American dies in Viking voyage sinking off Norway
An American woman has tragically died after the replica boat she was aboard capsized in rough seas during an expedition from the Faroe Islands to Norway.
The incident occurred on Tuesday evening, the fourth day of the journey, when the vessel, Naddoddur, encountered trouble, prompting a distress signal. Six people were on board at the time.
Five of the passengers managed to reach an inflatable life raft and were later rescued by helicopter. However, the woman’s body was discovered on Wednesday morning, not far from where the boat had sunk.
Norway’s Sea Rescue Society (NSSR) described the conditions west of the town of Stad as extremely challenging, sharing a video showing the strong winds and high waves. They reported that the waves reached heights of up to 5 meters (16 feet) with winds reaching speeds of up to 40 knots.
Bergur Jacobsen, chairman of the Naddoddur boat club in the Faroe Islands, expressed deep sorrow over the incident. He noted that the 10-meter-long boat had previously undertaken Viking voyages to Iceland, Shetland, and Norway.
“It’s not a Viking boat; it’s a Faroese fishing boat without a motor, but with sails,” he explained, adding that he could not comment further on the accident as a Norwegian investigation team was scheduled to speak with him.
Locals were said to be in shock at what happened. One seaman told the BBC that visitors were keen to go on expeditions with the boat, although he would not have done so himself.
The expedition had been postponed for several days because of bad weather until Saturday.
One of four Swiss nationals on the trip, Andy Fitze, posted a map on social media two days into the voyage showing the boat to the northeast of Shetland.
Before the trip, the Faroese member of the crew, Livar Nysted, said when you were in the middle of a storm “You just try to do the best you can”.
“It’s an open boat. You sleep under the stars and when it’s raining or windy you can feel the elements.”
