Lögberg-Heimskringla - 07.11.1997, Síða 3

Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 7, november 1997 • 3
In Our Forefathers’ Steps
Gaukstad in Oslo, Norway.
what led to his building the ship, “My
grandfather, Gunnar Marel Jónsson, built
the largest wooden ship that had been
built in Iceland at that time. At age 25,1,
myself, graduated as a ship builder.
At one time I heard my father and
grandfather talking about the Viking ship
and how easy it had actually been to sail.
Somehow I never forgot this conversa-
tion. My interest in the Viking Ship was
kindled and gradually grew. In 19911 was
accepted on the Gaia crew, and there I
leamed a great deal about sailing these
ships. In particular, the Norwegian, Jon
Godal, had a wealth of information on
the Viking Ship, and he proved to be my
best teacher before the Gaia expedition.
After the Gaia adventure, I was un-
decided about what to do next. I decided
to build my own long ship and try to out-
fit it. I travelled to Norway to study the
Gaukstad Ship and measure it thoroughly.
I discovered that the draft at the museum
949-2200
Thus said my mother / Yöu buy a ship with
fair oars / Stand in the bow / Steer a worthy
“knörr" /Sail abroad /Slay a man and
another. (Egill Skallagrímsson’s pocm).
is wrong. I built íslendingur after my
draft, which I think is closer to the origi-
nal long ships. This makes íslendingur
Continued on page 7
neil
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FAMILYl FUNERAL
COUNSELLORS
Choices...
Consider Cremation,
A simple act, done with dignity,
our way.
Phone anytime.
Gunnar Marel Eggertsson, a
foreman on the Viking ship
íslendingur, is a fourth genera-
tion boat builder. Sveinn Guðjónsson
from Morgunblaðið called on him on
board his ship, and got a feeling for stand-
ing at the helm of a worthy “knörr.”
Icelanders take pride in their Viking
ancestry, although it is questionable how
great seafarers our forefathers actually
were. It is, however, an interesting expe-
rience to trace the footsteps of the men
who long ago sailed the oceans and
stepped ashore in Iceland. This can be
done at Reykjavík Harbour, by boarding
the Viking ship íslendingur, and sailing
the blue sounds.
A few years ago, Gunnar Marel
Eggertsson embarked on the huge task
of building a replica of the Norwegian
Gaukstad ship. The experts consider his
to be the most successful replica ever
made of that famous ship. As a result, the
Swedish National Museum, on the one
hand, and the Norwegian Sailing Insti-
tute, on the other, have expressed a lot of
interest in his ship. Both institutions have
invited him and his ship to call for fur-
ther inspection. “I have received an in-
formal invitation from the Swedish Na-
tional Museum regarding bringing the
ship to Norway for display, and agents
from the Norwegian Sailing Institute
want to look at the ship next summer. The
Norwegians visited Iceland last summer
to look at the ship. They considered it the
best and most exact replica of the
Gaukstad ship ever made, and I am con-
vinced that it is, although I say so my-
self,” said Gunnar Marel, who should
know. In 1991 he was the skipper of the
Norwegian long ship, Gaia, when it
crossed the Atlantic Ocean in commemo-
ration of the great land discovery. For
fourteen months Gunnar sailed the Gaia
across the world’s oceans, crossing the
lslendingur sails with outstretched sails
across the blue sounds.
equator and travelling all the way to Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil where the crew made
an appearance on behalf of the United
Nations Children’s ftind.
When Gunnar Marel chose his oc-
cupation, he truely followed in his fore-
fathers’ footsteps. “You could say that I
was born in a shipyard, at the
“Dráttarbraut” in the Westman Islands.
My father, grandfather and even my
great-grandfather were all ship builders,”
Gunnar Marel answered when asked