The Icelandic Canadian - 01.08.2001, Blaðsíða 35

Vol. 56 #3
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
1 17
When I Was the Twelfth Warrior
by Peter Bjornson
I can remember watching the opening
scenes of Michael Crichton’s The
Thirteenth Warrior and being insanely jeal-
ous of Antonio Banderas’ character,
Ahmad Ibn Fadlan, as he huddled in a
sheepskin facing the driving winds and
cold ocean spray aboard a longboat.
Despite the obviously uncomfortable con-
ditions, I would have given anything to
have had the opportunity afforded this
actor to experience the sea aboard a Viking
ship. I had no idea that being elected to
Town Council, participating in a Municipal
Exchange, and having a chance meeting
with the mayor of our partnering munici-
pality would add up to such a once in a life-
time opportunity.
Thus begins my saga. The Town of
Gimli participated in a Municipal
Exchange in August 2000 when six dele-
gates from Lockeport, Nova Scotia arrived
to partake in the Icelandic Festival.
Lockeport is the site of the longest contin-
uous Icelandic settlement in North
America. By chance I was one of the first
town representatives to meet Lockeport’s
mayor Sarah Huskilsson. After the intro-
ductions and informal pleasantries we dis-
cussed the itineraries planned for our
exchange. She mentioned the arrival of the
Islendingur as part of their celebration and
that she would be on board from Halifax to
Lockeport. When I remarked that it would
be an incredible experience, she immediate-
ly suggested that she could arrange for me
to be on the ship.
On the afternoon of August 25, the
Town of Gimli delegation arrived in
Halifax - Mayor William Barlow; CAO,
D.J. Sigmundson; Chamber of Commerce
President, Darcy Bedard; Past-president,
Kristine Sigurdson; Gimli Museum repre-
sentative, Rick Lair and myself—with four
vinatertas in tow. The Islendingur was to
have arrived in Halifax that very morning,
however inclement weather prevented this.
Thus we were able to see the Islendingur
under full sail triumphantly entering
Halifax harbour the next morning. This
was a magnificent sight to behold. The
crew, in full Viking regalia, enthusiastically
acknowledged the crowd of approximately
five hundred who were on hand to greet
them. A souvenir kiosk and a concession
stand with traditional Scandinavian fare
greeted the crowds that arrived over the
next few hours to take a closer look at the
Islendingur. At 1:00 p.m., Mayor
Huskilsson had negotiated my participa-
tion in the overnight voyage to Lockeport.
I was quite relieved at this point as the rest
of my delegation had already departed for a
ceremony in Markland, over an hour’s
drive away, and I would have been strand-
ed in Halifax otherwise. The eight crew
members, Mayor Huskilsson, Avraham (a
reporter for the US National Public Radio
Service), Bill (an “old salt” Nova Scotian,
40 years at sea), and I, the twelfth warrior,
were ready to depart. By the mid-after-
noon there were more than 200 on hand to
bid us farewell. The sail was raised—we
were on our way.
Leaving Halifax harbour I marveled at
the sight of the huge ocean freighters and a
visiting U.S. warship as these vessels
dwarfed the 72 ft. long Viking ship. The
calm waters of the harbour provided me
with the prairie boy reassurance I needed
that the trip would not be that difficult.
After all, I have been on several ocean craft
on four oceans, how difficult could it be?
My question was soon answered as we left
the harbour mouth and faced a steady
southerly wind, with three metre swells. I
was assured by all aboard with years of
experience at sea that these impressive
waves were mere bumps compared to the
violent ocean storms. I later was quite glad
that I chose to rent The Perfect Storm sev-