Digital Norseman: BCVSP Viking Ship Launch Ceremony Speech

"Let none put faith in the first sown fruit
nor yet in his son too soon;
whim rules the child, and weather the field,
each is open to chance."

Håvamål

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The Unveiling Ceremony

The Launching Ceremony

Sailing "Munin"

BCVSP - Viking Ship Launching Ceremony:

Speech by Tom Kottmeier, Vice-Chair BCVSP

"Then gathered together the gods for counsel,
The holy hosts, and held converse;
To night and new moon their names they gave,
The morning named, and midday also,
Forenoon and evening, to order the year."

Voluspå

... and we of ourselves named one for the kin of men:
our Viking Ship "Munin".

Thus spake Tom:

"Your Excellency Ambassador Havnen, Consuls General, distinguished guests, friends, boat builders, ladies and gentlemen.

I have had the pleasure of being involved with this ship since the time when it was just an idea, and then as the Acting Chairman of the project for the past 6 months.

This is a great day for us: we are on the verge of a wonderful adventure.

Little did I imagine, a bit more than a year ago, that I would be standing here, about to witness the launching of this Viking Ship.

The support that we have received from the community has been tremendously gratifying: we could not have done it without you, and in so many ways, this is your ship!

To those of us who love boats and ships, they are endowed with living characteristics, and the launching of a ship is truly the point at which it is born, and takes on a life of its own: it has been sitting on land, constrained, and gains its life and freedom when it goes into the water for the first time.

I have been in and around boats all my life, and I can truly say that this is one of the most beautiful ships I have ever seen, and I hope you agree with me!

I find it wonderful that a ship that was originally built 1200 years ago can still be so fascinating to us today. But it should perhaps not be so surprising, because it was by far the best ship of its time, and it and its type were the primary reason the Vikings were such a powerful and successful people for over 400 years, travelling all over the known world and even discovering new ones: they did, after all, discover America!

Building the ship has been exciting, challenging, and best of all, great fun! Sailing and rowing it will, I am sure, be even more fun!

But we didn't build it for ourselves: we built it so everyone in Vancouver could join us, and learn how to sail and row a real Viking Ship. So please come down to the Maritime Museum this summer and experience the Viking Ship with us. We hope our ship will become a fixture of the Vancouver watefront, to be enjoyed by many people for years to come.

As I said, building the ship has been fun, but it could not have been built without the skill, energy and dedication of our small gang of volunteers, who you see here dressed in Viking costumes. I ask you for a round of applause for them, they deserve it!

Among our group are 2 great craftsmen who have been our guiding lights. Between them they have built over 300 boats, and they are well-known among the shipbuilders and fishermen on the coast. In many ways, this is their ship, and we owe them a great debt of gratitude: Kris Frostad and Arne Frostad, take a bow!

In concluding, I again invite you to come, see, and experience the Viking Ship of Vancouver.

Thank you."

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Preben's speech | Tom's speech | Marian's speech