A jakt is a small, single-masted, fast sailing boat, with a wide and flat

hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...

, probably of Dutch origin. Jakts had split booms, with a crab mainsail and two or three jibs. They were also commonly equipped with a ''breifokk'', a kind of jib.

Etymology

The term ''jakt'' has its origin in the Dutch expression ''jacht'' or ''jachtschip'', which refers to a fast sailing ship. The word is also the origin of the English term ''

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

'', although this term describes a completely different type of boat – a large pleasure craft.J. Winge, ''Trebåter - Norsk kulturhistorie på sjøen'', Schibsted forlag, 2002.

Description

Jakts were primarily built as

cargo ships A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...

for fjords and nearby coastal areas, but larger, later-built jakts could also be used to sail across the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. This type of ship was built based on the experiences and ideas of the various shipbuilders about the construction details that offered the best properties of use.J.B. Godal, ''Tre til båtar'', Landbruksforlaget, 2001.

Galley-type jakt

A later development of the design was the jaktegaleas, also known as a

galley A galley is a type of ship that is propelled mainly by oars. The galley is characterized by its long, slender hull, shallow draft, and low freeboard (clearance between sea and gunwale). Virtually all types of galleys had sails that could be used ...

-type jakt. Compared to a conventional jakt, jaktegaleas often have one stern mast (a mizzen), which is lower and larger than the forward mast. This arrangement was advantageous as it had a lower crew requirement compared to the conventional design while being larger in size.G. Gøthesen, ''Norskekystens freaktemenn - Om seilfartøyer i kystfart'', Norske båter bind II, Grøndahl & søn forlag A.S., 1980.

Hardangerjakt

A Hardangerjakt is a single-masted sailboat, with a flat hull and a round

transom Transom may refer to: * Transom (architecture), a bar of wood or stone across the top of a door or window, or the window above such a bar * Transom (nautical), that part of the stern of a vessel where the two sides of its hull meet * Operation Tran ...

, rigged with a crab mainsail and jib. It was a popular type of boat at the end of the 19th century. The jakt was used mainly as a cargo ship in coastal shipping, especially for transporting salted fish from

Northern Norway Northern Norway ( nb, Nord-Norge, , nn, Nord-Noreg; se, Davvi-Norga) is a geographical Regions of Norway, region of Norway, consisting of the two northernmost counties Nordland and Troms og Finnmark, in total about 35% of the Norwegian mainlan ...

to Western Norway.''Brødrene af Sand - Ryfylkemuseet''
/ref> ''Anna af Sand'' is the oldest ship still afloat in Europe, launched in 1848, preserved as a typical example of a Hardangerjakt. The ship is owned by the

Stavanger Maritime Museum Stavanger (, , US usually , ) is a city and municipality in Norway. It is the fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the administrative center of Rogaland county. Th ...

Jakt vs. jekt

The jakt and jekt are two types of boat similar in size, but quite different by both the shape of the vessel and the construction and rigging. The terms are so similar that they are often used interchangeably. In some places, ''jekt'' is used for both types of craft, such as in regards to fishing boats in Ryfylke,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. Jekts were usually smaller, open or half-decked boats, while the larger jakts had a full deck. Jakts were built with a smooth hull (kravell), while jekts were built with a tinged hull with Nordic techniques. The most noticeable difference is the jekt's headsail versus the jakt's bowsprit jib rig. When the larger Hardangerjakts traveled with loads of firewood and fruit from Hardanger to the coastal towns, they often carried a smaller jekt in their cargo. In the province of

Rogaland Rogaland () is a Counties of Norway, county in Western Norway, bordering the North Sea to the west and the counties of Vestland to the north, Vestfold og Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. In 2020, it had a population of 47 ...

, these ships were nicknamed "Hardangergeit".

References

Bibliography

* Delius, Klasing + Co (1985): ''Maritime Encyclopedia: A Maritime Handbook'' ISBN 82-512-0150-0

External links

* {{cite web , title=Nasjonalbiblioteket , website=Nasjonalbiblioteket , url=https://www.nb.no/items/47e2ef340e24f1319dc77b21681ae576?searchText=Seglfart%C3%B8yet%20jakt , language=nb , ref={{sfnref , Nasjonalbiblioteket , access-date=2024-04-17 Sailing ships