It’s one thing to read about Leif Erikson’s epic journey from Greenland to North America in the 10th century as a child; it’s quite another to build a replica Viking cargo ship and attempt the same journey as an adult.

But that’s exactly what W. Hodding Carter and his team did in 1997, making them the first crew in history to authentically follow in Leif Erikson’s footsteps. In reality, that meant sailing over 3,000km in a wooden boat with no heating, no shelter, and in brutal conditions.

In this bonus episode of By Their Own Compass, we chat to the man himself about why he did it, how well his replica Viking clothing held up in freezing, stormy seas, and why you shouldn’t eat abandoned whale blubber.

By retracing the intrepid Norse explorer’s route using the same equipment, Carter also stumbled across several fascinating insights about what he thinks really happened, and why some items the Vikings had – in particular sun stones to help navigate through the fog – remain a complete mystery today.

*You can buy A Viking Voyage by W. Hodding Carter at all good booksellers

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