Crowds gathered at Falmouth Watersports Centre on Saturday to witness Tom White launch his replica Viking boat for its maiden voyage, marking the end of a four year project and the beginning of sea trials to test her sailing qualities.

Not a single nail has gone into the 16ft boat, named Nooka, as traditional boat building techniques were used to slot the Viking replica together.

Tom decided not to use traditional materials in his clinker built design, opting for a plywood and epoxy adhesive composite so that he could ensure the boat’s longevity of life.

Tom said: “It has been an inspirational project which enabled me to bring together all the elements learned over years of traditional boat building using contemporary materials. My thanks to many friends who have contributed to what has been an amazing day.”