Lars Bill, a Danish IT professional turned Viking ship enthusiast, spends six to eight weeks each year sailing aboard the Saga Farmann, a 20-metre-long replica of a 10th-century Viking trading vessel. The ship, built by volunteers using traditional methods, has taken him across Europe, from Norway to Istanbul and beyond, forging new friendships and revealing the generosity of strangers.
Building the Saga Farmann
Bill's involvement with Viking ships began in the 1980s when his brother took him to Roskilde, Denmark, home to five original Viking ships. They volunteered with the Viking Ship Museum of Roskilde to build one of the first replicas. Decades later, after retiring from an IT company, Bill became chair of the Oseberg Viking Heritage Foundation in Tønsberg, Norway, in 2023. The foundation, with volunteer help, started constructing the Saga Farmann in 2014. It is a replica of the Klåstad ship, a trading vessel from AD998 excavated in 1970.
Using only traditional Viking methods, the team chopped wood from forests with axes and built with replica tools. A blacksmith produced thousands of rivets one by one. "It's hard and slow, but we wanted to showcase how they did it," Bill said.
The Voyage to Istanbul
As a cargo ship replica, the Saga Farmann retraced a Viking trading route from Tønsberg to Istanbul, known in Old Norse as Miklagard. The voyage began in April 2023; Bill joined two weeks in and was aboard for about half of the 16-week journey. Comfort was minimal: the crew of about 12 volunteers slept on deck, often in a tent to stay dry. A small cabin existed but quickly became smelly due to seawater bilge causing rot. Crew members served two-week stints, many never having seen the ship before. "They start out as strangers then quickly become close," Bill noted.
Conditions were tough. That spring saw freezing nights, with ice forming on the deck. The crew sailed up the Rhine and down the Danube rivers, following Viking routes. Bill had learned to sail on Viking ships years earlier, but most crew were novices. Viking ships lack a keel, making them prone to drifting. "The ropes are thick and heavy. It's tough work and takes a lot of muscle," he said. "The best part is using techniques from 1,000 years ago, but the Vikings would laugh if they could see our incompetence."
Challenges and Triumphs at Sea
During one hot day, the ship sailed through a lightning storm. Because the boat was wooden, lightning bolts struck the sea instead. "It was amazing seeing lightning all around and feeling rain on our toes," Bill recalled. The water current was fast, making the ship feel as if it was flying. Crossing the Black Sea proved a major challenge. The crew waited for the right conditions and set off from southern Bulgaria at 2am. A big wave breaking into the ship could have sunk it, but the vessel remained remarkably steady. Water entering a Viking ship must be pumped out immediately. The crew sailed almost 24 hours continuously into the Bosphorus Strait toward Istanbul, using a watch system with four-hour sleep rotations. "It wore us out, but, as it was the final stretch, spirits were high," Bill said. Arriving in Istanbul, they saw the full moon over the Bosphorus Bridge. Traveling 2,175 miles (3,500km) across Europe's waterways to Istanbul, as Vikings had done centuries ago, was a moment to celebrate.
Continuing the Journey
While moored in Turkey, the crew decided not to return to the cold Nordics. They kept going, taking two further voyages—one per year—sailing around Croatia, Italy, through France, and to the UK. The boat is stored between trips. After arriving in Croatia on the second trip, they sailed into a small island off the coast, greeted by about 40 small boats. "We had dinner with the mayors of three islands over three days and felt like kings and queens," Bill said. In London, Tower Bridge opened as they passed through with the wind in their sail, and crowds gathered to watch.
"This ship has brought all of us who've crewed it new friendships and showed me how generous people can be," Bill said. He spends six to eight weeks a year on board, managing logistics for the next voyage with his team the rest of the time. "I don't want to bring the ship home until we have to. We're going to keep sailing for as long as we can."
