STONINGTON - The crew of the nordic tall ship ‘Draken Harald Harfagre’ may be new in town, but after a voyage of 6,500 miles, challenges like raising the boom are anything but new, according to Captain Bjorn Ahlander.
"The ship is a long ship from Norway – a viking ship,” he said.
They’re docked at Mystic Seaport after they set sail in April, according to Jemima Soutter, a deck hand.
"We’ve sailed her across the Atlantic, sailed her across four of the five Great Lakes , the Erie, the Hudson, down to New York...” said Soutter.
Because it is supposed to look like a ship that’s 1,000 years old, the modern amenities are scarce. It is actually a newer vessel, so it does have newer technology that regulations force them to have, but that doesn’t mean they have to use it.
“The requirement from authorities is that, but we also have sun compasses and crystals we use to follow the stars,"
Which is where they also sleep –under the stars. The crew of 34 has no choice.
"The biggest challenge in the ice water is getting wet," according to Pelayo Secades, crew leader. "Once you get wet, it’s very hard to get dry again."
The ship is open to the public this week, and will stay in Mystic through the winter.
