For 250 years, the Vikings sailed the oceans of the world. Their exploits are legendary; they reached far into Russia, sailed the Mediterranean from one end to the other, and crossed the Atlantic to Iceland, Greenland and North America. Few cities, even those far from the coastline, were safe from them. But it was not all raiding; they were also settlers and explorers. Leiv Ericsson had paved the way to North America; others followed. In 1030, Einar Sigvaldsson and his crew departed Norway, their plan to win gold riches in the land far off to the west.