While staff at the Viking Ship Museum are busy planning the route, contacting the authorities and the media, and packing provisions and technical equipment, a team from the crew is at work preparing the Sea Stallion in Dublin Port.
Over the past three weeks, Irish, American and Canadian crew members have been busy painting, tarring, and generally getting the ship completely ready for the long trip back to Denmark.
In collaboration with the port authorities in Dublin, the museum set up the "Sea Stallion Village" inside the fence around the port. Two containers, a small toilet facility, and large, rusty crane barge surround the ship and the small work party. Almost all the equipment for the ship has been collected here, and there has been plenty to do. The ship has been scraped, painted and tarred. The mast, yard, oars, rigging, rudder – everything has been checked and overhauled. It’s a long time since the Sea Stallion looked so good.
Back in public view
Nine more people will arrive in Dublin on Monday. The mast will be raised on Tuesday and the yard and sail will go on board. On Wednesday morning, the Sea Stallion will finally emerge into public view. It will move from Dublin Port up the Liffey to Custom House Quay and be moored close to Sean O'Casey Bridge. The ship will stay there until it sets course for Denmark at 12 noon on 29 June.
But there are still hundreds of things that need packing, fitting and thinking about. So there will be plenty for the small work party to do. And lots to see for the many people who will walk past the ship every day.