Leif statue's return goes more smoothly than his exit

This time, Leif gave them no trouble.

He looked positively resplendent on Thursday in his new lacquered and waxed coat. He looked very avant-garde in his refurbished greenish-brown tint.

At about noon, the 9,500-pound bronze statue of Leif Erikson, a Ballard icon for 45 years, allowed itself to be gently hoisted by a crane.

Sword at his hip, battle ax in his hand, Leif was placed and bolted atop his new perch at the Shilshole Bay Marina. He's now about 200 feet north of his previous location, as part of the marina's renovation.

This was in marked contrast to late February when, for four days, the statue refused to be moved even when a rotohammer pounded at its base, and a crane used 20,000 pounds of force to try to pull it up.

It turned out that cement had been poured into the statue's hollow legs, and it had set hard against the base.

On Thursday, Leif brought smiles to the dozen and a half fans who showed up, many of them older Scandinavian Americans. Leif Erikson was the Viking many believe was the first European to reach America, 500 years before Columbus.

Trygve Bjorndal, 76, a retired fisherman and carpenter, was there with his accordion and played Norwegian waltzes and polkas. He emigrated in 1954 from Bergen, Norway.

"Here, we can look at something that reminds us of where we came from," said Bjorndal.

Some of the curious who came Thursday noticed the statue now faces north, instead of west toward the water, as before.

Kristine Leander, president of the Leif Erikson International Foundation (LEIF), said the new location the port had provided for the statue was oval and it made more sense to have the statue face lengthwise.

Also, it is surrounded by 13 large rectangular stones that have been placed lengthwise to outline a Viking ship, a traditional memorial during Viking times.

The official unveiling of the statue will take place at 3 p.m. Oct. 7, which is Scandinavian Heritage Day.

Erik Lacitis: 206-464-2237 or elacitis@seattletimes.com