innovation in times of crisis. the western limfjord: sjægts and danish seine
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VAN DAMME Thomas (320652)
1st Year MA in Maritime Archaeology
Academic Year 2012-2013
Innovation in Times of Crisis
----
the Western Limfjord:
Sjægts and Danish Seine
Introduction to Methods in Maritime Archaeology
Course Instructor: Jens Auer
University of Southern Denmark
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 2
2. Historical and Geographical Background .......................................................................... 3
3. The Sjægt ....................................................................................................................................... 5
3.1. The First Sjægts ........................................................................................................................... 5
3.2. General Characteristics ................................................................................................................ 6
3.3. “Top-End Functional Design” ..................................................................................................... 8
3.3.1. Fishing ................................................................................................................................... 8
3.3.2. Avoiding Fines ...................................................................................................................... 9
3.3.3. Racing ................................................................................................................................... 9
3.4. The Last Sjægts .......................................................................................................................... 10
4. Case Study ................................................................................................................................... 12
4.1. History........................................................................................................................................ 12
4.2. Description ................................................................................................................................. 13
4.2.1. Overall Shape and Dimensions ........................................................................................... 13
4.2.2. Specific Features ................................................................................................................. 13
4.2.3. State of Preservation ........................................................................................................... 20
4.3. Recording Methodology ............................................................................................................ 21
4.3.1. Initial Recording ................................................................................................................. 21
4.3.2. Post-Processing ................................................................................................................... 22
5. Danish Seine ............................................................................................................................... 23
5.1. History........................................................................................................................................ 23
5.2. Technique ................................................................................................................................... 24
6. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 26
7. References ................................................................................................................................... 27
8. Annexes ........................................................................................................................................ 29
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1. Introduction
As students of the Maritime Archaeology Programme at the University of Southern Denmark,
my team and I were asked to record a boat at the local Fisheries and Seafaring Museum in
Esbjerg. This paper, which presents the results of that endeavor, will serve as the final project
for our “Introduction to Methods in Maritime Archaeology” course.
The vessel we were to record was a sjægt, an early 20th century fishing boat from Sillerslev
on the island of Mors, northern Jutland. While researching its historical background, what
grasped my attention most was that this vessel type was introduced very shortly after a crisis
hit our study region, the western Limfjord. It was as if these boats had been introduced as a
‘response’ to difficult circumstances. Within years of the sjægt’s appearance, another
significant innovation – the invention of Danish seine fishing – occurred within that same
area. In this paper the study of our specific sjægt will therefore figure mainly as a case study
within this much larger framework of crisis and innovation at the western Limfjord.
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2. Historical and Geographical Background
While in Danish the term ‘fjord’ may indicate any long narrow inlet of water, the Limfjord is
not actually a fjord in the strict English sense of the word. Open to the North Sea in the west
and to the Kattegat in the east, the Limfjord separates the island of Vendsyssel-Thy from the
rest of Jutland, and can therefore be more accurately described as a channel. However this
was not always the case; from ca. 1100 to 1825 the connection to the North Sea was closed
off by the Agger Tange, a narrow sand isthmus of shifting proportions. The resulting brackish
water in the western Limfjord created an environment abounding in shallow water vegetation
and hence exceptionally rich in fish. Calm waters and ample fishing grounds close to shore
allowed for easy sustenance with elementary fishing methods requiring only simple boats and
tools (Nielsen, 2008; Pedersen, 1976, pp.5–6).
All this changed in 1825 when a violent storm flood breached the Agger Tange. As
subsequent floods broadened the initial breach, the Agger Channel eventually formed (Image
1). The direct consequences for the local fishing communities were twofold. Firstly the
salinity of the western Limfjord increased drastically, and the rich brackish water fish stocks
were replaced by saltwater species such as codfish, Atlantic herring and European plaice
(Image 2). These fish had to be caught in open waters, further from shore and with heavier
gear. Secondly the previously calm waters of the closed western fjord were now subject to
heavy currents. The water was particularly wild when the tide was going out (westwards) and
the wind was blowing east (as is the prevalent wind direction in Denmark). Boats that were
common in the western Limfjord in that period, such as the flat-bottomed pram, could not
Image 1: A map of the western Limfjord in 1801, compared to a modern satellite image of the same region.
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cope in such taxing conditions. Times were tough for the local fishermen and widespread
poverty soon ensued (Nielsen, 2008; Pedersen, 1976, pp.6–7).
It is in response to these arduous circumstances that two important innovations are believed
to have taken place in the western Limfjord: the introduction of the first sjægts and the
invention of snurrevoddet fishing, better known as Danish seine (Pedersen, 1976, pp.14–17).
Image 2: Atlantic codfish (top), Atlantic herring (bottom) and European plaice (right) – the new saltwater species of the
western Limfjord. The images are not scaled in correspondence to actual fish size.
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Image 3: “Lilly”, a sjaegt built in 1902.
It’s arrangement plan can be viewed in
Annex 1 on page 30.
3. The Sjægt
In this chapter I will first attempt to outline two different theories
concerning the sjægt’s origin and the year of its initial
introduction into the western Limfjord. Next I will describe
the sjægt’s general characteristics and discuss how these
enhanced (or obstructed) the vessel’s functionality.
Finally I will shortly portray the circumstances
surrounding the sjægt’s eventual replacement by
larger, mechanized fishing craft.
3.1. The First Sjægts
Although there is no clear documentary evidence from the period itself, later accounts claim
that the first sjægts were introduced in the western Limfjord in the 1840s. The first known
written mention of the term ‘sjægt’ dates to 1859. The vessel’s origin is obscure but the most
prevalent, accepted theory is currently that they were introduced from southern Norway. This
hypothesis is based on etymological and design similarities between sjægts and south
Norwegian boats, and on the fact that trade relations existed between the western Limfjord
and southern Norway (Nielsen, 2008; Pedersen, 1976, pp.14–19).
Nevertheless, it is important to emphasize that both the date of the sjægt’s introduction and its
region of origin are still very debatable. Ole Kjærgaard for instance has deservedly remarked
on the strange absence of visual representations of sjægts before ca. 1900. In the latter half of
the 19th century two artists, Hans Smidth and Rasmus Kruse, both made various drawings and
paintings of boats in the Limfjord
(Image 4). However, while sjægts
were supposedly so typical of the
(western) Limfjord and while both
artists were known for their
realistic style, none of their
illustrations represent what we
would today call a sjægt. Likewise,
photographs of sjægts are only Image 4: A 19th
century Limfjord fishing vessel, drawn by Hans Smidth.
The drawing clearly does not represent a sjægt.
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available from about 1900 onwards. He therefore theorizes that while the term ‘sjægt’ may
etymologically originate from Norway, the word was simply used to designate a type of local
Danish watercraft. Only later, perhaps at the turn of the 20th century, the vessels that we today
call sjægts would then have developed locally from the widely used sprit-sailed double-ended
‘jolle’ (dinghy) (Nielsen, 2008). Two personal observations seem to reinforce Kjærgaard’s
theory: a) Nørgaard Pedersen, in his 100-pages-long book “Limfjordssjægten” (Pedersen,
1976), can only provide names and dates for sjægts of the early 20th century and b) the “sjægt
register” of the Limfjord Museum in Løgstør (Limfjordsmuseet, n.d.) similarly doesn’t
contain any vessels older than 1900.
Whether this seeming absence of proof for 19th century sjægts is also ‘proof of absence’ is a
discussion beyond the scope of this short paper. Therefore, while it is clear that Kjærgaard’s
hypothesis deserves renewed attention, let us for now continue under the assumption that the
mainstream theory is correct, and that sjægts were first introduced in the Limfjord in the
1840’s.
3.2. General Characteristics
In this section I will describe only the main characteristics of sjægts in general – for a more
detailed account of a sjægt’s features, please read the case study in chapter 4. Alternatively,
for a wide range of examples of traditional sjægts, consult the various arrangement plans in
Annex 1, page 30-31.
As a boat type the Limfjordssjægt or simply sjægt1 (sometimes translated to English as
‘skiff’)2 belongs to the family of the Kragejoller, a group of clinker-built, long-keeled,
double-ended vessels constructed mainly out of oak and pine. While various boat builders
added their own recognizable features to their sjægts, the vessels’ general designs show
remarkable uniformity (Pedersen, 1976, pp.9, 36).
Sjægts could vary in overall length from 14 to 22 feet (4.3 to 6.7 meters) but most were either
18 or 21 feet (5.5 or 6.4 meters). Sjægts’ keels, which accounted for ca. 66% of the boat’s
1 Interestingly the term ‘sjægt’ is the only boat-designating-suffix in Denmark that is used exclusively to
describe one boat type. All other boat designators such as -jolle, -både or -smakke must necessarily be preceded
by a place name in order to understand which boat type is implied (Pedersen, 1976, pp.9–10). 2 I have refrained from using the term ‘skiff’ in this paper since it can be used to describe various vessel types.
The term ‘sjægt’ is less ambiguous.
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length, were straight. Their stems and sterns were curved and relatively low, as a result of
which the vessels appeared to lie low in the water. The strakes were narrow and the hull
consisted of seven or eight of them on each side. The earliest sjægts didn’t have a deck but all
later sjægts had a ‘ring deck’ which covered the fore, aft and sides of the boat, but was open
in a large oval amidships. Sjægts were equipped with thwarts for seating and with a bulkhead
in the head of the vessel for storage. Another typical feature was the livewell, located
amidships in the interior of the boat, which was used to keep fish alive and fresh during
fishing. All sjægts were painted, usually white on the freeboard and with pitch below the
waterline. The colors of the deck planking and the inside of the boats were more variable,
depending mostly on personal preferences (Pedersen, 1976, pp.20–22, 26–27).
As for propulsion, sjægts formed an excellent
compromise between sailing and rowing vessels.
Fully rigged they were equipped with a square
mainsail, a triangular topsail and a wide jib
(Image 5). Together these sails covered about
16.5 m² in an 18-foot boat and 19.5 m² in a 21-
foot boat – a large sail area in comparison to the
ballast these vessels carried. A stern-mounted
rudder was used for steering and this ensemble
was ideal for covering large distances.
Alternatively, when more stability and/or
maneuverability was required, for instance while
fishing, the mast and rudder could be removed
and stowed, and oars were used instead
(Pedersen, 1976, pp.23–25, 31–35).
In the 1890s a fisherman wishing to buy a new 18-foot sjægt would have to pay around 225
kroner. In comparison, he could sell eighty plaice for about 2 kroner. While relatively
expensive, the vessels were a necessary investment in order to face the new, taxing conditions
of the western Limfjord (Nielsen, 2008).
Image 5: The sjægt “Norden”, fully rigged.
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3.3. “Top-End Functional Design”
Perhaps sjægts’ designs were so uniform across the western Limfjord because boat builders
did not want to risk altering a tried and proven formula. After all, sjægts soon turned out to be
ideal vessels for coping with the new challenges local fishermen had to face. Nørgaard
Pedersen goes so far as to state that the sjægt’s shape was the “perfect form” and that sjægts
represented “top-end functional design” (Pedersen, 1976, pp.11–12, 40). By modern
standards this may, however, be an overstatement, as I will discuss in chapter 3.4.
The activities during which the sjægt’s functionality most stood out were fishing, racing and
the evasion of fishery control fines. For these three purposes the sjægt was most coveted and
respected in the western Limfjord. They will be discussed in more detail below. However,
sjægts were used for a host of other activities as well, including for social visits to friends and
family and for the carrying of cargoes up to 1200 kg (Pedersen, 1976, p.11).
3.3.1. Fishing
The sjægt’s primary function was of course as a fishing vessel. In their heyday one sjægt was
responsible for the livelihoods of two or three families. Their seaworthiness and good sailing
qualities made them ideal for the more turbulent waters in the western Limfjord after the
breach of the Agger Tange. High rigging and big sails combined with little ballast allowed for
great speed. This gave the fishermen easy access to better fishing grounds further from shore,
where the new saltwater species were more plentiful (Pedersen, 1976, pp.10–12). Once the
fishing spot was reached, the sjægt had to function as a working platform. With its removable
mast stowed, this relatively small vessel could provide ample room for the two to three men
manning it. Depending on the fishing technique employed, the mast could be stored
differently: when using Danish seine (see chapter 5) it was stowed protruding beyond the
foredeck to keep the stern clear, when fishing with a longline or net it was stored aft to keep
the bow clear (Pedersen, 1976, pp.25–26). The catch was kept in the livewell, which was
continuously supplied with fresh water through slits in the boat’s hull. When the day’s fishing
was done the boat was rigged once again and sailed back to shore. Finally the boat could be
pulled up on one of the many protected beaches around the fjord for mooring (Pedersen,
1976, p.29).
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3.3.2. Avoiding Fines
While a sjægt’s speed was great for reaching faraway fishing grounds, what truly made it
popular with the local fishermen was the fact that it allowed them to escape fines from the
fishery control. The Limfjord was one of the first regions in Denmark to receive extensive
regulations regarding fishing practice. Early laws regulated minimum fish size, restricted
certain fishing techniques to particular villages or seasons and prohibited fishing in zones
with breeding grounds. Of course these rules were implemented to protect the general interest
and to avoid the depletion of stocks, but – as the “tragedy of the commons” dictates –
breaking the rules could grant individual fishermen a much-needed advantage. Therefore, in
1857, a policing task force was established to ensure that these fishing laws were being
abided by. Fishermen caught breaking the rules were subjected to fines, confiscation of goods
or even imprisonment (Pedersen, 1976, pp.72, 74).
Control vessels were built specifically to outrun other
boats, but sjægts with a sufficiently large head start had
enough speed and therefore time to get rid of
incriminating evidence. If the fishermen were lucky they
could reach land and hide undersized fish or forbidden
equipment, such as nets with small mesh sizes.
Alternatively, if they could not reach the shore in time,
they could simply throw small fish overboard and then
discretely drop their illegal nets into the water, stretching them out over a long span of
seabed. After being controlled they could attempt to recover the nets by means of hooks
dragging along the fjord floor (Pedersen, 1976, pp.74–75).
A clever warning system was in place to alert fishermen of inspections: flags, sometimes
mounted on windmills, were used to indicate the presence and direction of approaching
control boats. This alert network included not only fishermen but also boat builders, sail
makers, fish merchants and other sympathizers who depended upon the fishermen’s
economic wellbeing for their own livelihoods (Pedersen, 1976, p.73).
3.3.3. Racing
Thanks to the sjægt’s excellent sailing qualities, when two or more fishing crews encountered
each other on their way home a friendly race would often ensue (Pedersen, 1976, p.57).
Image 6: The famous control vessel
“Ægir” operated in the fjord ca. 1883.
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These tests of personal skill eventually developed into real regattas. The first such arranged
race probably took place in 1895 outside the town of Struer, from where the event’s
popularity quickly spread to other towns. With up to 75 participating vessels and 4000 to
5000 visitors the regattas soon became the largest social gatherings of the year. Races were
divided into various categories depending on boat size and sails used (fully rigged or without
jib). Afterwards winners in each category were awarded prizes by the local merchants. These
awards could consist of money, of honorary mentions in local newspapers, of luxury products
such as silver watches or a box of cigars, or of utilitarian objects such as ropes, oil jackets,
Icelandic sweaters or long boots. While the races themselves were the main attraction, they
were usually accompanied by fairs of merchants and entertainers. The last traditional sjægt
races were held in 1913 (Nielsen, 2008; Pedersen, 1976, pp.61–66).
3.4. The Last Sjægts
While sjægts were a lot more suited to the new conditions in the western Limfjord than their
local predecessors, such as prams, they certainly couldn’t match the seaworthiness of modern
vessels. The sjægt’s weak point was its low freeboard. The boats were good for the relatively
wild, yet sheltered waters of the western Limfjord, but they would soon take on water in the
Image 7: Four sjægts from Sillerslev are anchored at Sallingsund, waiting for their race to start. Picture taken ca. 1905.
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harsher conditions of the North Sea (Pedersen, 1976, pp.35, 52, 78). Even within the
Limfjord multiple accounts exist of sjægts sinking during rough weather due to this weak
feature (Pedersen, 1976, pp.52–54). Additionally, since the vessel’s stern was already so low,
sjægts did not fare well with a stern-mounted engine (though some experimentation did
occur). As motorboats became more and more popular in the years leading up to World War
I, the sjægt gradually lost its privileged position. The advance of mechanized vessels slowed
temporarily during the War, but carried on vigorously afterwards (Pedersen, 1976, p.9). The
last traditional sjægts were likely built around 1920, and the number of active fishing sjægts
in the western Limfjord dwindled from an estimated 500 or more in 1900 to only several
dozen in 1930. Newly introduced fishing boats broke with all tradition: they were carvel-
built, mechanized and had a cargo capacity of two to three tons. They were also safer and –
with a deck cabin to take shelter from the elements – more comfortable (Pedersen, 1976,
pp.86–88).
In the 1960s, when sjægts had been all but forgotten, some elderly people, perhaps for
reasons of youth sediment, decided to buy old sjægts and repair them for recreational use.
This was the onset of a revival of the boat’s popularity (Pedersen, 1976, pp.89–91). The real
impulse however, came in the 1970s when Danish state television started planning the
production of Hans Kirk’s immensely popular book “the Fishermen”. Set in the western
Limfjord at a time when sjægts were still widely in use, the film crew soon realized that they
could not find a sjægt seaworthy enough for filming. Locals, embarrassed that this important
aspect of their maritime cultural history had been lost, began to actively revive the sjægt
tradition. Particularly the tiny town of Hjarbæk took this task to heart: the ‘sjægt guild’ was
founded and old boats were restored and put under sail. In 1975 the town had one sjægt, in
1976 three and in 1977, by the time filming started, seven. Also in 1977, as a joke, the first
sjægt ‘world cup’ was held in Hjarbæk. While hardly a global phenomenon, the event has
been hosted annually ever since, and with up to 60 participating vessels it serves as a worthy
reminder of the regattas of old (Nielsen, 2008).
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4. Case Study
As a case study we have examined one sjægt in greater detail. The boat in question is located
at the Fisheries and Seafaring Museum in Esbjerg. Its builder, Niels Dam, is seen by some as
the boat builder who built the most typical sjægts; other boat builders’ designs deviated from
his models (Pedersen, 1976, p.40). Studying this particular vessel will therefore give us a
good idea of what an average sjægt may have looked like.
In this chapter I will discuss the boat’s history, give a detailed description of its features and
elaborate on the recording methodology used to produce its new lines plan, arrangement plan
and sail plan. These plans can be viewed in Annexes 3-5 on pages 33-35 and should be kept
at hand while reading the descriptions. Additionally an older arrangement plan, drawn by
Chr. Nielsen, can be viewed below (Image 8). Finally the old sail plan is attached in Annex 2,
page 32.
4.1. History
The sjægt at the Fisheries and Seafaring Museum in Esbjerg was built in 1909 in Sillerslev,
on the island of Mors. Its builder, Niels Dam, was originally a mill builder who started
repairing boats, then went on to constructing simple boats and eventually became one of the
Image 8: Arrangement plan of the Fisheries and Seafaring Museum’s Sjægt as drawn by conservator Chr. Nielsen.
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most reputed sjægt builders. He designed his boats using scaled half-models as templates.
Since boat dimensions could easily be taken from finished sjægts, the shape of his half-
models was no secret and the models may even have circulated to other boat builders in the
region. The boat building craft was handed down through the generations from Niels Dam to
his son Niels Dam jr. and finally to his grandson Magnus Dam (Byskov, n.d., p.1; Pedersen,
1976, pp.36, 40–42).
The vessel’s original owner isn’t known but, like most sjægts, it was probably used for
fishing with nets, Danish seine, eel hooks or longline. In 1925 it was bought by Anders Hald
from Nykøbing and finally ca. 1970 the boat was acquired by the museum (Byskov, n.d.,
p.1).
4.2. Description
4.2.1. Overall Shape and Dimensions
The sjægt has a length overall of 5.45 m (almost 18 feet), with a maximum beam of 1.78 m.
The length at the waterline is 4.81 m. The boats’s depth is 0.73 m (amidships), with a draft of
0.50 m. The vessel has an ample hull, with a round turn of the bilge and a sharp bow and
stern.
4.2.2. Specific Features
The features below are discussed in their likely order of construction, as suggested in Steffy’s
“Wooden Ship Building and the Interpretation of Shipwrecks” (Steffy, 1994, p.236).
Likewise, the specific boat terminology used is largely derived from this book’s glossary
(Steffy, 1994, pp.266–298).
Keel and Posts (Byskov, n.d., p.1): The keel, sternpost and stem are made of oak. They have
an almost rectangular cross section, though they widen slightly towards the hull: at their outer
edge they have a sided dimension of 6 cm, at the hull a sided dimension of 8 cm. The keel is
3.60 m long and straight, while the sternpost and stem are curved and relatively short. The
sternpost consists of just one piece of wood, diagonally scarfed to a hook timber which
connects it, again with a diagonal scarf, to the keel. The keel is in turn butt-jointed to the stem
which itself consists of two large diagonally scarfed pieces. The vessel is equipped with a
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sternson and stemson but doesn’t have a keelson. The various timbers of the keel and posts
are fastened to each other by treenails.
A metal sheet (likely iron; Image 17) covers the entire bottom of the bow and keel. It is
attached to the wood by small nails and serves to protect it from damage when the boat it is
being beached.
Planking (Byskov, n.d., p.1): The hull planks
are made of larch, a type of pinewood. The hull
consists of eight strakes on each side (Image 9).
The top two (starboard) and three (port) strakes
are made up of one plank while the remaining
strakes are made up of two to four planks. Scarfs
between planks are reinforced on the inside of
the hull by wooden patches, fastened to the
strakes by six to eight rivets. Shorter planks are generally used towards the stern and longer
planks towards the bow. The hull’s shortest plank is 0.80 m long while the longest continuous
plank is 5 m long (curved). The strakes are about 1.5 cm thick and their widths (including
land) range from 20 cm amidships to just 6 cm for certain strakes at the stern and bow.
The vessel is clinker-built and strakes are fastened to each other by iron rivets, hammered in
from the outside. All strakes’ hooding ends are fastened to the stem or sternpost rabbets with
nails, and the lower edges of the garboard strakes are connected to the keel rabbets in the
same fashion.
Frames (Byskov, n.d., p.1): The boat has only seven frame posts: five amidships, one at the
head and one at the stern. The frame timbers are made of oak, they are all installed
perpendicular to the keel and they have a molded and sided dimension of about 5 cm each.
The frames are attached to the hull planking by rivets driven from the outside.
The five frames amidships have an average frame spacing of 45 cm. Two of these central
frames consist only of two futtocks each (one on each side of the hull). They are alternated by
three frames consisting of a floor timber plus two futtocks each. Although the floor timbers
and futtocks lie next to each other and partly overlap, they are not fastened to each other, nor
are the floor timbers fastened to the keel. The frame at the head and the one at the stern of the
vessel are spaced about 90 cm from their closest midship frame. These two frame posts again
consist of only futtocks.
Image 9: The boat’s planking arrangement,
drawn by Chr. Nielsen.
15
Considering the frames’ wide spacing, their meager dimensions and the fact that they’re not
fastened to one another, we can conclude that these are not active frames. The boat’s
structural integrity is provided by its keel, posts and hull planking.
Livewell (Byskov, n.d., p.1): As we have seen, the livewell (Image 10), located amidships,
was used as a fish tank to keep the catch alive during fishing. This boat’s livewell is made of
pine, except for its two atwhartships bulkheads which are made of oak. The various
components are connected with nails. On top, two large wooden lids can be removed to
provide access to the well’s interior. With a length of 1.40 m, a breadth of 0.40 m and a
maximum depth (from the lid to the keel) of 0.55 m the fishwell is quite spacious. Thirty
narrow slits in the boat’s hull, each about 7 cm long and 0.5 cm wide, ‘cut’ the water as the
vessel is moving, thus replenishing the fresh water in the fish tank. The fishwell is
waterproofed from the rest of the boat and, besides keeping the fish alive, the water inside
also serves as a form of ballast.
Thwarts (Byskov, n.d., p.1): The boat has two thwarts (Image 10), both made of oak. They
are positioned at the fore and aft of the livewell. The forward thwart consists of two planks
and is 30 cm wide, the aft thwart consists of just one plank and is 20 cm wide. Both are 3 cm
thick. The thwarts rest on the livewell and on stringers nailed to the midship futtocks.
Additionally, standing knees nailed to the thwarts and to the hull fix the thwarts in place.
Image 10: Picture of the hull’s interior taken from the aft forwards. It shows the livewell, the thwarts and some of the
frames. Also notice the coaming surrounding the ring deck’s interior edge.
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Image 12: The sjægt’s forward storage compartment.
These six standing knees (one pair to each thwart plank) also serve as supports for the side
decks (see below).
Deck (Byskov, n.d., p.2): Like almost all later sjægts, the boat is equipped with a ring deck,
consisting of a foredeck, after deck and narrow side decks. The deck planks run
longitudinally and are made of pine. They are 1.5 cm thick and 13 cm wide. Their edges
interlock as seen in Image 11, thus forming a watertight deck surface. The entire outer edge
of the ring deck is carried by the top strakes, but also by a thick square-sectioned stringer
which rests on top of the futtocks. The ring deck’s
inner edge is supported by various different
structures: the aft- and foredeck are carried by
beams resting on the aft and fore futtocks, while the
side decks are supported by the three pairs of
standing knees and four pairs of hanging knees
attached to the hull by nails.
On the outside the seam between the deck planks and the top strake is hidden by a long,
curved and rounded wooden fender (Image 17). The inner edge of the ring deck is topped by
a rounded wooden coaming (Image 10) to prevent deck water from entering the vessel.
The area underneath the foredeck is separated from the rest of the ship by a bulkhead with a
removable panel (Image 12). Thanks to the boat’s only ceiling planking (installed
transversely), this compartment stays dry and
could be used to store food, special tools or spare
parts. The aft deck is penetrated by a square
pump well (Image 13). Since the boat’s stern is
its lowest part when afloat, water would amass
there and could then be evacuated through this
pump well. The pump itself consisted of a long
shaft topped by a wooden cross and covered with
two patches of leather to create suction when
pulled upwards.
Rigging (Byskov, n.d., pp.2–3): The boat is rigged with a square mainsail, a jib and a
triangular topsail. The total sail area is estimated at 16.5 m². The sails are made of cotton, all
spars are made of pine and the cordage is made of hemp.
Image 11: The deck planks’ edges interlock.
17
The mast step is located just abaft the forward thwart, within the livewell, on top of the keel.
It is open as a result of which the mast can easily be removed. Protruding through the
livewell, the mast is supported by the thwart and the livewell lid. However, the mast’s main
support is granted by two sturdy ropes stretching from the top of the mast to metal rings on
the boat’s side (Image 16). The mast is 4.75 m long and has a square cross section up to the
height of the thwart, above which it has a round cross section. The topsail yard is a lot thinner
than the mast, but with a length of 4.67 m, it is nearly as long. Its middle is fastened to the top
of the mast, while its bottom end is fastened to a cleat at the base of the mast by a long rope.
The boat’s final spar is the 4.12 m long sprit extending from the base of the protruding mast
diagonally up and aftwards. While booms are more commonly used than sprits, in this case
the use of a sprit is advantageous since it allows for the head of the mainsail and the clew of
the topsail to be attached to one and the same spar.
The mainsail’s luff is fastened to the mast along its entire length and the sail is stretched out
by the sprit. The mainsail’s clew is fastened with a rope to the ‘horse’, a metal bar stretching
athwartships across the aft deck above the tiller (Image 13). The entire mainsail’s position
can be changed just by moving the clew’s fastening along this horse (Knight, 1923, p.109).
Image 13: Picture of the aft deck showing the pump well, the tiller and the mainsail’s clew, attached to the horse.
18
The jib’s head is fastened to the top of the mast and its tack is fastened to a metal ring on the
peak of the bow. A forestay runs from the top of the mast, through a loop on the bow and is
fastened to a cleat above the entrance to the compartment in the bow. This forestay insures
that the jib’s luff is properly stretched while sailing. Finally the jib’s clew can be attached
with a rope to a hole in either the port or starboard side deck (Image 16).
The triangular topsail, technically known as a jib-headed topsail (Softissimo, 2008), is
fastened to its yard all along the sail’s luff. The topsail’s clew is fastened to the top of the
sprit.
Steering (Byskov, n.d., p.2): Like all sjægts the museum boat could either
be sailed or rowed; it could either be steered by a rudder or steered by
oars. On our boat the tiller and the blade of the rudder are made of
pine, while the rudder head is made of oak. The two pieces of
the rudder head are fastened to each other by rivets; three
driven in from the starboard side and three driven in from
the port side. The long removable tiller can be fitted into
the gap left between the two pieces of the rudder head. A
long curved metal bar, fastened to the sternpost by bolts,
serves as the rudder’s mounting. On the rudder two gudgeons, open towards their forward
end, could be slipped onto the narrow upper end of this metal bar (Image 14). However, once
the rudder, and therefore the gudgeons, were lowered to the thicker bottom part of the metal
bar, they could not come off without being purposefully moved up the metal bar again. This
clever system allowed the rudder to be removed or attached at will without the risk of it
coming loose unexpectedly. The rudder would have been removed when the rigging was
down, so as not to interfere with the steering of the oars. In our case the rudder would also
have been removed when the vessel was being beached since, unlike most sjægts, our boat’s
rudder projects below the bottom of the keel.
While the vessel’s oars don’t survive, the tholepins (Image 16) on the deck on either side of
the forward thwart are a testimony to their original presence. The oars would have had a
metal eye on their side so that they could glide into position over the tholepins (Image 15).
Image 14: Detail of the rudder’s mounting.
mounting.
Image 15: Oars with a metal eyelet which can be mounted on the boat’s tholepins.
19
Paintjob (Byskov, n.d., p.3): On the outside the sjægt is coated with red anti-fouling paint
below the waterline, and with white paint above the waterline. Above the waterline the hull
interior is likewise painted white, while below the waterline it is coated in coal tar. The
fishwell’s sides are painted black, its lids white. The deck is painted green and its coaming is
grey. Finally the spars, rigging cleats,
rudder head, tiller and middle of the thwarts
have been left unpainted (Image 18).
Other Details (Byskov, n.d., pp.1–3): At
the bow, about 15 cm above the waterline, a
large iron loop is fastened to the stem post
by a big bolt (Image 17). Considering the
sturdiness of this feature, it was in all
likelihood used to moor the vessel to a pole
or quay frontally. Similarly, a metal hook
situated on the port deck just forward of the
tholepin (Image 16), was probably used to
moor the boat from the side. Finally it is
important to mention that, though the sjægt
is currently exhibited without any anchor, it
would originally probably have carried a
heavy anchor with large flukes to use during
Danish seine fishing.
Image 16: Picture of the port side deck, showing (from left to right) a hook for mooring, a metal ring fastened to the top
of the mast to stabilize it, a tholepin and, to the right behind the tholepin block, a hole used to fasten the jib’s clew.
Image 17: Picture of the stem, showing the mooring loop
and the connections of the jib tack and forestay. Also notice
the rounded fender and the metal sheeting on the cutwater.
20
4.2.3. State of Preservation
The sjægt had already undergone some extensive repairs prior to its acquisition by the
museum: the bottom and top of the stem had been fixed, patches covered weak spots on the
port side of the hull and several planks, floor timbers and futtocks had been replaced.
Still, it was in terrible condition when Carl Nielsen began its restoration for the museum in
1970. Many structural elements had to be replaced; the original stern post, the aft part of the
keel, the sixth and seventh port strakes and the floor timbers – all were removed and
substituted by modern replicas. The wooden fender, bulkhead, forward thwart, pump well and
most of the livewell were likewise entirely rebuilt. The rudder was fitted with a new gudgeon,
the rudder head was restored and a new tiller was made. The original mast, yards, rigging and
sails were missing so these were all reconstructed. Finally the entire boat was repainted
(Byskov, n.d., p.3).
Original elements from 1909 are now in a relatively bad state of preservation. Some of the
hull planks, particularly at the bow, are cracked or partly disintegrated. Several of the original
frames are likewise fragmented. Many of the rivet heads on the hull’s exterior have corroded
away, and are only identifiable as rivets by locating their buck-tails on the hull’s interior.
Even the sails, made in 1970, already show several tears.
Image 18: Niels Dam’s Sillerslev Sjægt as it is currently exhibited at the Fisheries and Seafaring Museum in Esbjerg.
21
However, thanks to the controlled museum environment, the sjægt is now in a stable
condition and is unlikely to deteriorate much further in the near future.
4.3. Recording Methodology
4.3.1. Initial Recording
As the vessel is located with its starboard side to the wall, we decided only to record the
boat’s more accessible port side and then to mirror this during post-processing in order to
create the complete hull. In an initial phase we merely examined the vessel and attached
small strips of masking tape to places where we wanted to record a point. Dots on the tape
marked the exact position of the points we wanted to shoot. This first step allowed us to
speed up the later recording process significantly, since we could then simply fall into the
cadence of the work without having to think too much about what we were doing.
The sjægt’s outside features were recorded using a Leica TCR 305 Total Station. The total
station was attached to a laptop equipped with Rhinoceros 4.0 running the Termite 1.1 plug-
in. This setup allowed us to follow the recording process in real-time on the computer screen,
and gave us the possibility to do some initial post-processing on location. Always using three
out of seven predefined fixed datum points, we moved the total station to various positions
around the boat in order to record the vessel’s entire port half and its rigging. Since the sjægt
is mounted in a cradle we could even place the total station on the ground and record the
vessel’s floor.
With four groups sharing one total station, we decided that there wouldn’t be enough time to
record the sjægt’s complex inside with the Leica and we therefore fell back on the more
traditional off-set drawing method. Since we only wanted a two dimensional top-view of the
vessel’s inside, off-set drawing proved to be a time-efficient technique with good results.
The entire recording phase took significantly more time than we had anticipated, and
eventually five trips to the museum were needed. Our first day was littered with problems and
didn’t contribute any points to the final drawings. However, dealing with these issues
prepared us for the remaining days of recording. On day two we managed to record the entire
deck, rudder and most of the hull. On day three we finished the hull, did the rigging, moved
on to the larger metal features and even started the recording of nails and rivets. Day four of
recording was over quickly as the last rivets and nails were positioned. Finally another
morning was needed to record the sjægt’s inside with off-set drawing. Throughout the
22
recording process our proficiency with the total station improved significantly and, if we
were to record the same boat again, I believe three days would now suffice.
4.3.2. Post-Processing
Initial post-processing, such as fairing of lines, was done in Rhinoceros. This original ‘basic’
three dimensional Rhino model was the basis for all other drawings.
The lines plan was generated through the Rhino plug-in “Orca3D”. The arrangement plan
side-view was modeled in Rhino and its top-view was drawn in Inkscape from the original
pencil off-set drawing. The sails plan was modeled in Rhino and then retouched in Inkscape.
Lastly all final touches such as text and scale bars were added in Illustrator.
Since we were quite new to these programs, post-processing again required significant time
investment, perhaps even surpassing that of the initial recording. Unfortunately this
unexpectedly large workload was not distributed equally among participants so if we could
handle anything differently in the future, it would probably be the post-processing phase.
23
5. Danish Seine
As we have seen, the breaching of the Agger Tange caused widespread environmental change
and economic hardship to the western Limfjord. One response to this crisis was the
introduction of a new boat type which could better cope with the new conditions; the sjægt.
In parallel to and probably under mutual influence of this development another innovation
took place: the invention of ‘snurrevoddet’ fishing, now commonly known as Danish seine.
In this chapter I will outline the history of its invention and discuss the technique itself.
5.1. History
Unlike the rather obscure origins of the sjægt, the history of Danish seine fishing is very well
documented. It was invented locally in 1848 by Jens Væver, a fisherman, farmer and cattle
herder from the town of Krejbjerg. The then 26-year-old man figured out a way to adapt and
perfect two older seine fishing techniques so that they could be used in the deeper open
waters of the fjord, where the largest, most prized saltwater fish could be caught (Mosegaard,
2012; Pedersen, 1976, p.14).
Image 19: Jens Væver at old age, pictured with the various distinctions he received for his invention of Danish seine.
24
Snurrevoddet fishing was so efficient that within a couple of years it became the most used
fishing technique of the western Limfjord. By the end of Jens Væver’s lifetime it had spread
from there to the rest of Denmark and even to Iceland, Scotland and Ireland. It also formed
the basis for new fishing techniques developed in England, Germany, Sweden and Norway.
Today it is still used all over the world by small scale or semi-industrial fisheries (FAO,
2003; Sævaldsson & Valtýsson, 2012).
While the invention never made him rich, in his old age Jens Væver received a lot of
recognition for his important contribution to Danish fishing (Image 19). In 1912, aged 90, he
was appointed honorary member of the Danish Fishermen Association and in 1913 he had an
audience with the king and was appointed Knight of the prestigious Order of the Dannebrog
(Mosegaard, 2012).
5.2. Technique
As mentioned, Danish seine is derived from other net fishing techniques, in particular from
beach seine and ‘pulsvod’. With the beach seine technique a vessel goes out from the shore,
places the seine – consisting of a conical central net or ‘bag’, two side nets or ‘wings’ and
towing ropes or ‘warps’ (Image 20) – in a semicircle in the water and returns to the shore.
Fishermen on the beach then tow the seine back to land and any fish in the way of the net are
caught. While this method is still widely used in third world countries today it has some
obvious disadvantages; its use is
restricted to shallow waters closer
to shore and it requires a lot of
manpower. In Skagen, in
Northern Jutland, beach seines of
up to 2 km were used, requiring
twelve men just to haul in the
lines (Mosegaard, 2012).
Pulsvod which can be translated as ‘stirring seine’ takes place in open water and requires two
boats. One boat stays in place and holds one end of the warp while the other goes out in a
circle and puts out the seine. When the second boat has returned to the initial position, both
groups haul in the towing ropes. By beating the water (hence stirring seine) the fish are
scared away from the boats and into the net. While this method allows for fishing in open
Image 20: Illustration of the beach seine technique.
25
waters, it still requires a lot of manpower to beat the water and to man two boat crews.
Furthermore, in deeper waters bottom-dwelling fish are not particularly disturbed by noise at
the surface, so the ‘stirring’ of water will have little effect (Mosegaard, 2012).
Danish seine evolved from these commonly used seine techniques. It can be performed in
open water and only requires one boat crew. The entire process is displayed in Image 21.
Upon arriving at the fishing ground the crew first puts down an anchor (another name for this
method is ‘anchor seine’) with a marking buoy. One end of the towing rope is fastened to the
buoy, after which the vessel rows in a wide circle and puts out the seine. Once the boat is
back at the buoy and the towing ropes have had some time to settle to the ground, the seine is
pulled in. Since the seine has been put out in a circle, in an initial phase of towing the warp
lines will simply pull closed, while the central fishing unit remains immobile. As the lines are
closing in on each other over the seabed they stir up sediment and scare the fish into the
motionless central net. Finally the net and its catch are hauled in. The process can
subsequently be repeated various times in different directions from the same buoy, hence its
Danish name snurrevoddet, literally meaning ‘rotating seine’.
The method proved especially effective for catching bottom-dwelling flatfish – in the case of
the Limfjord the large stocks of European plaice – in areas with rough, flat seabed. It opened
up new deep-water fishing grounds across Denmark and the rest of Northern Europe (FAO,
2003; Sævaldsson & Valtýsson, 2012; Mosegaard, 2012).
A. B. C.
Image 21: A simplified visual representation of the various steps involved in Danish seine fishing.
26
6. Conclusion
It is said that in 1849, less than a year after inventing Danish seine fishing, Jens Væver
bought his first sjægt (Mosegaard, 2012). This exemplifies the mutually beneficial
relationship the two inventions had: sjægts were the best available vessels for fishermen
wishing to brave the open waters of the western Limfjord, while Danish seine was the best
available fishing technique to access the rich saltwater fish stocks at the bottom of those
waters. Where Danish seine was introduced, the sjægt’s popularity soon grew as well – and
vice versa. Together, they offered a solution to the environmental challenges and to the
poverty which the region was faced with after the breaching of the Agger Tange. Within a
few years of their introduction, sjægts became the most typical boats of the western Limfjord,
and Danish seine became the dominant fishing method.
In its own small way, the sjægt and Danish seine exhibition at the Fisheries and Seafaring
Museum in Esbjerg is an important testimony to this fascinating story of human ingenuity
and adaptability in times of crisis.
27
7. References
Byskov, S. Sjægt fra Sillerslev 1981-43.
FAO (2003) Fishing Techniques. Danish seining. Technology Fact Sheets [Internet].
Available from: <www.fao.org/fishery/fishtech/1003/en> [Accessed 7 January 2013].
Knight, E.F. (1923) Small-Boat Sailing. New York, E.P. Dutton & Company.
Limfjordsmuseet Sjægteregister [Internet]. Available from:
<http://www.limfjordsmuseet.dk/Sjaegteregister/index.htm> [Accessed 7 January
2013].
Mosegaard, F.W. (2012) Jens Væver [Internet]. Available from: <http://jensvaever.skive.dk/>
[Accessed 7 January 2013].
Nielsen, L. (2008) Hjarbæk Sjægtelaug [Internet]. Available from: <http://www.sjaegt.dk/>
[Accessed 7 January 2013].
Pedersen, H.N. (1976) Limfjordssjægten. Esbjerg, Fiskeri- og Søfartsmuseets.
Sævaldsson, H. & Valtýsson, H.Þ. (2012) Danish Seine [Internet]. Available from:
<http://www.fisheries.is/fisheries/fishing-gear/danish-seine/> [Accessed 7 January
2013].
Softissimo (2008) Collins English Dictionary [Internet]. Available from:
<http://dictionary.reverso.net/english-definition/jib-headed> [Accessed 9 January
2013].
Steffy, J.R. (1994) Wooden Ship Building and the Interpretation of Shipwrecks. College
Station, Texas A&M University Press.
28
Image Sources
Image 1: left – “1801 Cary Map of Denmark” from WikimediaCommons:
<http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1801_Cary_Map_of_Denmark_-
_Geographicus_-_Denmark-cary-1801.jpg>
right – “Map of Denmark” from MapQuest:
<http://www.mapquest.com/maps?country=DK>
Image 2: top – “Atlantic Cod” from WikimediaCommons:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Atlantic_cod.jpg>
bottom – “Clupea Harengus” from WikimediaCommons:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Clupea_harengus.png>
right – “Pleuronectes Platessa” from WikimediaCommons:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pleuronectes_platessa.gif>
Image 3: “Lilly” from Sjægteregister:
<http://www.limfjordsmuseet.dk/Arkiv/sj%C3%A6gt.htm>
Image 4: “Kåg fra Sallingsund” from Nielsen 2008:
<http://www.sjaegt.mono.net/11179/F%C3%98R%20SJ%C3%86GTEN>
Image 5: (Pedersen, 1976, p.8)
Image 6: (Pedersen, 1976, p.72)
Image 7: (Pedersen, 1976, p.67)
Image 8: (Pedersen, 1976, p.41)
Image 9: (Pedersen, 1976, p.94)
Images 10: Picture by Joop Werson
Images 11-13: Pictures made by myself.
Image 14: (Pedersen, 1976, p.25)
Image 15: (Pedersen, 1976, p.93)
Image 16-17: Pictures made by myself.
Image 18: Picture made by Joop Werson
Image 19: “Jens Laursen Væver” from Mosegaard 2012:
<http://jensvaever.skive.dk/files/Institutioner2/JENSVAEVER/Billeder/Store%20Jens
%20V%C3%A6ver%20pers/Jens%20V%C3%A6ver%20med%20pokal.jpg>
Image 20: “Beach Seine” from Amita: <http://www.amita.co.jp/museum/docs/beach.htm>
Image 21: “Anchor Seining” from FAO:
<http://www.fao.org/figis/common/format/popUpImage.jsp?xp_imageid=8370>
29
8. Annexes
Annex 1, page 30-31: Arrangement plans of four different sjægts (Pedersen, 1976, pp.45–47,
93)
Annex 2, page 32: Sail plan of the Fisheries and Seafaring Museum sjægt, drawn by Chr.
Nielsen (Pedersen, 1976, p.37)
Annex 3, page 33: Lines plan of the Fisheries and Seafaring Museum sjægt, drawn by T. Van
Damme, A. Köhler, S. Madden and J. Werson.
Annex 4, page 34: Arrangement plan of the Fisheries and Seafaring Museum sjægt, drawn by
T. Van Damme, A. Köhler, S. Madden and J. Werson.
Annex 5, page 35: Sail plan of the Fisheries and Seafaring Museum sjægt, drawn by S.
Madden, T. Van Damme, A. Köhler and J. Werson.
30
31
32
Sillerslev Sjægt
builder: Niels Dam year: 1909 place of origin: Sillerslev, western Lim�ord, Denmark
drawn: T. Van Damme, A. Köhler, S. Madden, J. Werson
date: 23-12-2012 sheet: 1 of 3 (A3)
PRINCIPAL PARTICULARS
Length Overall: .................... 5.45 m
Length at Waterline: .......... 4.81 m
Beam: ...................................... 1.78 m
Depth: ..................................... 0.73 m
Draught: ................................. 0.50 m
notes: Recorded in the Fisheries and Seafaring Museum (Esbjerg) using total station.
Lines drawn to outside of planking. Post-processing done in Rhinoceros 4.0.
Lines generated using Orca3D plug-in.
0 10.5 2 3 4
Scale of Meters
Sillerslev Sjægt LINES PLAN
scale: 1:20
0 10.5 2 3
Scale of Meters
Sillerslev Sjægt ARRANGEMENT PLAN
WL
Sillerslev Sjægt
builder: Niels Dam year: 1909 place of origin: Sillerslev, western Lim!ord, Denmark
drawn: T. Van Damme, A. Köhler, S. Madden, J. Werson
date: 08-01-2013 sheet: 2 of 3 (A3)
PRINCIPAL PARTICULARS
Length Overall: .................... 5.45 m
Length at Waterline: .......... 4.81 m
Beam: ...................................... 1.78 m
Depth: ..................................... 0.73 m
Draught: ................................. 0.50 m
notes: Recorded in the Fisheries and Seafaring Museum (Esbjerg) using total station
and o#set drawing. Post-processing done in Rhinoceros 4.0 and Inkscape.
scale: 1:16
SAIL PLAN
LIMFJORDSSJÆGTPRINCIPAL PARTICULARS
Length Overall..............5.48m
Beam............................1.75m
Depth............................0.70m
Draught.........................0.40m
Total Sail Area..............16.5m2
Main Sail Area.................8 m2
Top Sail Area...................4.25m2
Head Sail Area................4.25m2
Model Units: MetersScale: 1:35 Sheet 3 of 3
0 1 2
Scale in Meters
Drawn: SMDate: 03.01.13
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