nature's moods. Because he has experienced how fast it can go wrong ... or almost wrong.
'A storm at the North Sea is nothing you should wish to experience on Sea Stallion. Another danger is the sudden change of wind direction. We had a situation in summer with Skinfaxe. A fresh wind turned suddenly 30 degrees in few seconds, the sail clapped together around the mast and we sailed backwards against the waves whilst the ship was heeling dangerously. We got off with no more than a fright but I can remember that I thought in the minutes afterwards ... phew ... good that this was not Sea Stallion, she would have gotten wet on the sundeck.'
'Apart from that I am most afraid of rain and cold. Longer periods with rain and without any shelter will put everybody's mood to the test. But … Sea Stallion is such a lucky ship followed by sunshine and wind from astern.'
Six weeks in a canoe
But let's get to the real issues: people's reactions to such a special hobby like sailing on a Viking ship ... on top of everything the whole long way from Roskilde to Dublin.
'The first thought is that it sounds exciting. And then the usual questions follow: Where do you sleep, is there one who drums the tact when you are rowing, where is the toilet? In this phase people are smiling, nodding their heads energetically and seem to be by and large very positively minded.'
Hans Jacob explains, that in the beginning people compare it with a kind of camping trip or sleeping on a reclining seat on the ferry to Norway … primitive, but okay.
'And then the penny drops! What do you mean with six weeks ... in an open ship ... in the North Sea? Are you all nuts? One cannot live in this canoe for six weeks. You can't wash your clothes and you probably haven't even got coverage for the mobile?'
Great in a strange way
'In the end I can convince people partly of my enthusiasm. When I am telling about it, they think it sounds great in its own, a bit strange way. But they do not want to experience such a thing themselves - at the most watch it on telly, when Søren Ryge joins the sailing and makes a tv-programme about it.' (Søren Ryge had done programmes about the building of Sea Stallion and suqare sail boats some years ago.)
Hans Jacob tells that his mother has added a new dimension to the quiet astonishment of the surroundings:
She is alternately nervous and resigned when thinking about her son's forthcoming voyage:
What does she say?
'Hmh … I am not really happy about this trip. Can't you ask the one who decides whether you can sail a bit closer to land? Isn't that also more fun ... I mean, there must be more to see?
If only it was me
What are you most proud of concerning Sea Stallion?
'Well, she is a fantastic ship. She looks incredibly pretty and she is part of our history. I stretch my back when I see the expression in people's eyes who are looking at the ship. I would bet that most of them think: if only it was me who sits on the ship. And we sail her without comfy solutions like engine, sheet winch or superstructure – that also is really cool I think.'
Hans Jacob is so mad about it that he already reserved his summer holidays 2008 so he can join Sea Stallion's journey back to Denmark. The voyage with Sea Stallion might serve as a springboard for other sailing voyages to the Baltic countries and Russia – maybe even in a reconstructed Viking ship.
'It gives the long journey another dimension to follow the historic trade routes in ships of the same type as the Vikings used one thousand years ago. I think about building my own wooden boat - but this will be one with less oars and more space below deck.'