Vikings tall ship won’t reach Duluth

Published 10:55 am Friday, August 5, 2016

DULUTH — The replica Norwegian Viking ship won’t make it any farther than Green Bay, Wisconsin, this summer. The ship was to be part of Tall Ships Duluth later this month. But, Draken Harald Harfagre said it has been unable to raise the money needed to complete the expedition in Duluth.

After this weekend’s event in Green Bay, the ship will leave the Great Lakes.

The organization behind the expedition, Viking Kings, discovered after they reached the Great Lakes that they were not exempt from a requirement to hire U.S. pilots as they had originally believed. The U.S. Coast Guard said it lacked the authority to waive the fees.

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Despite fundraising efforts and a reduced fee, Viking Kings said it wasn’t able to come up with the $250,000 needed to complete the Great Lakes journey.