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The
Norwegian Connection
By V. Joyce
Gauthier, Researcher May 4, 2002
Well it might
not be as exciting to everyone as the movie "The French Connection"
but it is indeed making this researcher anticipate great things to come
for lovers of these classic trawlers. A segment of the Malahide yacht
family has found our birthplace.
Through some
internet sleuthing (the amazing search capabilities of Google and my willingness
to read through every Norwegian website with the word Hemnesberget) allowed
me to establish contact with Frode Fagerheim. Frode lives and works in
Hemnesberget, Norway…the birthplace of the Norwegian hulled Malahides
(Ursa Major, Explorer, Kealjib and the Capt. A.E. Newlove). Frode has
been lured by his love of boats and of Hemnesberget into becoming a researcher
for the Classic Trawler Yacht Network. He has been willing to crawl into
the attics of local houses to retrieve the archives of Rana Shipyard and
Rana Batafabrikk to see what documentation of the history of the vessels
remain. In so doing he will help answer some of our questions on construction
and history of these magnificent boats for all of us. Stay tuned for details
in future articles.
In addition,
Frode called together many of local boatbuilders and interested historians
and townspeople for a meeting last week in the presence of Geir Pederson,
journalist for the regional newspaper Rana Blad. Their purpose was to
piece together the story of the building of what they remember as "The
Ireland Boats". The Rana Shipyard in Hemnesberget was commissioned
to use their exceptional skills to construct wooden hulls in a classic
style used in the region. The identity of the hull designer for these
vessels is still being researched. The fine aluminum fabrication skills
of Rana Batafabrikk under design control of the Malahide yard allowed
customizaton for the new owners commissioning the vessels. The aluminum
superstructure on the massively built hulls created a boat to last for
centuries. The use of aluminum on wooden hulls was felt to be the marriage
of two perfect substances in boatbuilding; a technique that was the pride
of the region. This aluminum housing prevented the rot that plagues many
wooden boats and increased the stability of these heavy full displacement
yachts. Thus the vessel rode the turbulent North Sea with the ride of
a rocking chair. These vessels were shipped to Ireland on their own bottoms
for further outfitting as yachts at the Malahide yard and delivery to
their commissioning owners.
On May 4 the
story of the Ursa Major, Classic Trawler Yachts Network, Frode Fagerheim
and the drive to document this piece of nautical history hit the presses
of the regional newspaper in the Nordland (northland of Norway). I have
not had the opportunity to see it (nor will my Norwegian allow me to read
it) but hope it will stimulate many of the shipbuilders to share their
memories, photos, and justifiable pride in these vessels.
Frode has
a wonderful website at http://hjem.sol.no/frofager where you can view
photos of Hemnesberget and the surrounding area. This was where I found
him in my search for contact in the region. Linda Bennett of Tromso, an
American working as a Norwegian-English translator high in the Arctic
regions (and whose grandmother originated from Hemnesberget) also showed
up on the radar screen of the internet search and has been helpful in
linking me to information sources including Frode.
The Ursa Major
will celebrate her proud Norwegian heritage by flying the courtesy flag
of Norway while coming into Petersburg Alaska. She will exhibit her hefty
construction in the at the marina during the Little Norway Festival on
May 17 and 18. The Ursa is currently enroute to her summer chartering
grounds in Alaska with guests aboard training to navigate the Inside Passage
as part of our Nautical Training program (see www.myursamajor.com/captainmates.html).
I will accompany Ursa north from Ketchikan on a photographic and exploration
expedition for three weeks with noted kayaker and photographer Gary Luhm
(www.garyluhm.com). Stay tuned to the Classic Trawler Yacht network site
for updates on our adventures on this trip. |
