I’m on a Boat!
To put us in the proper Viking mindset, Sarah, Bryn and I listened to the How to Train Your Dragon soundtrack as we drove out to Llangorse Lake in Wales (with an intermission for a Doctor Who audiobook). We arrived at the campsite late, set up camp in the rain, and went to bed listening to the raindrops on canvas and sheep bleating in a field close-by.
In the grey morning I met everyone else who had come out for the weekend. Most were local people who I hadn't met before, a few Mercians I recognized, and I was introduced as 'Canada' to the rest of the group. It's going to be weird going home and having a name again. We walked down to the dock, dressed in our kit, to where the Bear, Regia's viking longboat, was already sitting in the lake and set out.
I remember going on the lake at my grandparents' cottage in Ontario and having sailing lessons. I was completely rubbish at it, and I can't say I've improved much, but this was so much better. Viking boat beats little sailboat. My strategy was pretty much pull on the rope the skipper is pointing at. I did learn to tie one of the knots, no idea what the name of it was, which mysteriously kept coming undone so I had to do it again and again. Eight people man the oars, the skipper and the steerer (Stephen and Roger) are at the back calling orders, and the rest of the people act as ballast, moving fore or aft depending on the weight distribution in the boat. Everyone shifts roles so you get a taste of all the different jobs. We rowed back and forth across the lake, getting a hand of starboard, port, pull strokes and push strokes and just trying to keep in time, while also commenting on which buildings along the shore could do with a good pillaging.
When there was enough of a breeze, we pulled the sail up and practiced using that to glide around. Being in a valley surrounded by 'mountains' (foothills by Canadian standards), we were constantly shifting positions and tacking to maneuver ourselves around. When the course was set we would sit on the bottom of the boat to avoid snagging the wind and wave to the various sailboats, rowboats, and canoes that were starting to populate the waters.
After lunch, a good chunk of the crew decided to have a few fights on the shore while a few of us went out on the lake again with a skeleton crew. This involved a lot more running up and down the ship but it's amazing how fast it can go with 6 people rather than 16. You do feel quite majestic standing behind a dragon prow head, braided hair catching the wind and an axe in your hand. Later, I was trying to get some photos of me at the front looking all intimidating, however a grin kept creeping back onto my face. The crew was oh so helpful in trying to make me mad, shouting 'Tim Hortons is stupid' and 'Canadians are basically Americans.' Cheeky.
The warden of the campsite was so helpful and they had arranged an amazing BBQ for all of us at the pub. We listened to the football game going on inside, trying to guess what was happening based on the yells we could hear from the courtyard before heading to the boat to continue our evening. The lake was mirror still and the sun sank behind the hill as we sat and drank and sang sing-alongs and solos that ranged from Queen to Disney. Gareth and Ben did the Wales anthem, which sounded awesome; it's no wonder Tolkien based Sindarin off the Welsh language. We had a good laugh trying to imitate the sing-song sound of the accent itself but apparently I just come across as Indian. We stayed out late, our voices carrying over the water, until common sense told us it was time to go to bed.
The second day we had a photographer coming to get some shots of us looking all impressive. This included us broadsiding the hut and pulling into the shallows to attack a few rogue vikings who were on the shore firing arrows at us. George decided to jump ship and attack, quickly becoming the first viking submarine the rest of us decided to stay on the boat and just yell. The weather was amazing, despite the rainy nights the days were nice and warm, and the breeze off the lake was breathtaking.
We were invited over to the sailing club the next day, so we went for afternoon tea. On the last sail of the day, I decided to take out a rowboat instead so I could get a few shots of the boat on the lake. Keeping up was no easy task so I tried to keep to the middle and let them pass back and forth in front of me. The red and white canvas sail amoung all the white triangles on the horizon looked slightly out of place but as it neared and grew, the oddity was replaced with awe as the impressive, 32 foot, boat swept past me.
It was an incredible weekend and I can now add 'crew member of a viking longboat' to my resume, which I'm sure will be very favourable. Thanks to everyone involved for an amazing time!