Horse and Water Power

Phil and I had a very interesting day out in Skagit County, south of where we live -- it's not every day that you see a Viking ship launch!

Master boatbuilder Jay Smith of Anacortes, Washington, learned to make authentic Viking ships by apprenticing in Norway, working in the Faroe Islands, and studying with a master boatbuilder. Today's launch took far longer than I thought it would, but as the first part involved horses, I was glad to be there.

A team of four beautiful Belgian draft horses, each weighing about 2000 pounds/900 kilograms, pulled the ship down to the saltwater boat launch at Bowman Bay, Deception State Park. (See extra photo.) A big pickup truck served as a brake behind the ship, keeping it from running into the horses on the descent to the launch.

I walked the stony beach while final preparations slowly were wrapped up, keeping myself as warm as possible on a wet, cold day, while Phil stayed put in a prime location near the ship. When the golden craft, made of yellow cedar, finally entered the water a cheer went up!

We had a late lunch/early evening meal of panfried fresh oysters, fries (UK chips), salad, and our favorite beverages at The Old Edison on the way home. It felt very good to sit for a while in a warm place!

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