Therefore Skipper decided to stay in Sprangereid and let the Sea Stallion participate in the re-opening of the old canal, which makes it possible for smaller vessels to sail inland and not go around Lindesnes.
The canal dates back to year 700. Back then the canal was only 200 metres long beacuse the sea level was seven metres higher than today. This morning Louise from the midship told me, that locals had told her, that a re-opening of the canal had been on the agenda in 'Stortinget' - the Norwegian goverment council - seven times throughout the last hundred years, but not untill today on the 5th of July they suceeded in opening the old Viking canal.
During the Napoleonic wars Danish sailors were used to re-open the canal - according to the locals, the hard work at the canal kept the sailors away from the young Norwegian girls.
The Sea Stallion met ’Dannebrog’ - the Danish Royal ship
Today, Sonja, The Norwegian queen, is re-opening the Sprangereid-canal. She is already on a cruise from Stavanger to Oslo to celebrate her 70th birthday.
The Danish royal ship, ’Dannebrog’, is participating, with both ships arriving in the bay outside Sprangereid around nine this morning.
The Sea Stallion was lying in the bay ready to greet the royals. The first ship to pass the Sea Stallion was the Norwegion royal ship, just behind followed ’Dannebrog’. Prince Henrik stood on the bridge and waved. Queen Magrete stood at the aft.
”You look really good!,” the queen yelled when ’Dannebrog' sailed past the Sea Stallion.
”You too!,” the crew replied. Our skipper then offered to escort the queen and the prince back to the royal ship, if interested.
”Have a safe journey…” the queen called while waving to the crew members.
Queen Magrete Said hello at half past three
While the royal ship was casting its anchor the crew on board the Sea Stallion lowered the sail and rowed with all sixty oars the mouth of the canal, where four royal challups past. Behind them a fleet of traditional boats decorated with flowers and peple dressed in local folk costumes.
The royal families where impressed by the sight and everybody looked curiously upon the thirty metre Viking reconstruction. The Sea Stallion grabbed so much attention that not untill the last moment did Queen Sonja turn to greet the local people standing on the pier.
The norwegian crew members on board the Sea Stallion congratulated their queen who turned 70 yesterday.
While the royal families were having lunch at the nearby Lindesnes lighthouse, the crew ate at Båly harbour. Susanne, Solveig and Vibeke had bought fresh shrimps.
We were told that the queen would visit the Sea Stallion at half past four and meet the skipper and maybe even the crew who had waited patiently since three.
The queen boarded the ship and the Sea Stallion became a royal Viking challup for the day returning her majesty and prince to the royal vessel.
Facts
Opening the Spangereid-canal
The canal re-opens on the 5th of July 2007. Sailing through the canal is free of charge.
Length: 930 metres
Width: 12-20 metres
Debt: 2 metres
Hight of bridges: 4,5 metres
Estimatet cost: 35 mio. Norwegian kroners
A pass way from the Vikign Age
A thousand years after the Viking Age the old canal through Lindesnes is again open for passage. Plans of re-opening the canal at Høllen are old. In 1600 Peder Claussøn Friis wrote about the canal in ’Norriges oc Omliggende Øers Sandfærdige Bescriffuelse’.
He wrote that someone tried to construct a canal here in old ages, but stopped when hitting the bare rock.
Since, the plans of reconstructing the canal has been many - in 1810, during the England war a army officer from Spangereid wrote the king in Copenhagen asking him to reconstruct the canal. According to the army officer the Norwegian ships would, by going through the canal, be safe from English pirates. Traces from earlier diggins are obvious a Spangereid.
In 2001 conservator Frans-Arne Stylegar found new tracesof the old canal. The fidings dates back to year 700, just before the Viking Age where the canal connected the fjords at Lehnes and Nierve. The canal was two metres deb and 12 metres wide.
The find of the canal is unique i Norway and is one of the biggest constructions known from the Norwegian Iron Age. In Denmark theres a canal muck alike on the island of Samsoe dating back to the Iron Age.
