In the middle of the Fête de la Musique on June 21, another show caught the eyes of Toulousans on the waters of the Garonne: a drakkar boat on an expedition. At the helm, the Toulouse association Bátar (boat in Icelandic). For ten years, these lovers of Scandinavian culture have had fun building Viking ships. To put their projects to use, the river serves as a test area, to prepare for larger trips. “We are getting ready this summer for the crossing between Denmark and Sweden in August,” says Arnaud Fossorier, member of the Bátar company.
Ambitious ideas
The association’s vessels are not motorized and can therefore sail on the Garonne without authorization. To make such an exit remains an achievement. For this last boat trip, the Bátar team members used a twelve meter long trailer to bring the longship Fyr from their workshop in Labège.
The first step is to find an entry point that is open enough and accessible to launch the drakkar. It then takes an hour or even a half for the launch, time to raise the mast and sails and push the boat towards the river. The Fyr is built from the authentic blueprint of a Viking ship, the Skuldelev. The parts are first modeled on a computer before being manufactured in the workshop from pine wood.
After a year of construction, it is twelve meters long and 2.4 meters wide. On June 21, the six crew members were able to navigate from the Saint-Michel bridge to the Daurade. For Arnaud Fossorier, these excursions are a great pleasure: “It was very rewarding, you can really admire the work you have done. Lots of people are also discovering the project, it gives us the strength to continue ”.
A new challenge to New York
The Bátar collective has set itself the goal in 2024 of crossing the Atlantic in a drakkar with New York as its destination. To do this, they are starting a new project this summer on a larger and faster vessel. Unlike the Fyr, the Orkan will be a creation entirely imagined by the members of Bátar, without a Viking Age plan. Made from pine and chestnut wood, it will be 28 meters long, 6 meters wide and requires 1.5 years of construction.
The association is still looking for sponsors to finance this trip. First, funds are needed for the purchase of tools and raw materials. They are also in need of manpower, hence the usefulness of these outings on the Garonne for promotion. A large part of the final budget will be dedicated to security measures to make the trip to New York. In addition to a GPS, the crew of the Orkan will be accompanied by a following boat which can come to the rescue in the event of a severe storm. It will cost at least 750,000 euros because a full second crew has to be recruited. While waiting for this journey, the shipyard should be open to the public in September for those who would like to follow the work closely.
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