Some drone footage of Harvey Golden’s replica of the oldest surviving traditional Greenland kayak.
The Lubeck kayak has a dark history that was recorded in surprising detail. On August 6th, 1606, at Ikertok (a fjord 20 km south of Sisimuit), Greenlanders in kayaks approached the Danish exploration ship Trost and some were kidnapped, as was common at the time. One kayaker jumped into the sea, another died upon arrival in Europe, and several others escaped in their kayaks, were overtaken by a storm, were found on the Swedish coastline and sent back to Copenhagen, and escaped a second time.
This kayak is listed as being found adrift in 1607 by Lubeck barge masters so it is possible that the paddler perished in the North Sea trying to return home.
Historían Finn Gad estimates that ships from Denmark and Norway and the Netherlands kidnapped about 30 Inuit between 1605 and 1660. Eventually the kidnapping of Greenlanders became illegal. A decree ordered by King Christian the VII of Denmark in 1776 included this provision: “furthermore it was forbidden either ashore or at sea, to steal from the Greenlanders to kidnap them or to use force against them”. The English and the Dutch made similar laws, which were not always adhered to. (Source Kayaks of Greenland, Golden 2006).
The kayak itself is unusual although not unique showing shaping similarities to the much larger labrador kayaks. With it’s deep forefoot and shallow stern it turns effortlessly although it also weathercocks aggressively in the slightest wind. At 18 1/2 inches wide with a rounded bottom and a narrow chime breadth it’s not very stable but didn’t feel particularly tippy either.
The older style paddle is quite short and feels a bit strange. Despite having larger blades it has less power then the narrower paddles developed later.
One of the cool things about filming kayaks with the Skydio drone is being able to watch the wake of different kayaks which may eventually provide useful insights into performance.
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