There were construction crews busy working on the Tunevannet in Sarpsborg before the cardboard ship landed in the water. It’s all about the last and most important detail is measuring the boat.

– This huge Viking ship, the largest in the world made of cardboard, is sailing today, said Guro Elise Berg, head of Olavsfestivalen in Sarpsborg.

The cardboard boat is a copy of the Tuneskipet and the crew took three days to build it, right on the water’s edge.

On Saturday they were going to try to put the ship on the water, but then the wind got too strong. The cabin in the center was blown away and destroyed, and many more were carried away by the wind.

Fun and busy

Øistein Kristiansen, known as “Øistein pencil”, was the initiator and has worked extensively on the boat along with around 20 other cardboard boat builders.

– It’s been a lot of fun, very busy and a little nerve-wracking, he said before the ship launched with him.

He explained that the form and construction were complex and there was pressure on timely completion.

– We built everything together in three days. Then there was weather with rain and wind. The wind nearly destroyed everything on Saturday, he said.

The gang put all the pieces together and started again on Sunday morning. Despite the bad weather, Øistein thought it was fun.

– It’s great fun and the team that works here is very, very good at standing up and working well together, said Øistein before the launch.

Watch a short video of Sunday’s build below:

The winds were also quite strong on Sunday, but the fire department and Red Cross were on hand to make sure everything went well. So the boat was put into the water exactly at 12 o’clock. And the boat floated.

– Absolutely incredible, says Guro Elise Berg about the launch of the Viking cardboard ship.

– We have worked and endured, and we have been restless for a long time, so this is good, he smiles.

Documented

All paperwork to get records approved is now in place. Everything must be documented and submitted to Guinness.

– They have strict documentation requirements, Berg said.

And if you’re wondering how big the cardboard Viking ship was, it was 19.69 meters long, 4.45 meters wide and 40.65 meters in circumference. And that’s a record, once Guinness says okay.