W. Hodding Carter May 8th, 1998   I must confess something. I was not always a Viking nut. When I was a kid, I thought the Vikings were "cool." Then, as an adult, I wanted to write a book about an impossible adventure. And that's how it all started. I thought I'd head for Greenland, bash around and maybe make it to Newfoundland, maybe not. More like Huck Finn than Robert Peary. What would matter was how much I learned and that I tried my best. Things change, of course. If you followed our voyage last summer or have looked through our archived web site, you can see that the project grew quite a bit from my original idea. But, two things stayed the same, the two things I believe are fundamental to this project's success: that we learn a lot and that we always try our best. Last summer, when our rudder support system essentially collapsed, I was disappointed. Part of me was disappointed because we would not be able to finish when we said we would and that some people might see our stopping for the summer as a failure. I was disappointed and embarrassed that we had to rely on the Canadian Coast Guard to assist us. Part of me, however, was also upset because the project would not be over for at least another year. This neat little idea of mine had taken over my family's life. My wife and I wanted it to be over. We wanted to move on to another phase. I felt (and still feel) an overwhelming guilt for my project dictating so much of what she, our children and I have done. I also, however, was elated that the rudder system failed. I was able to fly home, assist with our daughter Helen's birth, and then fly back to Greenland to help store Snorri for the winter. Mine was merely a token presence at Helen's birth, but being there did lessen the overwhelming heartache I was suffering from. Lisa, Hodding and baby Helen   For a while, after I returned home, I felt trapped in a stagnant holding pattern. Sort of dazed. But, as Rob, Terry and I began looking into our rudder problems, I started to emerge - take more ownership of this project - maybe for the first time, really. The change didn't hit me like a bolt of lightning or anything, I just slowly evolved into a more committed and responsible adventurer. I read all about rudders and wrote to the Viking Ship Museum for assistance. Read even more about the Vikings and exploring in the Arctic and subarctic. I learned to tie the knots that a good sailor needs to know - in the dark, behind my back, whatever. I now can tie a bowline behind my back in five seconds. I say this not to brag - well, actually, I'm bragging a little - but to illustrate how far I've come. Last year I didn't have time to make bowline knots a part of my life, so I faked it all summer. Anyway, I had a project to complete. In the spring, Rob, Doug, John Abbott and I took a navigating course in Annapolis because we knew that was a gap that needed filling. I devised the Viking Games - an athletic and mental competition to challenge the crew and me and keep us focused on this summer. The Viking Games will be held this summer in Nuuk and include such feats as knot tying, running, swimming the length of Snorri in 35-degree water, and answering a question on Viking history. I commissioned replica seamstresses, tailors and armorers in Wales and England to make me an authentic Viking outfit that I will try and wear for at least one week straight. Am I now a Viking nut? Maybe, maybe not, but I feel better than ever before about this project and what we are doing. That much I know.   Anabel and Eliza Carter I also sent Rob and Terry to Norway and Denmark - Rob to learn more about where we went wrong and Terry to get an even better feel for Viking boats. Rob had suggested he go over to inspect the rudders of other replicas and although I initially agreed, I partially believed his trip was a boondoggle. The trip to Denmark, however, turned out to be the stroke of luck that we needed. The builders at the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde shared their latest plans for the knarr with Rob, which showed the rudder in both a farther aft position and supported with a lot more framing than the original plans had depicted. Being farther aft should give the rudder more leverage and the additional framing speaks for itself. Rob, Terry and I also met with a naval architect and a naval archeologist over the winter to talk about our rudder system problems. Combining the information from Roskilde and the decisions we made after our rudder consult we believe we will have a good working system this summer. Rob and John Gardner have built two new rudders - both more traditionally Viking than the huge rudder we used last summer - and we have sent over a ton of wood to build the new framing that Snorri needs. Helen at six months   Rob, Terry, Dean and I will go to Greenland June 2. Terry and Dean are going to work on getting our communication system lined up and endless bosun/captain details that need to be addressed. Rob will work on making adjustments to the rudder system and I will assist Rob, which mostly means fetching things for him since I'm a highly unskilled carpenter. I also will be nudging Rob forward since he, um... likes to consider things extensively before actually getting to work. Two weeks later the rest of the crew will arrive in Nuuk. We will rig Snorri, ready our provisions and launch her within three or four days. We will then hold our Viking Games - sometime near the solstice since the Vikings traditionally celebrated that day. After that, we will begin our sea trials for the next two to three weeks. Where we go in Greenland, when we leave for Canada, and where we will head along the Canadian coast, all depends on the pack ice (sea ice) around Baffin Island and northern Labrador. Unlike the Vikings, we will be getting our ice information from the Canadian Ice Service, but like them, where and when we go will be dictated by the ice, Nature's whims, our improving skills and the fate that has us in its grip.
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