What could be more gloriously incongruous than sailing on a replica 9th-century Viking longship and sipping whisky on a blustery Autumn day in New York harbor? Here is an updated repost: 

In late October 2018, I was fortunate enough to have been invited by the good folks at Highland Park Whisky to sail for an afternoon on the Draken Harald Hårfagre in New York harbor. At 115′ feet from stem to stern, Draken Harald Hårfagre is the largest Viking ship built in modern times. 

Built in Haugesund in Western Norway, the ship and her crew made an epic crossing of the Atlantic in 2016, following the old Viking route westward. The ship then toured the Great Lakes before traveling down the Hudson to New York, before wintering over at the Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut. In 2018, the ship had finished a 14 harbor East Coast tour from Maine to South Carolina.

While waiting for the launch at North Cove, I ran into Emanuel Person, CEO and Expedition Director. I asked him where the longship might be sailing next season. He said that they were considering the next great adventure and then commented, “we are considering the Northwest Passage” in the next year or two.  That would indeed be an ambitious voyage in a largely open vessel with limited shelter for the crew. 

The sky was overcast and wind brisk as we rode the New York Media Boat launch out to the longship for the second sail of the day. Once aboard we were welcomed by Captain Björn Ahlander and his crew and had the chance to ask questions about sailing a modern 9th-century longship and hear a bit about their voyages.

The blustery weather was perfect for sampling Highland Park single malt whisky, which was delicious. They describe the whisky as the Orkney single malt with a Viking soul. 

But what does Highland Park whisky have to do with a Viking ship and why does their single malt have a Viking soul?  Highland Park is distilled in the Orkney Islands, which were settled over a thousand years ago by Vikings. One-third of all Orkney residents can trace their heritage back to the Vikings. Descendants of the Vikings are distilling the whisky to this day, so an Orkney Island whisky on a Viking longship makes perfect sense. The original Vikings may have been mead drinkers, but I have no doubt that they would have preferred a Highland Park single-malt. 

Here is a short video of the sail.