If at first you don't succeed, try, try again! The Viking 1000 crew learned that lesson well. In 1997 they tried to sail the same route the Vikings of old sailed from Greenland to North America nearly 1,000 years ago. They had problems steering their boat, a copy of an ancient Viking ship called a knarr (nahr). The crew had to call off the trip.
But they didn't give up for good! A 10-member crew set sail again on June 28. They used wooden oars to row from a starting point in Greenland to their final stop in Newfoundland, Canada. They also relied on the wind to power their sails.
After 87 days, the crew arrived last week in the same spot in Newfoundland where the Vikings first landed. A crowd in Viking clothes greeted them with Viking treats, such as moose and squid. "This whole thing just teaches patience," says W. Hodding Carter, who led the long, slow voyage.