The “Bàtar” association is building in Toulouse a drakkar, an Icelandic sailing boat, which will cross the Atlantic and reach New York. The project is scheduled for spring 2024. Before that, the Toulouse “Vikings” plan to make a one-week crossing between Denmark and Sweden.
From Toulouse to New York, there is only one step. The Toulouse association “Bàtar”, which means boat in Icelandic, has set itself the goal of crossing the Atlantic and reaching New York in the spring of 2024. The Toulouse “Vikings” are starting this summer to build their new drakkar which will be more wide and faster than the previous ones.
The start of this extraordinary expedition will be on the side canal of the Garonne in Toulouse, towards New York. During the crossing, the Orkan, name given to the boat, will sail along the coasts of Scotland, Norway, Sweden and Canada for 45 days. The crew will therefore take the same route that the first Vikings took, 500 years before the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus in 1492.
The fastest longship in the world
The Okan, which means “hurricane” in Danish, was entirely imagined by the Toulouse “Vikings”. It will be made from pine and chestnut wood, will be 28 meters long and 6 meters wide. The team has planned a year and a half of construction. “We believe that we are going to succeed in building the fastest longship in the world. We took a model from a drakkar that really existed and we are going to bring our ingenuity to make it as efficient as possible”, enthusiastically explains Thomas Devineaux, president of the Bàtar association and an engineer by training.
The shipyard organized in the city center of Toulouse will be open to the public from September: “the idea is to get everyone involved in this crazy project.” For the crossing over the Atlantic Ocean, the crew will also be made up of professionals and volunteers: “we are going to select sailors as well as people with no experience. These people will be subjected to psychological and physical tests. Because this crossing remains difficult, it is not a vacation “, quips Thomas Devineaux.
Equipped with a GPS, the Orkan will also be accompanied by a follower boat which can help the team in the event of inclement weather or technical problems.
On the boat, there will be no difference between the members of the crew. Everyone will participate in the navigation. For us, it is a huge challenge to redo this crossing which will also be more ecological. The drakkar is a sailing boat, the materials we are going to use will all be environmentally friendly.
A cost of more than 2 million euros
To make and finance this trip across the Atlantic, the association is looking for sponsors. Because the cost of crossing and construction is high, more than 2 million euros will be needed: “We already have sponsors from Toulouse who have followed us since our first crossings, we are looking for others of a larger scale or patrons”, indicates the president of Bàtar.
Funding will also be done in a participatory manner: “we opened an online kitty, we collect every 800 euros, it’s a surprise for us.”.
A drakkar on the Garonne
This longship is not the first. These lovers of Scandinavian culture and Icelandic sailing boats have already built two boats.
The first was launched in 2016. The second, on June 21, during the music festival on the waters of the Garonne in Toulouse. A first outing which has already been a feat for the association: “We used a twelve meter long trailer to bring the longship Fyr from our workshop to Labège.” This ship was built on the blueprint of an authentic Viking ship, the Skuldelev. It took a year for the members of the association to build this boat, 12 meters long and 2.4 meters wide. Many experiences that have pushed the members of the Bàtar association to carry out this crossing project on the Atlantic Ocean.
We have met many engineers on our expeditions who have been impressed with our performance. This is what made us want to embark on this exceptional crossing, a first in France.
The association is currently carrying out another one-week expedition from Labège … to Denmark, Norway and Sweden. It started on August 6.
After 7 days … it is progressing!
12 days of navigation … Oslo in sight.
A first test before the great trip to the Atlantic Ocean, which already three years before his departure made Thomas Devineaux stamp with impatience: “We can’t wait to have our boat built and to be on the eve of leaving.”
–
