A replica Viking ship has arrived in Portland Harbor for a four-day visit, during which it will be open for tours and photographs.
The 115-foot-long Draken Harald Harfagre reached Portland on Friday after sailing down the coast from Rockland Harbor, and will be docked at the Fore Points Marina at 58 Fore St.
The public will be able to tour the deck of the ship and explore the Draken Village – a photo and video exhibition illustrating Viking history, modern explorers and the adventures of the Draken.
Admission to the Draken Village is free, but a fee will be charged to adults, children and families who want to tour the single-masted vessel – promoted by its operators as the largest modern-built Viking ship in the world.
The ship’s operators also plan to screen a documentary about the vessel Sunday evening at Mechanic’s Hall on Congress Street.
A lecture is also planned at the Shipyard Brewery tasting room Monday evening. Tickets to each event costs $20.
After it’s stop-over in Portland, the ship will continue south along the coast, and will eventually reach South Carolina before the tour ends in the fall.
According to its website, the Draken was named after Harald Harfagre, the king who unified Norway into one kingdom. Construction of the ship began in March 2010 in the town of Haugesund in western Norway.
It measures 115 feet from stem to stern, is 26 feet wide and is equipped with a 79-foot-tall mast made from Douglas fir. The ship’s design was based on archaeological materials, Old Norse literature, visual representations of Viking ships and old sailing records.
The Draken underwent sea trials in 2012. In 2016, the ship successfully crossed the North Atlantic, helping to re-create one of the most epic, mythical explorations of all time – that of Viking explorer Leif Ericson, who discovered the New World.
The vessel has been docked at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut.
Matt Byrne can be contacted at 791-6303 or at:
mbyrne@pressherald.com
Twitter: MattByrnePPH
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