#24: Sailing and Maintaining Viking Longships

What does it actually take to sail and maintain a Viking longship?In this episode of Exploring the Viking Age with Grimfrost, we sit down in the longhouse with our own shipwright and captain, Erik “Tullock.” A trained traditional boat builder who grew up in the harbor, he shares how he went from medieval markets to commanding 17-meter Viking ships.We dive into:• How Scandinavian boatbuilding traditions still mirror Viking Age methods• Why flexibility matters more than brute strength in a wooden hull• Oak vs pine, copper rivets, and selecting timber straight from the forest• The reality of sailing a square sail versus modern rigs• Minimum crew requirements for rowing and sailing• Captain responsibilities, crew coordination, and real risks at sea• Winter maintenance, tar, linseed oil, and preparing ships for launchSubscribe to stay updated! Also available on all platforms where podcasts are found, such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and more. Find all the links in our linktree: https://linktr.ee/grimfrost