Today was the first day of test sailing here at Islay. For the museum, these tests are as important as the actual voyage. They give them the chance to get data on the ship in a more controlled situation. The same course is repeated over and over again – first with all the oars, then with every other oar, and by sail. The ship’s course is recorded using GPS and everything is filmed. Valuable though it is, it’s not much fun for the crew. It is hard work and they don’t have the satisfaction of getting anywhere. To make matters worse, by the time they had rowed out to sea and hoisted the sail, the wind died down. For most of the day they were struggling to make much speed. Sophie summed up the frustration: 'We’re supposed to be testing the ship to its limit, but we’re hardly even moving!'
The mast in action
The test sail did lead to one discovery though. They noticed that the ship wasn’t quite sailing right and, looking at the ship closely, realised that the mast was leaning very slightly. Back on land they took the mast down and discovered a shoe that must have got caught under the mast last time it was raised!
The museum is particularly keen to do test sailing here, in the area around Ireland and Scotland. These are the waters the original Viking ship was built to sail in. Using dendrochronology, archaeologists have determined that the ship was built near Dublin around 1042. They have also discovered that the ship was repaired roughly 25 years later using wood which also grew near the Irish Sea (though they can’t determine whether in England or Ireland). This shows that not only was the ship built in Ireland but spent many years sailing in the area.
The crew at rest
The waters here differ in a number of ways from those of Scandinavia. In particular there are much stronger tidal currents here. On Sunday, when we sailed to Jura, we encountered particularly strong currents and you could see the water swelling up and swirling in strange ways. These currents can cause a ship to change course unpredictably with potentially dangerous results. Glenn had heard about the currents in this area and was quite concerned to be going through them, particularly during the full moon when the tides are at their strongest. In the event, the ship navigated them with ease.
Tonight will be another night under canvas and with rain predicted it could be a less pleasant one, though at least that should keep the midges away. Tomorrow has been officially announced a rest day so I imagine the local pub (a two and a half mile walk away in Port Ellen) will be busy this evening.
