Several times a week Erik Nielsen visits the public library in his hometown in Canada to send e-mails to friends and family around the world.
Those lucky enough to receive one of these entertaining e-mails will notice that they are signed Erik the Red. Like the historical Erik the Red from the Viking Age our modern day Erik is sailing a Viking ship. But not just any Viking ship; the worlds biggest reconstruction of a Viking ship – the Sea Stallion from Glendalough.
Danish-Canadian Erik Nielsen is a retired geologist and experienced sailor.
”I have sailed Soling and other small boats since 1973 and have been on board several investigation ships because of my geological education”.
A short trip to Denmark
When Erik is on board Sea Stallion the muscular man is a solid rock astern with a strong grip of his horny hands around the port side sheet. (The sheet is the rope tied to the lower part of the sail.).
Canadian Erik with roots in Denmark crossed paths with the Sea Stallion after an international conference in Davos, Switzerland.
”It was in 2001. On my way to Canada I stopped in Denmark to visit my family. During the visit I went to Roskilde to see the Viking ships. It’s funny to think that I have been a geologist for thirty-five years, when I should have been a historian. I have always been fascinated by history and I just had to see the Viking ships”.
And it was love at first sight.
Geologist, gold digger and crew member
”I have been visiting the Viking Ship Museum every summer since and have followed the building of the Sea Stallion closely. When I heard that the museum was planning a sail to Dublin I decided that it wasn’t going to happen without me. I have always dreamed of sailing a Viking ship and this is the chance of a lifetime!”
What do you hope to gain by sailing on Sea Stallion?
” Throughout my carrier as a geologist I spent every summer in the wastelands in Northern Canada living out my dreams. I was on expeditions and adventures; I have searched for gold, copper, zinc and diamonds and it has been fantastic, exciting and profitable. But history is my passion and I’m proud to be Danish,” says Erik the Red with a father from Aakirkeby and a mother from Haarlev.
”I have always loved the sea. The Dublin sail brings it all together for me; my love for the sea, my love of history and the love I have for my Danish roots”.
Archaeology at it’s best
“I have worked a bit with archaeology in Canada. The project surrounding the Sea Stallion is different from anything else I’ve seen. I my opinion ’Thoroughbred of the Sea’ is archaeology at it’s best. There’s the scientific examination, the excavation, the restoration and conservation, there’s the reconstruction and lastly the test of all these results. All of this in one project - I take my hat off to the people at the Viking Ship Museum… I don’t think anyone could have done a better job and I’m sure the rest of the world will raise their eyebrows this summer and therefore I'm proud to be a part of it”.
But the grand project is not the only reason why Erik is travelling all the way from Canada to Roskilde. It also has to do with a very down-to-earth-feeling:
”What is my motivation? That’s easy; nothing compares to the feeling you get when standing at the sheet behind a 120 square-metre sail under a starry sky. The ship is all quiet and you only hear the sound of the hull against the waves. It can’t be compared to anything else and it is an experience I will never forget!”
But when asking the Danish-Canadian what is the worst thing about sailing the Sea Stallion, there’s not much to say:
The most beautiful ship in the world
”I have no reservation towards sailing to Dublin. I have the utmost respect for the sea, because I’ve seen its worst side. But the Sea Stallion is beautifully built……. probably the most beautiful ship in the world. She is professionally made and extremely seaworthy and the people in charge and the crew sailing her are competent sailors, so I’m not worried. I just hope my own physique will cope,” says Erik and changes into English:
”This is a young person's game and I am not young any more.... only in my heart”.
50 years beyond the borders of Denmark the Danish language has definitely become a bit rusty, but that’s no problem on board the Sea Stallion.
”I’m honoured by the way the crew members have taken me under their wings. I’m a bit slow sometimes. I left Copenhagen at the age of ten and therefore there are a few things in Danish I don’t understand completely. But the rest of the crew are great at helping out. It’s actually a lot to ask of the crew members, to embrace people who do not speak or understand Danish, but they do and I have made friends for life on board Sea Stallion. I’m really looking forward to sailing with all these friends”.
Daughter and son are proud
” Furthermore I’m looking forward to showing off the Sea Stallion and the Danish flag on the way to Dublin. I have always thought that sailing boats were most beautiful and the Sea Stallion is without a doubt taking first place. I’m just sad I wasn’t there when she was built!”
Both Erik’s daughter, who’s a nurse at Winnipeg, and his son, who’s a policeman in Halifax, are full of admiration for their father and the fact that he’s sailing the biggest reconstruction of a Viking ship all the way from Roskilde to Dublin this summer.
”My son is really jealous and would join us immediately if it wasn’t for obstacles like family, a job and house to take care of. Not everyone can take time off; leave everything for two months and just sail. So it’s great to be retired….. I can strongly recommend it!”
The Seastallion is a role model
”I’m so proud to be part of this project. As an archaeological experiment the Sea Stallion and the ‘Thoroughbred of the Sea’ are exemplary and a role model for future experimental ship archaeology.
The ship's beauty cannot be described in words. I can hardly wait to show off the ship to people in Scotland and Ireland. The Sea Stallion is slim and fantastic and just the thought of two hundred ships like her quietly sneaking up on foreign coastlines without anyone knowing a thousand years ago, makes me goosey all over. It was formidable, even awful, but at the same time it makes me proud”.
Do you think that sailing the Sea Stallion will have an impact on your life?
”The entire project got me spellbound and I’m actually thinking about moving back to Denmark for the rest of my life. The thought has been with me for a while. There’s one life and one chance. I love wooden boats and the sea… and I love being Danish. So you haven’t seen the last of me and I’m definitely sailing the Sea Stallion back to Roskilde in 2008. Wild horses couldn't keep me away”.
