Canoes and craftmanship

Today, modern people’s pastime is rarely spent on traditional crafts.  Wood carving and canoe sailing are niche skills you obtain by joining a club or as a hobby – unlike before when these skills were considered part of the necessary skill set of maintaining a home or as something sensible to do with your time.

In this class we reconnect with the old handicraft virtues, and we make time to immerse ourselves in the joys of craftmanship and sailing – finding our inspiration in the thrilling tales of Nordic adventurers.

During the cold months of the semester we will spend our time in the wood workshop enjoying the scent of fresh wood and the soothing sound of the plane shaping our paddles. Using different tools, we will explore the noble craft of wood carving as we reveal the canoe paddles that hide within the pinewood logs. We will work hard using axes and saws and fine-tune the details using knives, planes and sand paper.

When the warmer weather allows for outdoor activities, we will venture out onto local waters practicing sailing techniques, navigation, capsize recovery techniques, rescues, safety and outing skills.

This subject is taught in Danish. However, relevant translation will be provided for international students.