Shetland Sixern
The Shetland Sixern (German: Shetland six-belt), also Sixareen, is a small British fishing sailboat type .
history
The boat type was used for sea fishing in the Shetland Islands . It was first used in the first half of the 19th century. At the beginning, complete kits of boats were imported to the Shetland Islands from Norway, which is where the name comes from ( Seksring means "six belts" in Norwegian). From the middle of the 19th century, due to higher import duties, only the fir wood needed was imported and the boats were built themselves. By the end of the century, the boat type had largely been replaced by more modern boats. The original boats have not survived, the replica Far Haaf from the 1980s was destroyed in bad weather, another replica still exists.
Construction
The open and relatively slim boats are reminiscent of the construction of long boats , but have numerous peculiarities, such as iron fittings. The clinker- built wooden hull of the work gliders is pointed fore and aft. The "main drive source" are the six eponymous belts that are operated by the normally six-man crew. Due to the single bit forward of the center-mounted mast with lugsail the boats have no bowsprit or other overhangs. A tiller handle is used for steering.
Inside, the boat is divided into six departments by the throws , each of which has specific tasks assigned to it.
Because of their design, the boats were not enclosed in bad weather at sea , but could only weather the sea with the stern, some were driven to the Norwegian coast in long westerly wind phases. Numerous boats and their crews went down during the period of use.
literature
- Bathe, BW: Ship Models, 3: British Small Craft . Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London 1965.
Web links
- The Shetland Museum report (English)