The 40th anniversary of the trip of the Odin’s Raven is to be marked on Tynwald Day.

The replica Viking longship was sailed by a crew of Manx and Norwegian volunteers from Trondheim in Norway to Peel, arriving on July 5, 1979, to celebrate Tynwald’s millennium year.

The expedition was a private initiative, instigated by businessman Robin Bigland in anticipation of Tynwald’s 1,000th anniversary.

It all started in 1978 when Mr Bigland posted newspaper advertisements asking ’Does the Viking Spirit Live?’

He sought volunteers to help him celebrate Tynwald’s millennium and the island’s Viking connections by sailing the replica longship from Norway to the Isle of Man.

The advertisement received more than 480 responses from around the world. However, only Manx and Norwegian crew members were selected.

Odin’s Raven was hand-built by a family of shipbuilders in Norway.

She is a two-thirds scale replica (50ft by 11ft) of the Gokstad ship, a 9th-century Viking ship found in a burial mound at Gokstad in Sandejford, Norway.

During her construction, the crew members trained to get fitter and stronger as they prepared for their arduous journey.

Through the winter of 1978 the Special Boat Section of the Royal Marines put them through their paces.

They spent a lot of time in the sea naked to get their bodies ’water-fit’ in preparation for the possibility of a capsize.

Living for weeks on an open boat was also something for which they had to prepare well. Setting out from Trondheim on May 27, 1979, and followed by a BBC television crew, Odin’s Raven was sailed by her crew of 16 for about 1,500 miles. The crew experienced warm hospitality on their journey, receiving bottles of whisky as they visited various Scottish islands and gifts from children and shops. The hospitality continued through to her arrival in Peel, where Odin’s Raven was met by an escort of various ships including the frigate HMS Mohawk and welcomed by a crowd of more than 20,000 people.

The 40th anniversary of the voyage will be celebrated at the House of Manannan in Peel on Tynwald Day, the Manx National Day, July 5. Many of the Odin’s Raven’s crew will be there.

President of Tynwald Steve Rodan said: ’We are honoured to be able to share the celebrations of Robin Bigland and his crew on Odin’s Raven, and the story of this journey on Tynwald Day, the 40th anniversary of their journey to commemorate our heritage.

’This year we are proud to be able to commemorate the millennium of Tynwald, and the immense achievements of Manx and Norwegian men who replicated the journey of our ancestors over 1,000 years ago.’

Mr Bigland said: ’Five of our crew are now dead, so this will be our last hurrah. But our longship, Odin’s Raven, will long remain as an enduring symbol of the millennium in 1979 and our abiding links with Norway and our Viking heritage.’

Odin’s Raven is the main display at the House of Mannanan in Peel.