Regardless of difficulties represented by mud and heavy snowfall, our building site in Sandefjord is finding its shape, much due to great effort by our local volunteers.
“They are doing a fantastic job under the circumstances,” says work leader in Sandefjord Tore Forsberg. Due to difficult ground conditions, they´ve had to build new foundations for the work shed and Viking workhouse (grindbygg). Planks for the new Gokstad ship are to be produced in Sandefjord, before being shipped by old Gokstad copy Gaia to the Viking Shipyard in Tonsberg. There the new Gokstad ship is to be assembled during the next five to six years.
Sawmill owner Hans Dybdahl is a great help, and a very reluctant writer of bills, according to Tore. So to all our helpers in Sandefjord: Thank you!
Volunteers Tore Forsberg (to the left) and John Holt at work in Sandefjord. Foundations for the Viking workhouse (grindbygg) are in place. From log to shields: Volunteers Colin Lie (to the left) and Knut Terje Ellefsen have split a log before shaping the parts into Viking shields. We are to copy all 64 shields found on board the original Gokstad ship.