Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Roar Ege rounds Fastnet Rock

Back to the story about Sharp-Tooth-Isle. There are so many beautiful boats to sail. This time - as so often before - I simply logged in to Tradewinds Yacht Club and there she was; I was excited, because I have seen that particular boat many times - in real life. Moored in Roskilde. Sailing in Kattegat.
Back to the roots
It is of course the Roar Ege, aka Skuldelev 3, a viking merchant ship built around 1040 A.D. Beautifully rebuilt from scratch by the Viking ship museum in Roskilde, and now beautifully replicated into SL. I immediately contacted the builder, Linteus Dench and asked for a ride. He responded right away - and next time I logged in, it was time to take Roar Ege down south to the Blake Sea.
Me and Roar Ege rounding the Fastnet Rock in the sunset.
I so wanted to round the Fastnet Rock in Roar Ege; Always thought Captain JP's topbar picture was fantastic. This was my opportunity to take a perfect picture of a historic boat rounding a historic rock. The images are hi-res, so click'em to full screen, lean back and dream a little.
Full speed ahead...
So what's it like sailing Roar Ege? She sails well. Upwind sailing might not be her favourite, but apart from that - it is a pleasure. Easy to handle, nice sounds and the lovely BWind sailing engine for a natural sailing experience. Above I am going south - south-west of the Blake Sea, - after passing the Fastnet Rock. I forgot to note the speed, but from the picture I'd estimate we're close to top speed; The Roskilde site tells me, that's around 8-10 knots.
Have a look at the details.
The boat is full of tiny details, ropes, knots, steering oars and what not; I took a million great pictures and, I'd really like to put them all up here. However, these here will have to do, or the blog will be flooded. Besides, I am off to RL for for some real sailing; What can I say... priorities.
More details
Get a viking ship yourself, and go explore the seas of SL.You can catch a few more pictures of the boat at the Tradewinds blog, if you're hungry for more. I had a great time sailing the Roar Ege, and now I am looking to book a trip in the real thing. Yes, it's possible.

See the amazing view from Fastnet Rock.
Roar Ege is a little too old school for you? Check the Foiling Moth or the Q2m.