menachem

The first two weeks in august: traditional barge racing regattas in the province of Fryslân.

Live here:

http://www.omropfryslan.nl/live/skutsjesilen

Mind the language: it isn't Dutch, but Frisian and more akin to English (via Old English) than present day standard Dutch is.

lavandula

The link gets you to the page but then then connection to the skutsjesilen is down (Dizze stream is net langer beskikber). I will come back another time and see if it has been restored. Thanks for posting this

Lavandula

menachem

Racing continues on the monday: De Veenhoop. Start's at 2 PM CET.

This is saturday's regatta in its entirety.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oca2Dff85sM

No racing on sunday: we're a nation of calvinists.

A few things about the racing itself: it's a venerable tradition among the captains of inland sailing barges, that had little work during august. They used the spare time to race each other. They do that in barges that belong to village and city associations: where a barge is from can be seen in the sail markings. Towns and villages that are included are all from the lake area of Friesland and from the province's capital.

Entire dynasties of families race. For instance, the Mink and Brouwer families have always been associated with the Heerenveen barges, more specifically with the Gerben van Manen barge (Brouwer) and now with the new Heerenveen barge (Mink), the Zwaga family has raced both the Langweer and the Leeuwarden barge and so forth.

Last year's overall winner was the Sneek barge, the Sneeker Pan. The Saturday regatta was a thrilling battle between the Joure and the Grouw barge, with the Joure barge leading most of the way, while in the last round, Grouw sailed a strategic tacking stretch and finished first.

lavandula

Thanks for posting that YouTube link!

Doing the conversion I should just be able to make that time (will be 10pm here in Sydney). I will be sure to watch!

Lavandula

menachem

If you follow it for the full two weeks, you'll get to see substantial parts of the province, because all participating towns host in turn. Last regatta always is on Sneekermeer, due to its top position as a regatta venue.

I'll be watching too

This is from Bert Haanstra's film: De Stem van het Water. It's a film from the 1960s but the rivalry and the atmosphere are still the same

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB1QeSro_gI

lavandula

Hi menachem, I haven't watched Saturday's race yet but did have a look at De Stem van het Water. So beautiful watching all those sails lining up!

I will look out for the scenery, that's exactly what I like about watching European cycling too. I have been in that part of the world (Fryslân) but not for years now. Thanks for posting!

Lavandula

nukesafe

Thank you for posting this, Menachem! Lovely to see traditions like this carried on.

menachem

You're welcome.

Joure has protested the decision of the authenticity committee (yes, it exists) to ban their mast track (too modern, but safer according to Joure) and has stated that it will leave the regatta if the committee persists in its ban.

As a side note, my father used to crew on the Heerenveen skutsje: he did the sounding, with the stick and kicking down the leeboard, absolutely the worst positions on board. But he loved it, even though he said that a friend who got him to crew taught him to sail well and to curse well.

And yes, I watch Tour de France for the scenery, entire afternoons (Local Time) of it.

Also have a look at the Omrop Fryslan page for their summer program: Simmer yn Fryslân.

nukesafe

It puzzled me when you talked about banning mast tracks, Menachem. I assumed those vessels were rigged with mast track or at least using mast hoops, but then I looked closely at the video and saw that the luff is loosely "laced?" to the mast. I have never seen a rig like that -- but then I have never sailed in a Dutch barge, nor with leeboards for that matter. Life is too short.

hetismij2

I haven't been following it this year I'm afraid. Too busy preparing to move up there.

The ship my son now sails has the luxury of motors for the leeboards. No more frantic winching. Still have to hoist the sails by (wo)manpower though. He is currently island hopping for the Horizon toer.

menachem

Where the boom is attached to the mast, has to be a "gooseneck" like construction. The Joure barge had a kind of track like construction, that they considered to be safer, but that also allowed them better adjustment for sail trim, so it was banned.

And in a stunning turn of events, the SKS Regatta Committee has scrapped the results of the Veenhoop regatta after protests by a number of barge crews against it. 2017 is turning out to be remarkable year

Heres today's regatta

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwxnBHoWcPg

menachem

update, Joure has been banned from the championships and good riddance I think.

today's regatta is live now and takes place on Sneekermeer, at the Terherne end. Lovely: that's where we holidayed a lot when I was little.

hetismij2

Fan of de Kameleon books?

They are what got my son into sailing I suspect.

menachem

Ha, not particularly. Been coming there since 1967 as a family. One of my earliest conscious memories is making a run for it in a gathering thunderstorm. My parents already took me sailing when I was 18 months or so.

Terherne is sort of recognisable in the Kameleon books, but not quite. I liked it better when that was not part of the village's identity. A time when they would just switch off the street lights at 10 PM.