Diarmaid Murphy & Triona Nicholl:
Sea Stallion's Irish Crew Members

Watch interviews with Diarmaid and Triona on our Video Highlights page

Editor's Note: Special thanks to Tríona Nicholl and Diarmaid Murphy for sharing their experiences with us in the midst of crewing the Sea Stallion. The most recent entries are by Tríona, although both she and Diarmaid will arrive on the ship in Dublin on 14 August.

Saturday 11th August:

Arrived in Malahide at around 0500 after a nice, quiet nights sailing. It's palpable that we're coming to the end now - normally when we sail at night those who have a free watch just concentrate on sleeping but this night, there was much laughter and joking and general high spirits on board. A great last night's sailing.

Had a few hours of sleep and awoke to a nice sunny day in Malahide. The Sea Stallion will stay here until the final move to the city on Tuesday morning and the crew are enjoying the many cafes, pubs and shops around Malahide and slowly acclimatising to the prospect of spending the week in Dublin.

Next stop, Custom's House Quay!

Friday 10th August:

Another day in Clogherhead. We were due to sail away that night and again had another day of great crowds down at the pier despite the rain that swept over the harbour for most of the day. We had expected to leave around 23:00 when the winds changed, but managed to set sail a wee bit earlier when the wind shifted.

We had one of our best goodbyes from the pier in Port Oriel. Again a huge crowd  put up with the rain and the dark to wish us well and to cheer us on as we left. I have to admit to feeling a bit proud. The locals had been every bit as welcoming as other harbours we had stayed in and we were inundated again with offers of lifts into Drogheda, the use of showers and fresh food for breakfast each day. It was certainly a welcome the crew won't forget in a hurry.

Thursday 9th August:

We departed the Isle of Man at 0800 this morning. Most of the crew (and mostly me) were hugely excited to finally be crossing over to Ireland. There was also much speculation all day as to where we would finally make land.

As we have no engine, we're at the mercy of the winds in terms of where we end up and it was thought we would end up somewhere north of Drogheda and south of Kilkeel.

Keeping to Sea Stallion tradition we arrived at 0430, in the rain, at Port Oriel, Clogher Head in Co Louth. My section had the anchor watch so we fell happily to sleep in the tent on the ship, glad to be in Ireland at last.

I woke up for my watch two hours later to be greeted to a small crowd of locals who had already turned up to see the ship. Media interest had also started to kick off - in that two-hour watch we had several radio, TV and newspaper interviews. So the word was out that we were home.

That day, the crew got to experience the world famous Irish welcome. The harbour was thronged with people all day who not only wanted to see the ship but who really wanted to talk to all of the crew, questioning us about every aspect of the trip and life on board. For most of the Danes it was a great day and exactly how they had imagined the Irish people to be - friendly, warm and highly talkative!

Wednesday 8th August:

Day off on Man. Again, happy, happy campers as the sun was good enough to shine all day. Many of the crew went on a tour of the island which had been organised for us and visited many of the sights such as the parliament of Man and some of the other towns on the island.

The rest of us (slightly lazier) crew spent a lovely day moseying around Peel, eating ice cream and watching basking sharks from the beach and generally taking it easy.

Tuesday 7th August:

We were met at the harbour by two locals who had arranged accomodation for us at our favourite campsite so far. After many hours at sea and many days before that with limited access to showers and toilets the prospect of a campsite with a shower block and a laundry seemed like sheer heaven. And the sun was shining. We were very, very happy campers when we went to bed that morning.

Most people woke up sometime in the afternoon and began the never-ending task of trying to dry waterproofs, sleeping bags and survival suits. The campsite quickly became a sea of sunbathing crew, neon orange survival gear and other damp woolies.

That evening we were invited to a reception in Peel sailing club with the local mayor and the president of the island to officially welcome us to Man and congratulate use on having made it this far. Again, you got that strange sensation that other peoples' pride and interest in the project really helps to reinforce your own - I think we all had a fairly satisfied and contented evening there.

Monday 6th August:

We had expected to stay on Islay for another day as the wind was not forecast for that day. However a sleepy crew was awoken by a very bright eyed and bushy tailed Kjetil who told us that the winds had changed and we could make for the Isle of Man. This was really what the crew needed - by now we had been on Islay for many days and most people were anxious to get moving again.

The sailing to the Isle of Man proved to be the most dramatic of the trip so far. We had anticipated fairly heavy winds and seas travelling through the North Channel but we got a little more than we had been reckoning on as the day wore on.

Both the winds and the waves increased and early on in the afternoon we were given the command to out on our survival suits. This doesn't mean we were in any immediate danger - rather it's a sensible precaution to be ready and prepared for the bad weather rather than trying to react when it's too late.

On 'Stormy Monday' as it's now been dubbed, this turned out to be a wise decision on the part of the skipper as shortly afterwards, the leather strap holding the rudder in place (which had failed while sailing up the Norwegian coast) broke again.

This time however we were far more prepared and must quicker to react to the situation. We dropped the yard diagonally across the ship so the sail was kept well out of the water and began to reef the sail while the boat builders repaired the rudder.

However, being without the rudder meant that we could no longer steer the ship head on into the waves and very quickly ended up broadside to the swells. This lasted for roughly 15 minutes or so and the ship surprised us all with just how stable in was in these kinds of extreme conditions.

Once the rudder was repaired, we raised the sail again which had been fully reefed down so that we were sailing with just 18 out of our usual 112 square meters of sail. Even so, we were still running at just under 10 knots making it one of the quickest and certainly one of the most dramatic days the Sea Stallion has had.

Sunday 5th August:

Another free day. No wind for sailing but plenty, plenty of rain. Many of the crew a bit down today - we'd been at Lagavulin for a few days now and the constant rain and living in damp (and ever so slightly smelly tents) was beginning to get to a few people. Again, we were saved by local generosity.

Mr Sandy, a local landowner, offered to let the crew use his swimming pool and showers and spent the day ferrying people back and forth from the camp to his house. This caused a great rise in spirits and again highlighted how the simple things can be so important and exciting on this project - and also how quickly we become utterly uncivilised by modern social standards.

Saturday 4th August:

Another free day and a tour of Islay organised by Jim and Martin from midships. Big excitement among the crew as we had been given permission to use the swimming pool and showers at Bowmore, the largest town on the island.

After we were all shiny and clean, we headed off in the bus for a place called Findlaggan in the west of the island. This was the ancient seat of the Lords of the Isles, the medieval kingdom based around the Western Isles of Scotland.

A fantastically atmospheric place - many of the crew remarked that it was exactly what they had expected Scotland to be like - windswept, rainy and misty but hauntingly beautiful. Afterwards we retreated to Port Charlotte for a coffee before heading back to the ship.

Friday 3rd August:

More test sailing for the crew. Myself and Preben (the foreman from my section of the ship and the project manager) spent the day in Port Ellen instead looking into the possible options for landing places on the Irish coast ahead of out crossing over the Irish Sea.

Thursday 2nd August:

Second test sailing. Better wind and weather this time. We had a great day sailing off Islay and had the pleasure of the company of Jim, a retired local fisherman and a font of knowledge on all aspects of life on Islay. He had sailed his own boat into the harbour at Lagavulin the day before and gotten talking to Kjetil, one of our mates who invited him to sail with us the next day.

It's always a great thing to have enthusiastic guests sailing with you - Jim was so interested and inquisitive about every aspect of the ship and how she sailed that he helped to reinvigorate many of the crew. A strange condition when sailing this ship is that you can become a touch complacent about where you are and what you are doing - the ship is your home and the place where you work and so it can quite quickly begin to feel ordinary and usual.

Then when other guests come and sail with that great excitement of their first day on the Sea Stallion you get a renewed appreciation for the ship and the time we spend on it and realise again (not for the first time or the last) just how lucky we are to be there.

Wednesday 1st August:

Free day on Islay. The sun made a rare appearance so most of the crew took advantage of the sun and headed into Port Ellen and some other parts of the island for some sight seeing. We were instantly both aware and amazed by the welcome that we received from the islanders - during our stay on Islay they couldn't have done anymore for us if they had tried.

They offered endless lifts in and out of the town, gave us the use of their showers and washing machines (high luxury on the sea stallion) and always did their utmost to make our stay there as happy and comfortable as they could.

Tuesday 31st July:

First full day on Islay. Have been given the use of the harbour at the Lagavulin distillery just outside of Port Ellen. Before everyone gets all cynical the reasoning behind the choice was not that the crew were planning on drinking whiskey day and night for the next few days as had been suggested by some - it was actually that there's a stretch of water just off Islay that's ideal for the test sailings that we have been planning as part of the research element of the project.

The initial test sailing wasn't exactly a huge success as we lost the wind very early on in the day meaning that the research objectives for that particular day had to be postponed.

Monday 30th July:

Arrived at Islay. Staying at the Lagavulin Distillery. Have had great sailing for the last few days. Reached a new speed record of 13.5 knots on the way to Islay and are now planning to stay here for a few days to make some test sailings and recharge the batteries.

Sunday 29th July:

Arrived at Jura at about 11pm. Midships (my section) had anchor watch, so we stayed on the ship and seem to have avoided a feat of nature that has become the stuff of legend: the rest of the crew sleeping in tents on land awoke to find their flysheets literally black with midges. When they arrived back at the ship, most people were totally covered from head to toe in whatever clothing they could find, scarves, stuff sacks anything to shield them from the bugs. Very, very happy I missed that one.

Saturday 28th July:

We left Inverie and set sail for Rahoy. We heard rumours we had been invited to stay with a local landowner for the night and it turned out to be one of the most amazing experiences I've had with Havhingsten.

The sun finally came out and we arrived at a narrow stretch of water between the mainland and some small islands. Then a small rib arrived from around the corner with a man playing bagpipes to welcome us in.

It turned out to be the landowners who instantly made 61 friends by coming alongside the ship and passing over a bottle of whiskey to toast our arrival.

This was just the beginning of one of the best receptions we've ever had - after disembarking we walked up the beach to find a huge barbeque with locally shot venison, huge bowls of salads, wine, beer and a crate of the best local whiskeys.

Great night had by all. The Norwegians on the crew even built a small sweat lodge much to the bemusment of the locals. Seems Norwegians are very partial to jumping into icy cold Scottish waters.

Much singing and some fireworks later everyone retired happy and well fed.

Friday 27th July:

Free day. Bit sleepy after the night before. We had arrived at Inverie at about three in the morning after a long night's rowing in the rain. Rain was to be a common feature of our stay in Inverie. So was having a great welcome. The locals were on the quay to great us when we arrived late that night and were hugely friendly and helpful during our whole stay.

Thursday 26th July:

Left Skye for the opposite harbour on the mainland. Stayed there until the afternoon then set off for Inverie.

Wednesday 25th July:

Free day in Skye. Lots of wandering about, chatting and general fun. Big party later that night after a great talk on the ship by Louise from midships and a viewing of the BBC footage from the trip so far. Rounded off the evening with some impromtu bagpipe music and Norwegian folk dancing on the street. Only with this crew.

Tuesday 24th July:

Met the rest of the replacement crew early in the morning at Aberdeen Airport. Much excitement and eagerness to be on the road. Set off for the six hour road trip over to the Isle of Skye. Also had the joy of introducing the health conscious Danes to the wonder that is a full Scottish breakfast. Beautiful drive through the highlands, including the obligatory stop at Loch Ness to stare at the lake for a while. The drive also saw the birth of the Castle Beer Competition between myself and Morten from Diarmaid's section of the ship. More about this later.

Arrived at Kyleakin on Skye in glorious sunshine and spent a great evening catching up on all the news from the last four weeks.

Monday 23rd July:

Flew out to Aberdeen. Spent the day wandering about the city and wishing the hours away until I could join the ship. 

Editor's Note: Diarmaid Murphy left the crew upon the ship's arrival to Isle of Skye. Most entries from this point on are by him.

We landed on the Isle of Skye on Tuesday the 24th of July. This was to be my last port of call on the Havingston.

After staying two good nights on the Isle of Skye, I bid farewell to the ship and her crew. I was quite sad to be leaving after more than three weeks of cold, rain, no sleep, rye bread and... actually there were far many more good points about the trip than bad!!!

The opportunity to meet many new friends and experience something as unique as this trip was fantastic. The challenges were mainly social ones, not understanding the language, living in each other's pockets and being able to be patient when you are tired and cold. But all these challenges were overcome.

To sail a ship like the Sea Stallion has been an eye opener giving me a real insight as to how tough the Vikings must have been to be able to deal with the elements.

Many people say that this trip is not representative of what the Vikings would have done etc, but fundamentally the trip is to prove that it was done and test to the boat which is 100% authentic.

There were a number of comments about the crew wearing modern gear etc, but we are not testing the crew's ability to withstand the open sea. The critics have also commented on the use of modern navigational equipment, but there was no shipping or oil rigs at sea to be avoided 1,000 years ago.

I felt for the crew members who were leaving the ship here but will not be able to be in Dublin to welcome her on arrival. Most of the crew have been involved with the project for a number of years and will not see the ship again until next year.

It was a lonely trip on the train to Edinburgh from Kyle even though the Scottish highlands were fantastic with all kinds of wildlife to be seen from eagles to Stag. It was almost postcard like.

No matter how hard I tried, I could not get the ship and crew I had left behind out of my head. Listening to people on their mobiles on the train talking about work and terrestrial topics was almost unbearable.

Edinburgh is a great city and provided some distraction in the form of a shower, a meal, a beer and a bed... in that order. I slept well in the unfamiliar surroundings of a hotel room, but woke wondering where I was and why I was not freezing.

I took a flight to Cork and while waiting in the baggage hall in Cork airport I spotted an information desk. Just as I started enquiring about my long lost luggage, I noticed my bag behind the desk. It turns out it never made it to Denmark.

The taxi driver looked at me carrying four waterproof bags and commented 'you must be a sailor.' 

I replied that I was just after getting off a Viking ship, thinking he would not believe me. Instead he said, 'Sure didn't I hear ya on Seascapes, well done boy, welcome home'.

Meanwhile, the ship was making her way southward slowly edging towards Dublin with some new crew, it is still on my mind most of the time.

Unlike some of the crew, I will be on the ship when she sails in to Dublin and will be able to enjoy the Sea Stallion experience again.

Tuesday 24 July:

On the Isle of Skye

Landed early this morning around 3am and offloaded the boat straight away.

The local community centre is home for the next few days. We are changing crew here and I will be on my home soon.

General maintenance is today's plan and maybe a few beers tonight.

I think the new crew members are arriving today for the change over.

Monday 23 July:

Lough Inver was also a very nice location with plenty of hill walking opportunities amid lakes for swimming etc.

Went for a dip in a lake on the top of a mountain, very refreshing as you could imagine.

A small fishing village boasting four churches, its claim to fame.
Jens, the chef, cooked up a great Barbeque on the pier head and as usual the ship was attracting the usual crowds.

The departure from Lough Inver was very relaxing beginning with a short row to the harbour mouth with the sound of a lone piper sending us off on our way and then we hoisted the sail and headed south west.

Plenty of sea creatures to be seen including seals and whales. This area is well known for Orcas, or Killer Whales, but none were spotted on this leg.

Weather conditions have been favourable resulting in the atmosphere on the boat being good.

No sign of any Mutiny just yet.

Sunday 22 July:

Departure from Kirkwall at around 3pm was fantastic with a large crowd wishing us well.

While on Orkney, we were very well received and wherever we were there was talk of the Viking ship. The locals could not do enough to make crew feel at home, a turn for the books if you go back a thousand years when they were running for the hills.

You could see why the Vikings chose Orkney as a base. It is almost surpassing Ireland as the green isle. I can say it is one of the nicest places I have ever visited.

We had the pleasure of having a local called Robert who gave a few of us a personal tour of the island showing us many of the archaeological wonders that make this place so special.

He also brought us to Scapa Flow, somewhere I had always wanted to see because of its history and my interest in diving. I had never been to Scotland before and I can say I was well impressed.

The local whiskey, Highland Park, was also approved by the crew at the Orkney Sailing Club who were excellent hosts putting us up for the visit.

Leaving Kirlwall under oars, we faced a six oar row west before we could set sail. The wind was in our favour and we sailed around Cape Wrath en route for Lought Inver, approximately 90 miles from Orkney.

Even though conditions were very cold and sleep was hard found, we sailed with a tail wind and good tides and arrived just after ten o'clock on Saturday evening and have been staying in the local town hall.

We are due to leave early tomorrow, Monday, making passage for the Isle of Skye and again we seem to have the wind in our favour.

The crew are all well and the fact the sailing is good so you could not ask for more.

Thursday 19 July:

We departed Egersund, Norway, at Midnight on Sunday after analysing weather forecasts and finally began our journey to the Orkney Islands under oars.

After a few hours rowing through the fjiords we entered the North Sea, but the predicted easterly winds failed to arrive.

We did set the sails and waited patiently, but after seven hours we had to resign to the fact the forecast had let us down again.

There was an awkward swell which made rowing the ship impossible and without any wind, we had to take a tow form Cable One, our Support vessel. This was dissapointing but it had to be done. Safety on this ship is first priority.

Tents were set up on board to protect us from the cold foggy North sea conditions, and everyone caught up on some sleep. Within 24 hours and about 100 nautical miles later, the wind picked up and we hoisted the sail.

Conditions, surprisingly, were very wet and everyone on board was feeling the cold. But the fact the sail was up gave all of us a great boost of morale and Orkney was just over the horizon.

After some fantastic sailing the Orkneys finally rose and the light houses on the Islands directed us towards Kirkwall. On the approaches we were welcomed by our new support vessel, the Island Fox, which will be replacing the Cable One.

There was supposed to be an arrival party to greet us, but it was 2am on Wednesday morning when we arrived so the celebrations were put off until the following evening.

The Island is very scenic and the locals are very friendly and there are plenty of visitors on the quay viewing the ship. Many are joking about the fact that the last time the locals seen a ship like this they were running for the hills.

After restocking the ship a much awaited fry was in order. So David and I escorted the members of the Drag room to a nearby cafe and introduced them to a scotish breakfast. No haggis here, but more importantly no Rye bread.

Heaven!

News update for Triona, you will be glad to hear there has also been a coup on board and the chef has given in to our demands for an alternative to the lead bread.

On Wednesday evening we had to say farewell to the Cable One and one of our Drag room menbers, Henrik, as she set sail for Denmark.

The crew were exceptional supporting us in all conditions and a constant supply of cake was always good for morale.

The local sailing club have provided us with a floor to sleep on and a bar with good beer, at about half the price of that in Norway, and we were made feel very welcome by their members.

I managed to get a club pennant from the commodore for the sailing club on condition that I send one in return from Bantry Bay Sailing Club. Nice souvenir.

Today, Thursday, general stocking and maintnance is being carried out on the ship and we are due to leave tomorrow, as usual it will be dependant on weather forecasts.

Finally, many people in the media have been suggesting that because we were towed for a portion of the journey we have failed in our objectives to sail the ship to Dublin.

Rubbish! We were towed for a very short period for safety reasons, if the uneducated few in the media feel that we should be putting our lives at risk for any reason they have another thing coming!!!

Regards to Anne Marie and Ruby, see you both soon.

Monday 16 July:

Editor's note: While we await word from Diarmaid on the high seas, upcoming Irish crew member Triona Nicholl sent us a preview of her anticipation

Only a week to go until I fly out to meet the Sea Stallion!! It was a bit surreal to fly to Denmark for the launch weekend, spend two days packing and preparing the ship feeling the buzz all around the museum harbour then stand on the quay (feeling heartily depressed) and wave goodbye to everyone as they headed off for a few weeks of adventure. But finally, it's nearly my turn!

They've had a tough enough time of for the last few weeks - the initial crossing to Norway (though very wet) was also very, very fast and it looked like a great start to the voyage. As you'll all know from reading Diarmaid's entries, things went a bit askew after that. They were repeatedly hampered by strong westerly winds in the North Sea area making the crossing over to the Orkneys impossible.

This is a hugely frustrating position for everyone. From Carsten the skipper down through the crew and also the Museum personnel back in Roskilde, this will have been a difficult two weeks.

This is also the time when things get more difficult socially - normally it's challenging enough given that we're 65 people on a ship 30m long and 4m wide, but the active focus of sailing the ship leaves little time for disagreement. In the case of the last week and a half, it's been 65 people stuck in small harbours in inclement weather with little to do to pass the time and all day to do it. I think it's a testament to the good nature of the crew in general that from the sounds of things people have kept their spirits up and avoided conflict. At least that's what they're telling us anyway.

And now they've had another small blow. The promised easterly wind that was due to arrive today never came. They left the small harbour at Egersund on the west coast of Norway at midnight and waited 8 hours at sea for the wind only to be greeted by a revised forecast predicting moderate gales along the west coast of Norway and the eastern coast of Scotland. Given the time already lost due to prolonged westerlies they were left with no choice but to take a tow from the following vessel 'Cable One'. This will be a big disappointment to many onboard. For most of the crew the North Sea crossing was going to be one of the highlights of the trip - the three to five days it would have taken to cross was going to be the longest period the Sea Stallion had ever spent continuously at sea and the crew were looking forward to this challenge. Now it's predicted they'll arrive in Orkney by tomorrow afternoon - a quicker and safer crossing for all concerned but not quite the one they had planned.

These trials and tribulations aside, there's a far bigger challenge facing the Irish crew members on the Sea Stallion and something I reckon you'll be reading a lot more about on these pages over the next four weeks - rye bread. And sadly there's no getting away from that one.

DIARMAID MURPHY'S LOG:

Sunday 15 July:

After a good night's sleep, plans to leave for Orkney were discussed and midnight tonight has been decided.

All are looking forward to the crossing and the weather has decided to do us a favour for a change by pushing us west.

The ETD for Orkney is at present being betted on, but I feel late on Wednesday might raise land.

All are well, some slight seasickness and one crew member sufering from stomach problems.

A fellow drag room member, Tajs, asked me to say hello to this wife in Roskilde, who is following the log on this site.

Next report on Thursday AGW.

Saturday 14 July:

Departed from Lista about 0800hrs and met with a strong easterly tail wind.

This is ideal for heading west and the ship was averaging about nine knots.

We had planned to make a short dash for the best vantage point to make a break for Orkney.

Our planned destination was Egersunud, a large fishing port in the southwest tip of Norway.

All was going well until something in the rudder gave way and the ship lost steerage. With a heavy sea following, this had potential to become a very dangerous situation.

The sail was immediately dropped and the ship say broadside to the waves (side on) where it is at its most vunerable.

Quick action by the crew resulted in any such problems arising.

This however was followed by some tangled lines on the sail when we rehoisted. But again everyone remained calm and the problem was dealt with.

It was better for this to happen during the day close to shore than in the middle of the north sea at night.

There is no shortage of heavy rain here today and a kind fisherman has put us up on his trawler for the night as opposed to camping on the quay side.

Friday 13 July:

At last we have left Lindesness in the southern point of Norway and sailed west. Only gaining 30 miles over the day we are setting ourselves up for an easterly wind due early tomorrow morning.

This, all going well, will be followed by a southerly wind on Sunday and Monday sending us towards Orkney.

Carsten, the skipper, has just informed me that he has never seen the crew so enthusiastic about getting on the water as he did this morning.

We are now in a village called Lista, and the ship is drawing the usual trickle of spectators amazed by the amount of people sailing on her.

I have mentioned the Drag room and its members. David from Manchester is my watch 'buddy', which is not always useful due to the fact our Danish is limited.

We have protested about the rye bread and have been granted a ration of white bread, no movement on the tined fish though.

Morale on the boat is good and everyone is looking forward to the challenge of the North sea.

Wednesday 11 July:

All quiet today. Sun is beginning to shine a little.

I have been working on tidal predictions with Vibeke (1st mate)  and Carsten (Skipper) and checking ports on the east coast of Scotland as alternatives to Kirkwall on Orkney.

There have been a few problems with the chart plotter (electronic map) and it has been replaced. Using paper charts, as a back up, we have also planned the journey.

The Danes are not used to tidal waters as there is very little tide in the fjiords and the waters around the Orkney Islands are renowned for strong and dangerous tides.

A decision has been made to leave early tomorrow morning heading west southwest and then changing direction sometime on Friday once the wind changes to a southerly as it is predicted to do (click here to follow the ship with our live GPS tracker).

Our fate is in the hands of the Nuala Carey and Gerry Flemmings of Scandinavia.

We have been using an Irish friend of mine's website (www.Kelticwave.com) that has plenty of useful weather links.
The forecast is not bad, but with the recent weeks of unsettled conditions it is hard to predict what we are in for.

The news that we are leaving has created a buzz around the place and preparations are being made to pack the boat and leave early in the morning.

I'm looking forward to seeing Norway astern of us. It is a very beautiful country etc, especially when the sun shines, but have been here a week now and it's time to go.

From an anthropological and dietary point of view, the Danes are convinced that they could not exist without Rye bread and tinned herring for breakfast. Most on the non Danes on board are of a different opinion, as am I.

Bring on the full Irish Breakfast... please.

Tuesday 10 July: Still looking out to sea waiting for the wind!

No improvement in the forecast.

People must be saying: why don't these so called Vikings row?

We would if we could, but the wind in on the nose and the ship is very slow under oars. Also if we had to row all the way to Orkney then pillaging etc. would be out of the question.

The sensible decision is to have patience and wait for favourable
conditions.

SAFETY exercises were carrried out today in conjunction with 'Cable One', our support vessel usually used as a cable laying dive ship.

All the crew from the viking ship boarded Cable One. Around 20 crew were kitted out in full survival gear, including myself, and basically jumped ship as she was making was slowly. Once in the water, we teamed up in threes and attached ourselves in groups using life lines. The ship then carried out a full recovery of all in the water using rescue boats and recovery equipment.

It was a very important exercise for all crew to be part of, and it was also great fun.

Update on departure should be very soon.......

Monday 9 July: Still no moving from Norway, wind direction is still not in our favour. Decision will be made in the next day or so. Easterlies due on Thursday, so hopes are high to depart by then.

Today, we carried out some rowing trials using all oars (60), and then half the oars (30), to compare speed differences.

Using half the oars was slightly faster due to each oars person having more room to row and getting a better stroke.

We also practiced a number of sailing exercises to keep the crew fresh, including putting in and removing reefs in the sails.
Also, raising and lowering the mast while at sea was practiced.

Crew morale has certainly improved since being on the water, achieving 12knots on a 100ft viking ship would certainly give you a taste for more.

Sunday 8 July: Latest news is that weather will not be good enough until Thursday.

As nice as rural Norway is, the sooner we move the better.

The crew were having a beer tonight in the local with some members from the Norweigan 'chapter' of Hell's Angels!!!

A very interesting country.

Friday 6 July: Still in southern Norway, weather not looking good for the immediate future, tied up and bailing rainwater.

Staying above a fishing shop courtesy of the owner. A little crowded but better than staying on board.

Once the weather breaks we will go for the west coast of Norway, hopefully Stavanger, and then to Orkney.

The Royal frenzy has ended without political incident and the Sea Stallion is waiting to go.

Thursday 5 July: Royal families from Spain, Norway, Sweden and Denmark were visiting a village of no more than a few hundred people to celebrate the event. To finish the day off, we delivered the queen of Denmark back to her royal yacht.

Not something I do everyday.

Moral on the ship is good, the language barrier is not easy as all the commands are in Danish.

Food is good, a little too much rye bread and porridge. A few minor injuries, but all is well.

Wednesday 4 July: Left for Lendessen, very close to the most southern point of Norway.

Karsten, the skipper, informed us that we were participating in a royal parade on thursday to celebrate the queen of Norway's birthday. It was also celebrating the opening of viking canal that had been closed for centuries.

Tuesday 3 July: Was spent in the city buying a full set of kit for the following four weeks. This worked out very expensive. I had to replace everything including a bag to put my clothes in. I have lost a lot of personal effects including my camera which I was most disappointed about. There have been great opportunities for a photo diary.

Monday 2 July: Weather still terrible and waking up very cold made it difficult to be enthusiastic, but the group in my section of the ship are have great comraderie and have made me feel right at home.

Another long day with Norway as the target, Kristiansen as the port of call.

Arrived at 3am Tuesday on an island off Kristensen and erected tents. Slept in a borrowed sleeping bag, but at least I slept.

Sunday 1 July: Leaving Roskilde was a fantastic experience. There were large crowds both ashore and on the water while fjord was very crowded with vessels of all descriptions including some of the smaller viking ships.

The wind was in our favour and once we entered the Sea of Kattegat conditions changed with the arrival of very heavy rain. I had none of my own equipment, due to the fact it never arrived in Copenhagen airport, so i was wearing borrowed clothes from the crew.