Before joining the United States via the Viking Route in 2027, Orkan the drakkar qualified as fastest.

In late November, the Viking drakkar Orkan is scheduled to leave Sète for a new round of work, departing in June. Members of the Bátar association will sail from Gibraltar to Brest. The voyage to the United States has been postponed by a year.

Quietly, we are getting used to seeing its slender profile along the quay of La République in Sète. Arriving last November from Toulouse via the Canal du Midi and then by sea after a transfer to Port-la-Nouvelle, Orkan, the Viking drakkar, has truly become a fixture in the maritime landscape of the unique island.

Heading to Brest and then to the Nordic countries

His departure will undoubtedly leave a void. However, the 500 members of the association Bátar, who built it in Toulouse, must continue the adventure. Therefore, in mid-June, the 28-meter-long sailboat will definitively leave the maritime canal. “We will head to Gibraltar and then up to Brest,” explains Anne-Laure, one of the core members of the association. “If all goes well, we should then tour the Nordic countries (Norway is being considered). Then, we will return to Brest for the winter.”

Why is the departure a turning point for the members?

The grand departure to the United States on the Vikings’ route, via Iceland and Greenland, planned for this year, has been postponed to next year. The challenge will be significant, as the about thirty crew members on board will aim to break the speed record set by a Danish drakkar a few years ago. The Bátar association believes that Orkan is “the fastest in the world” thanks to its lightweight construction (laminated carbon fiber structure and absence of oars, in particular). The initial tests have been successful.

Work to be done and activities to carry out

In the meantime, the members, supported by locals, will embark on a new round of work by redesigning “spartan” sleeping spaces under the deck, which also need to be waterproofed. At the same time, they are considering activities such as those during the stopover in Sète, where they offered breakfast in the mornings and refreshments in the evenings.