Building a Viking Ship in Maine

In 1996, professional photographer Paul Cunningham made the long drive down a narrow peninsula and onto Hermit Island in Phippsburg, Maine, to the boatshop of Rob Stevens to record the building of a Viking knarr later christened Snorri. Throughout the seven-month process, Cunningham revisited the site many times, curiosity having gotten the better of him. Many people were bitten by the same bug. So many, in fact, that Stevens had to post a "sorry, but we do not have time to talk" sign so that Snorri would be finished on schedule. But a picture says a thousand words, and Cunningham's photos, taken with decades of journalism experience, say volumes about the ingenuity, skill and patience of a small band of boat builders who, out of wood and iron, created a sea-worthy vessel, the likes of which had not been seen in the light of day for a thousand years. About the author: Paul T. Cunningham grew up in Freeport, Maine. He earned a degree in Secondary Science Education at University of Southern Maine (Gorham State College). Subsequently, for nearly a decade, he taught elementary science in Gardiner, Maine. Paul's love of photography led him away from the classroom. His first photographic job was with The Shopping Notes during the late 1980s. In 1990 Cunningham began his career as photojournalist at The Times Record and retired from there in 2008. Now Paul freelances, and volunteers with Freeport Fire and Rescue and the Freeport Historical Society. The balance of his time is spent organizing the fruits of two decades of photography.