The crew of Draken Harald Hårfagre
Our expeditions connects distant lands as well as people. A crew of modern Vikings is exploring the world as the Vikings did a thousand years ago. The crew on board Draken is a team of 34 people, men and women from all over the world. A mix of age, gender, nationality and background all contribute to a great atmosphere on board.
Arild Nilsen,
Ship builder and sailor.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to create history by reliving the challenges of the Viking ancestors. An adventure you wouldn’t miss.”
Arild has worked with wood his entire life and really enjoys the feeling of creating something real, something that is made from living materials. Working with Draken as a boatbuilder is a once in a lifetime experience. To explore the materials and the construction of a Viking ship.
He is from the same villlage in western Norway as Raven-Floki, the first Viking to deliberately sailed to Iceland. The story is documented in the Landnámabók manuscript. From Rogaland, Norway Floki set sail to the Shetland Islands, he continued his journey and landed in the Faroe Islands. From the Faroes he took three ravens to help him find his way to Iceland, letting them go and when one of them did not return he knew he had found land. He got the name Raven-Floki (Hrafnafloki in old Norse)
“It is thrilling to be close to the Sagas and do something a little crazy and down to earth at the same time.”
Karolina Malmek,
Sailor and Naval Architect.
“I love sailing! I’ve loved it from the first time I set foot on a sailing ship.”
It is the adventure and the possibility to explore what a Viking ship is capable of that drove Karolina to join the Draken Harald Hårfagre project.
The experience of sailing an expedition vessel around Svalbard and along the northern coast of Norway cemented an interest in the Arctic seas and a fascination in past Norwegian explorers, such as Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen. In the late 19th century Nansen made attempts to reach the North Pole with the legendary ship “Fram”. Nansen was not only a sailor and adventurer but also a researcher and a diplomat. He had a wider perspective and explored the world with open eyes, contributing to science and increasing the knowledge of the seas.
“Sailing a ship like Draken is a great opportunity to gain new knowledge; whilst learning and rediscovering old techniques, you also create and invent new ones.”
