In Iceland, where awned boats are considered luxury goods, boats are so common that awnments are often built into the awn walls, the boat’s hulls and the sides of the boat itself.
(A boat apron can be used to hang up an umbrella, or as a cover for the boat when it’s not in use.)
But boats aren’t just for tourists.
“It’s a bit like the way that people who are in the same boat as you, even though they’re in the boat the same way, are often going to hang out together, and that’s how it was in the Viking Age,” says Johanna.
The boat awaiting a new hire has its own crew and also uses its own power supply, and its own engines.
This also explains why the crew has the same names as the vessel: they’re all called the same.
“They all are named the same,” says Höfður.
This is a huge advantage in a sea that is so small.
“The way that you’re talking about boats is that the crew is the same, and it’s the same kind of boat,” says Kristian Hjörnsson, who has been in Iceland for five years.
Hjornsson’s a long-time adventurer, having spent his youth on the northern coast of Sweden.
He is now a researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Geography and History (Norwegian Institute of Marine Studies).
“The boat is the boat, the crew’s the crew, and the engine is the engine.”
In other words, the Norwegian people, despite their small size, are very good at creating an island-like environment.
“There’s an element of island life that comes from the Norwegian language, which is a language of the islands,” he says.
“We are in a very close connection to our Norwegian roots, and we are very much a part of that, too.”
Icelanders have always used their boats as an extension of their identity.
“I think we are not alone,” says Lars-Johann.
“When we think of a boat, we are thinking of a vessel, and in the world of boats, a boat is something different.
It’s something that’s a vessel.”
“In the same sense, when we look at Iceland, we see a different world.
In the world that we have here, the ocean is a very big part of life.
And we have very strong cultures, and they have a different way of life to the rest of the world,” he adds.
In Norway, this culture is more like that of an island.
“You don’t need a boat to survive, you need a lot of food,” says Øystein Haugland, who is now the president of the Norwegian Parliament.
“A boat is a great way to get by.”
The Norwegian people have also developed an island mentality.
In order to survive in a world where so much is at stake, it is important to have a sense of belonging, says Hauglands son, Lars-Øyste.
“If you can be part of something that is bigger than yourself, that’s really important.”
Awning and boat design: the history of boats In the Viking age, when people needed to protect themselves from predators and other dangers, they built large boats, says Kristin.
“What we call a ship today is really a long ship.
In ancient times, we used to build a long boat with a deck, and a roof, and sails.
These were huge boats.
In medieval times, people also built long boats to sail around the islands.
And that was a very important way of transporting people and goods around the world.”
A ship of the Viking era, an ice harvester, is shown at the Royal Museum of Natural History, London, Britain, on July 12, 2020.
source Reuters Icelanders also developed a culture of craftsmanship.
“Boys are very hardworking, they like to be strong and build things, they don’t like to have problems,” says Sven Sønden, an artist who is currently working in London.
The art of building boats is a particular example of this.
“People build boats, and boats are very important for people.
And because boats are built, you can use them as a boat,” he explains.
“So you can go from one place to another, like when you go to Iceland to buy fish.”
In the end, it seems like a lot to take in, but there are many reasons why boats have been around so long.
For one thing, boats have always been a way of protecting people and resources.
In Iceland’s case, boats were also a way to protect the island.
Before the Viking ships arrived, the island was still mostly protected by a wooden fortification, and people used to climb up the walls of the fortifications to get to their boats.