Description

Draken av Fuzavir is a replica longship of the skeid type, based off a sunken wreck found in the mud on the shore of the island of Fuzavir.

It was thought that the original longship was part of a flotilla of around half-a-dozen vessels under the leadership of Norse explorer Erik the Unsteady. Between 1023 and 1025, the small group made its way through the Northwest Passage, often dragging their longships across the ice, eventually arriving in the Diamond Archipelago as the first known settlers to reach the islands. Once there, they established a small settlement on the island of Fuzavir.

The colony that was formed is believed to have lasted for around ten years after the initial arrival, with a small number, around three to five, longships being sent back to Iceland where they originated. However, the settlement on the island of Fuzavir was not a success, with famine taking over as crops failed repeatedly in the harsh sub-Arctic conditions and poor quality soil. Draken av Fuzavir was left abandoned on the shoreline when the last survivors began a return journey, with only one longship being required to carry the last remaining settlers. The islands would then remain uninhabited until their rediscovery by Spanish and Portuguese explorers in the 16th Century.

Draken av Fuzavir herself is a larger longship, known as a skeid, with sixteen benches seating 64 crewmembers, a notably small crew for her size. The original vessel is known to have more, numbering around twenty-five benches, but the modern-day Draken was designed to conform to modern regulations, and as such was not permitted to carry the large crew of her predecessor. As well as her thirty-two oars, she is also equipped with a square-rigged sail to take advantage of prevaling winds, although like all ships of her type she is a very poor sailer against the wind. She was a multipurpose vessel, used by the Nordic people for trade, transport and warfare, and as such is both low and fast, and possesses a high cargo capacity for her size, making her ideal for long-distance voyages.

The modern Draken left the port of Lisbon with a reduced crew of fifty sailors, under close guard by naval icebreaker SWS Belle Sauvage, and sailed northwest to replicate the voyage of her predecessor, first stopping in Iceland and then beginning her journey west, stopping in Newfoundland before progressing through the Northwest Passage. She moored in southern Alaska after a two month voyage, and returned home shortly afterwards, carried home onboard her escorting icebreaker due to excessive wear and tear from the outbound voyage. After repair, she is expected to be placed on permanent display in Reykjavik.

As a heritage vessel, Draken av Fuzavir has been placed on the National Register of Historic Ships, ensuring her permanent preservation for future generations. She will occasionally put to sea on summer excursions, to maintain the skills necessary to sail her.

Controls

YAW to turn.
Use wind settings to keep the wind blowing in the direction you wish to travel. 30mph is the optimum speed for sailing, giving you a good sailing speed of 10mph without pushing the prow too far into the water.
Thanks goes to @BMilan for taking some of these screenshots.

Gallery

Link to SPMW Discord Server.