For the past three years, archaeologist Greer Jarrett from Lund University in Sweden has been sailing ancient Viking routes in a replica of a Viking Age boat.
What started as a hands-on way to study how the Vikings traveled has led to surprising discoveries—showing that Vikings sailed farther from land than previously believed and used a widespread network of small, forgotten ports along their trade routes.
Jarrett’s study, recently published in the Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, combines firsthand sailing experience, interviews with traditional sailors, and digital reconstructions of the Viking landscape.
His research suggests that Vikings regularly used remote islands and peninsulas as safe stopping points on their journeys, forming a decentralized network of harbors that supported trade and travel between major cities like Trondheim, Bergen, Ribe, and Dublin.
Sailing over 5,000 kilometers on a square-rigged, open clinker boat modeled after Viking ships, Jarrett and his team retraced ancient routes from Trondheim to the Arctic Circle and through the Kattegat and Baltic Seas.
Despite the boat’s lack of a deep keel, it proved stable even in rough waters. Jarrett noted that sailing near land—through fjords with unpredictable underwater currents and powerful downhill mountain winds called katabatic winds—could be just as dangerous as sailing far out at sea.
One of the key breakthroughs came from a mix of practical experience and local knowledge. Jarrett interviewed Norwegian sailors and fishermen who remembered traditional sailing routes used before engines were common.
He combined this information with his own voyages to map out likely Viking routes.
He also identified four new potential Viking harbors along the Norwegian coast, located farther out at sea than the well-known trading centers.
These findings challenge the long-standing assumption that Viking sailors hugged the coastline.
According to Jarrett, the Vikings were capable of navigating much more open waters, and their boats were well-suited for reaching small, shallow inlets that allowed for flexible travel regardless of wind direction.
This ability likely made their trade routes more efficient and allowed for quick stops at many small, informal harbors—what Jarrett calls “havens.”
The Vikings didn’t use maps or compasses. Instead, they relied on memory, stories, and landmarks. Myths linked to coastal features like the islands of Torghatten and Skrova helped seafarers remember dangers or key points of navigation. Jarrett describes this as a “maritime cultural mindscape”—a shared mental map passed down through generations.
Jarrett’s voyages have not been without drama.
A broken sail mast had to be patched using two oars in open sea, and at one point, a whale surfaced just meters from the boat. Yet through these trials, Jarrett gained a deeper appreciation for the importance of teamwork and relationships during long Viking journeys.
His work paints a richer picture of how the Vikings traveled—not just as fearless explorers, but as skilled navigators using complex knowledge and tight-knit crews to cross vast stretches of sea.
Source: Lund University.
