Viking ship puts out urgent call for deck-hands this summer!

The Draken Harald Hårfagre, the largest replica Viking ship in the world, is urgently seeking volunteers to help prepare the vessel for this summer’s sailing. There may also be some opportunities to sail as part of the crew on their upcoming voyages.

Getting all set for the summer

The Draken Harald Hårfagre, otherwise known as the Dragon Harald Fairhair, was constructed in the Norwegian town of Haugesund and first launched in 2012. Although it has some structural differences to known ships from the Viking Age, it has become a well-known symbol of Viking seafaring.

The ship sailed to the British Isles in 2014, before a major expedition to North America in 2016. After stop-off points in Iceland and Greenland, the ship landed in the former Norse home of Newfoundland and also visited various other locations in Canada and the United States, including Ontario, Michigan and New York City.

Now, the team has put out a call on social media for more volunteers to help get the vessel shipshape this summer. According to the announcement, people are needed at the construction center in south-west Norway for some hard but rewarding physical labor. In particular, volunteers will be expected to help prepare the ship by organizing equipment, working on the rigging and cleaning and scrubbing the vessel in preparation for departure.

The team stresses that no sailing experience is needed for this particular task. Instead, volunteers are expected to be “ambitious, reliable, positive, and ready to work as part of a team”.

You can apply as a volunteer on the Draken Harald Hårfagre website here: https://www.drakenhh.com/deckhand-crew-application

The Draken in The Odyssey. Source: YouTube still/Paramount Pictures

The big ship on the big screen

There are also still some opportunities to volunteer as a member of the sailing crew. Applications are open on the ship’s website for professional and volunteer positions. The first of these refers to paid roles on the vessel, which require professional sailing qualifications and experience. The second, on the other hand, is open to anybody above the age of 18 who is willing to learn and work hard on board. At this stage, however, spaces are limited, so it makes sense to get involved as soon as possible!

In other news, the Draken Harald Hårfagre can be seen in several scenes of the trailer for Christopher Nolan’s upcoming historical epic, The Odyssey. The movie, which stars Matt Damon, Elliot Page, Zendaya and Tom Holland, is of course set in Ancient Greece. The filmmakers, however, borrowed the Draken to be used as a Greek sailing ship.

You can see the ship in the trailer here.
 

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