Alfheimr Renaissance

An older man comes forth and wants to talk. I recognise him but don't know where or when I've seen him before. Which, to be honest, is more common than the opposite. Salgardr turns out to be the man who sold me the Millennium Eagle six months ago. Salgardr just wants to see the ship up close again and the changes I've made. He believes I have truly fulfilled my promise that its name would become known; he has heard many talk about the ship and is very proud to be its builder. So Asta gives him a tour and praises how well the ship handles on the sea and how much she loves sailing the Eagle, and the crew agree. Salgardr is very pleased with Asta's and the crews praise, and that we also love the ship. He like the name and the signs, and tries out a hammock and wishes he had had one during his shipboard life. He has a cog and is a merchant, even though he does not travel with ship any more, and will see to it that his cog is equipped with hammocks. The crew is happy to show him the ship's crane when they are loading, and the compass that Asta removes from its mount and shows always points in the same direction, even when tilted. Spyglass telescope, lanterns, deck prisms and other items are shown and explained, and Asta talks about experiments with asymmetrical spinnakers, different anchors and a few other things we are working on. Of course, he wonders what the antennas are for, but I respond that we can't reveal that, except that they are for sejd and very valuable and useful for a ship, which Asta confirms with intense nodding, and so do Iselin and several others.

Eventually, Salgardr sits on a deck chair and just enjoys the moment and feeling, even though the weather is a bit cold and muggy.

We like the Millennium Eagle, and I know there are bigger ships in this world, but they handle many winds poorly, lack cabins, sail slower, are rowed by a hundred men, or are pure cargo ships. Asta is very pleased with how this ship handles both calm and rough weather and the sea, and the average speed, so why not ask Salgardr if he would like to build a similar sister ship for me? Preferably 3 meters longer, and perhaps slightly narrower to hopefully make the ship a little faster without losing too much cargo space. Our priority isn't cargo space. He has proven that he can build good ships, and Asta loves the idea.

I haven't tested my ideas for motorisation even on a scale model yet, but I have made plans and want to prepare for a steam engine, as a small auxiliary engine can be very practical on a sailing ship like this. It's not too advanced to design for, and these ships have ballast anyway, so a steam engine and steam boiler are not a complete waste if I install them low down. Fuel takes up space, but the ship is not intended to use the steam engine all the time, and fuel can always be obtained from locations we visit. Sacks or barrels of coal are a common commodity, and firewood even more so. The steam engine will be more like an auxiliary engine to easier navigate in narrow waters, mooring in the wrong wind, and to purify water and provide heat, so there is no huge need for coal or firewood. Of course, the ship will also be prepared for multiple oars, just like the Millennium Eagle is, because it would be foolish to not have that option available, and if you are going to have a few long oars with you anyway, it is hardly a bother to have a few more, and the ship's deck will be longer. Of course people in this culture believe that all ships should have oars. Faering, Knarr, Longship, Cog and the Eagle. Everything can have sails and oars, although small Faerings with just one or two pair or oars often don't have sails. We may not have enough crew to row all the oars, but in an emergency, passengers will help out, and that include me.

So, just like on the model boat, the hull will taper off to a flat surface by about 1 meter in front of the rudder to create an open area and space for a propeller, which will be filled with a wooden plate until the steam engine and propeller are ready. I don't want to make a hole through the hull for a straight shaft between engine and propeller, because I suspect that there may be problems with the stuffing box, and that is also something that cannot be maintained or repaired without pulling the ship ashore. So in this case, it is a better idea to add a set of 90-degree gears in front of the propeller and a shaft up through a stuffing box in the flatter hull section above the propeller and above the waterline, and the shaft is then angled back down to the steam engine via another pair of gears. It takes up extra space, means increased friction, complexity and angled gears, but I still would want a gearbox between engine and propeller. This design is worth it for proper sealing and maintenance, which will certainly be high on an advanced prototype, and both the crew and me will feel far better that there isn't a big hole in the stern more than a meter below the waterline.

The propeller with angled gearbox and shaft should be easy to lift from the inside, and the propeller can then also be lifted out of the water flow so that it does not act as a drag and slow down when not in use. An added bonus is that this design makes it possible to experiment with a vertical pole through the centre of the shaft that can control a propeller with an adjustable propeller blade angle. The pole is then linked to the wheelhouse to a lever or similar device there. Even more complexity, but an adjustable propeller allows the steam engine to run at a fixed higher speed via a centrifugal regulator, and the helmsman can adjust the speed and maybe even reverse without changing the engine speed, as well as try to set the blades in line with the ship when the engine is off to reduce water resistance if for some reason it is not possible to quickly raise and lower the propeller. It becomes a little more problematic if the ship is to have a centrally located wheelhouse, but it is possible to link via shafts etc. It may actually be worth trying to make the propeller rotatable 30 to 110 degrees in each direction to increase manoeuvrability, even if it is only a matter of leaving or mooring at a quay or slowly rotating the ship in confined spaces, as the rudder is only useful if the ship is moving forwards or backwards. If there is a problem with the rudder system, a rotatable propeller can be very valuable, even if it is not turning but have large blades angled along the centre axis and flow direction. A bow thruster might have been nice too, but it is a lot of work and complication for something with limited use. Possibly a smaller, fixed propeller with an angle coupling up to an electric motor at the top and above the waterline. The ships hull can at least be prepared for a future upgrade with a bow thruster, and as long as the shaft does not compromise the strength of the keel, bow or hull integrity, there is no problem.

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

I also want the rudder to be more balanced to make it easier to steer, so that the force from the water flow is not only behind the pivot line. Yes, it complicates the mounting and possibly replacing a damaged rudder, even if the balancing is done at the top, but it should be much nicer to steer and reduce load and shock impact on the steering, thus making the system more reliable.

I talk to Salgardr and Asta and sketch on a slate how I want the hull, rudder, stern castle and wheelhouse to look. There are many things to get right that I have only sketched before and partly discussed with Asta and my sambos, but I will make more detailed drawings and give them to him in a couple of weeks. Salgardr is clearly interested in the idea; both building a new ship that will become famous, but also that it might have a unique system that propels the ship forward via 'sejd', without sails hoisted. The more we talk, the more Salgardr's interest is piqued, and Asta and Iselin loves it. They understand how useful a steam engine can be and Asta really wants it so she can test its possibilities. Just things like ship wheels for steering are new to them, but that means that the tiller can be placed below deck and extend out to both sides behind the angle coupling to the propeller. Ropes or chains can extend forward to the ship wheel. It will be crowded if the propeller is to be lifted high and completely removed, but it will be much easier with this rudder system and a ship's wheel. The ship's wheel provides more space for cabins at deck level, and we can place the ship's wheel so that the helmsman has a good view of the front sector and still get good weather protection inside a centrally located wheelhouse. The ship's wheel also provides better gearing to the rudder, so only one helmsman is needed, and the helmsman will be less fatigued.

With a balanced rudder and similar features, it would be interesting to try equipping the ship with wind steering, but that would make things even more complicated, and it would be better to try that on a small ship first.

Oooh... Can I make an electric autopilot? An electric motor that maintains a compass course via electrical contacts to the compass needle? It is difficult to avoid the current and magnetic field affecting the compass needle, but it might be possible. The same goes for something that steers via wind direction. A combination would be best, so that if the wind completely changes direction or increases or decreases, the autopilot switches off or warns. I will want to install a stronger wind turbine and a larger battery bank, just for future lighting, so some power consumption is a minor problem, and it will be an experimental system anyway.

Since the rudder will not follow the stern up to the deck and then have a long tiller, we can make more room in the back for cabins, and have the ship extend out a little to the sides and behind the rudder. Making a small aft deck with a crane or davits for lowering the ship's boat would also be practical. There could be a corridor through the stern castle with cabins on either side, and perhaps a small combined dining room/meeting room/office that is an extension of the corridor to one side. In terms of terminology, the stern castle will be more of a superstructure, and the balcony will be a small stern deck. Then there should be two funnels, one out on each side, so that we can choose to use the funnel that carries the smoke away from the ship and sails. There will always be fuel on board, so for convenience and to test how well it works, a small stove will be installed that can be used for cooking, heating a well-insulated hot water tank, and heating the cabins, wheelhouse and rear cargo area. It doesn't have to be 20 degrees warm in the cabins in winter as long as there is some heat and the possibility to dry clothes and get hot food. That would be very nice during the winter months.

Salgardr has a boat builder slave who can build using what I call caravel technology, but I don't actually know if we will use that or the here usual partially overlapping one.

However, I would have liked a double hull, which is cork-filled. I don't like sailing, and I am concerned about potential problems and the consequences of these problems, or construction with unforeseen consequences due to lack of knowledge, but there is an import and large market for cork for bottles and the like, and Asta and others have used cork for life jackets for the Millennium Eagle. According to Asta, cork is a bigger market in southern countries, but large trading cities such as Reiekrône and Tulden will have wagon loads, or even boat loads. A rough estimate based on cork testing for life jackets and other stuff gives it an approximately density of 0.2 g/cm³, and that means 2 tonnes of cork have a volume equal to 10 tonnes of water. This equates to 8 tonnes more buoyancy. I don't know how much double hulls with or without cork between contribute to hull strength, resistance to water ingress and actual buoyancy if the worst were to happen, but it should make a big difference and, above all, give us valuable time in the event of a serious problem. Time that may be enough to weather the storm or successfully pump or bail out water that has entered, or dump cargo. The ship will have a built-in bilge pumping system, both manual and steam driven, but double hulls feel like a good idea. The double hull may have problems with condensation or mould even with lots of tar and impregnation, so how good it is in the long run remains to be seen, but it will feel much safer. My bodyguards and sambos love the idea, and Asta and the crew agree that it is definitely worth trying. Salgardr do too.