Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival 2026

Long before the famous voyages of the 15th century, Scandinavian sailors had established a reputation as intrepid navigators and explorers. These seafarers, which today we call Vikings, are most famous for their raids upon the churches and towns of western Europe, but this was only a small part of their adventures across the Atlantic Ocean. Recent research suggests a much wider extent of exploration and settlement than previously thought, with intriguing new evidence appearing across a vast expanse of the northern hemisphere. In this talk I will introduce some of the lesser known aspects of the Viking Age, including their key contributions to maritime technologies, and discuss some ongoing mysteries regarding potential Viking presence in the high Arctic, Spain, and the Azores.