Because a blog can never have too much viking content

A few days ago, astute readers will recall I had a close encounter with a viking longboat on the highway. There was, of course, no way I could pass a viking longboat cruising down I-35 and not follow up on it. Or rather, obsess over it would be more accurate. After much googling, I'm pleased to say I've located and identified the towed ship:

It's name is Skelmir, which means, I understand, "The Rogue." It's a 22-foot dwarf longboat, but size doesn't detract from its impressive nature. It was, believe it or not, on its way home from Viking Fest held over the weekend in, of all places, Waco. Wonders never cease. It was originally built by some dedicated SCAers up near Austin (that photo really looks like it was taken at Barton Springs Pool), and is now cared for by a group living near San Antonio. The Alamo City group, in addition to touring the state and sailing Skelmir in places you wouldn't normally expect to see a viking longship, is currently hard at work building a full-scale, 40-foot version. A series of email exchanges with "Ivar Runamagi," one of the Skelmir's caretakers, proved illuminating:

We are still working on the 40-footer. Since we all have jobs, and other obligations, we really only work on the boat about one weekend a month. Progress is slow, but we are making some progress. We would like to have it finished for Viking Fest next year, but then we need to get a trailer built to put it on, no small task. If you know of anybody who would like to donate a trailer, we are a non-profit organization.

So there you have it. The vikings building Skelmir's big brother need a bigger trailer to hault it around. If you've got a spare 40-foot trailer handy, or know somebody who does, let's help these barbarians from the north out, what do you say?

Let's just hope they don't decide to go a-viking over NASA way. The rocket boys are ready for 'em.

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