In the message "Ahhhhh...my favorite topic" it´s said that no oak good enough for building a longship is to be found in Scandinavia today. I don´t know where Culann Brigantes lives, but I live in the heart of Sweden, and there is a lot of oak just perfect for building ships, even a longship. In fact I have two of them in my garden, and a friend of mine have participaited in the building of a longship built out of local oak in Stockholm.

I also have a question; I have come across two different views regarding the ability for a viking ship (with a square sail) to sail towards the wind. One says that they did so very well, and one says that it is nearly impossible. From what I know from sailing it should be impossible without a venezian triangle sail. Does anyone have a clue?

//Rodger Wuffing