Descendants of Jóhann Elíasson Straumfjörð, who sailed from Iceland to Canada in 1874 with hundreds of Icelanders that went on to settle in Manitoba, are now organising a voyage back to Iceland in the spring and summer of 2013.
Expedition leaders Jóhann Sigurðson and David Collette call their voyage “Fara heim,” which means “Go home,” and intend to retrace their Viking ancestors’ journey based on historical data and clues.
“Their dream has been to experience the adventure of sailing back to Iceland based on the uncharted waters of history which states that the Nordic people did enter North America through Hudson’s Bay and into the heart of North America. Such a voyage was possible one thousand years ago; such a voyage is possible today,” their press release states.
To encourage as many people as possible to participate, the ship will be docked on Lake Winnipeg next summer before being transported to Churchill, where the two-month long voyage will begin.
Jóhann and David welcome people to join them for portions of the journey, which can also be experienced virtually at www.faraheim.com.
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