Shaped by Northwest timber as old as the Viking Age, the handcrafted Valkyrie is bringing Norse history to life on the Salish Sea this summer.
La Conner’s David Knudsen spent 13 years building the 56-foot replica of Skuldelev 6, an ancient Danish Viking ship, using traditional tools and local materials — a promise fulfilled to his late Danish father.
The Valkyrie is a true Knudsen family affair, he said. Knudsen’s wife, Cynthia, painted the shields, head, and tail. Their youngest son, Gerd, returned from Norway to help finish the build. Their oldest son, Erik, now captains the ship. Even the grandkids joined in.
The ship passed under Deception Pass on July 25 and is making stops in Coupeville, Anacortes, Ballard, Poulsbo, the San Juans — and possibly Roche Harbor and Point Roberts.
“If it could bring people together, just the experience of imagining being on a Viking ship a thousand years ago … that’s the mission with this vessel,” said shipwright and volunteer Jay Smith.
Built the Viking way
Smith, owner of Aspøya Boats on Fidalgo Island, was one of about 15 volunteers who worked on the ship with the assistance of master carpenter, Spencer West. Smith’s passion for boatbuilding began on a college trip to Norway.
“It was like stepping back in time 150 years,” he said of visiting his relatives’ fjord-side boatyard. “It struck me, and it wouldn’t leave me alone.”
The Valkyrie was built using natural-grown timbers, riveted planking, wooden trunnels, and traditional finishes like pine tar and linseed oil.
“When people get on board, they should not see any drywall screws or galvanized nails … they should just see exactly what a Viking would have seen 1,000 years ago,” Smith said.
Building Valkyrie presented unique challenges. According to Smith, every piece of the ship was sourced locally and constructed with the help of Skagit County artisans.
“The process required me to solve issues with the expertise at hand here in the county, which I think is fabulous,” he said.
More than a voyage
When the ship arrived at Coupeville, Knudsen said 50 people were standing on the dock waiting to see it come in. The same happened in Poulsbo.
“It just brings people together,” Knudsen said. “It’s something that people can connect to and have a shared experience.”
The Valkyrie offers self-guided dockside tours, as well as harbor cruises and sailing trips. For more information or to reserve a voyage, visit northwestvikingship.com.
Staci Baird is the managing editor of La Conner Community News.
