![Bodstedt-Regatta-140906-055](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Bodstedt-Regatta-140906-055.JPG)
A ''Zeesenboot'' (plural ''Zeesenboote''), in
plattdeutsch
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, familycolor = Indo-European
, fam2 = Germanic
, fam3 = West Germanic
, fam4 = North Sea Germanic
, ancestor = Old Saxon
, ancestor2 = Middle L ...
''Zeesboot'' (pl: ''Zeesboote'') or ''Zeeskahn'' (pl.: ''Zeeskähne''), is a usually 10-metre-long, wide-hulled sailing boat of a type known as a ''
Haffboot''. The name is derived from the type of
fishing gear
Fishing tackle is the equipment used by anglers when fishing. Almost any equipment or gear used in fishing can be called fishing tackle, examples being hooks, lines, baits/ lures, rods, reels, floats, sinkers/ feeders, nets, stringers/ k ...
used, known as a ''
zeese''. The
sailing boat
A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture.
Types
Although sailboat terminology ...
is designed for relatively protected, shallow waters. Today ''zeesenboote'' are mainly used for leisure sailing.
History
''Zeeskähne'' were being used no later than end of the 15th century as
fishing vessel
A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to catch fish in the sea, or on a lake or river. Many different kinds of vessels are used in commercial, artisanal and recreational fishing.
The total number of fishing vessels in the world in 2016 was es ...
s, especially in the area of the
Pomerania
Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...
n ''
bodden
Bodden are briny bodies of water often forming lagoons, along the southwestern shores of the Baltic Sea, primarily in Germany's state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. These lagoons can be found especially around the island of Rügen, Usedom and th ...
'' and the
Stettin Lagoon
Szczecin Lagoon ( pl, Zalew Szczeciński, german: Stettiner Haff, since 1945 sometimes also ''Oderhaff'' (Oder lagoon) or ''Pommersches Haff'' (Pomeranian lagoon)) is a lagoon in the Oder estuary, shared by Germany and Poland. It is separated f ...
. In the Stralsund Chronicle of 1449 Johannes Beckmann writes of ''Zesekahn''.
The technical development of the ''Zeesboot'' from the
Western Pomerania
Historical Western Pomerania, also called Cispomerania, Fore Pomerania, Front Pomerania or Hither Pomerania (german: Vorpommern), is the western extremity of the historic region of Pomerania forming the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, Weste ...
n ''Zeesekahn'' was encouraged from the second half of the 19th century because many ''Zeesen'' fishermen had travelled abroad by sea in their youth and had been able to become familiar with the sailing practices of other regions.
For example, after 1880 Danish influences saw the use of a
centreboard
A centreboard or centerboard (US) is a retractable hull appendage which pivots out of a slot in the hull of a sailboat, known as a ''centreboard trunk'' (UK) or ''centerboard case'' (US). The retractability allows the centreboard to be raised t ...
, fitted into a trunk in the middle of the boat.
[Wolfgang Rudolph, ''Segelboote der deutschen Ostseeküste'', p. 16, 22.] Previously a sideboard had been used, which was always attached to
leeward
Windward () and leeward () are terms used to describe the direction of the wind. Windward is ''upwind'' from the point of reference, i.e. towards the direction from which the wind is coming; leeward is ''downwind'' from the point of reference ...
side of the boat. Its
carvel construction became common in the second half of the 19th century; hitherto
clinker construction had been usual.
Originally the ''zeesenboote'' were small, single-masted boats with a
square rig
Square rig is a generic type of sail and rigging arrangement in which the primary driving sails are carried on horizontal spars which are perpendicular, or square, to the keel of the vessel and to the masts. These spars are called ''yards'' and ...
ged sail. With the increasing size of ''zeesenboote'' in the early 19th century, the square rig gave way to a
lug sail
The lug sail, or lugsail, is a fore-and-aft, four-cornered sail that is suspended from a spar, called a yard. When raised, the sail area overlaps the mast. For "standing lug" rigs, the sail may remain on the same side of the mast on both the port ...
. From about 1870, the
fore-and-aft rig
A fore-and-aft rig is a sailing vessel rigged mainly with sails set along the line of the keel, rather than perpendicular to it as on a square rigged vessel.
Description
Fore-and-aft rigged sails include staysails, Bermuda rigged sails, gaff ...
was introduced (
gaff rig
Gaff rig is a sailing rig (configuration of sails, mast and stays) in which the sail is four-cornered, fore-and-aft rigged, controlled at its peak and, usually, its entire head by a spar (pole) called the ''gaff''. Because of the size and shape ...
ged). Towards the end of the 19th century, a second mast became common which also carried a lugsail. The rig of the ''zeesenboote'' at this time is the one used today on those boats that are still sailing.
In the 19th century and early 20th century in the
Stettin Lagoon
Szczecin Lagoon ( pl, Zalew Szczeciński, german: Stettiner Haff, since 1945 sometimes also ''Oderhaff'' (Oder lagoon) or ''Pommersches Haff'' (Pomeranian lagoon)) is a lagoon in the Oder estuary, shared by Germany and Poland. It is separated f ...
there were even ''Zeeskähne'' up to 22 metres long; however they fell victim to a 1908 regulation.
Fishing with ''zeesenboote'' was still practised in
East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
until the end of the 1970s. Occasionally former ''zeesboote'' are used today as small motorised cutters by ''bodden'' fisherman.
There are very many ''zeesenboote'' today on the ''bodden'' waters behind the
peninsula. These boats are lovingly maintained and preserved by their owners. They are used as private sailing boats or for sailing excursions by tourists.
In 1909 the first regatta took place, with 10 ''zeesenboote''. Annual competitions have been held since 1964. For example, on the
Bodstedter Bodden
The Bodstedter Bodden is a lagoon, of the type known as a ''bodden'', that is part of the Darss-Zingst Bodden Chain and the Western Pomerania Lagoon Area National Park in northeastern Germany. It lies south of the peninsula of Fischland-Darß-Zing ...
on 6 September 2014 the 50th Zeesenboot Regatta took place (see illustration), after the new harbour complex had been opened that afternoon in Bodstedt. Fifty four boats took part in the regatta.
See also
*
Aak
''Aak'' is a genre of Korean court music. It is an imported form of the Chinese court music ''yayue'', and means "elegant music". ''Aak'' was performed almost exclusively in state sacrificial rites, and in the present day it is performed in ce ...
*
Kurenkahn
The ''Kurenkahn'' ( German plural ; lt, kurėnas) is a traditional wooden type of flat bottom boat that was used in Vistula lagoon and Curonian Lagoon, East Prussia. The name comes from the German name of the Curonian people (''Kuren''). Kuren ...
References
Literature
* Andreas Dietzel, Ernst U Krohn, René Legrand: ''Zeesenboote im National Park''. 1994
* Hermann Winkler: ''Zeesboote''. Hinstorff, 1986
* Wolfgang Rudolph: ''Segelboote der deutschen Ostseeküste''. Akademieverlag, 1969
External links
Information about ''zeesenboote''Photographs of ''Zeesenboote''
{{Authority control
Sailing ships
Types of fishing vessels
Pomerania