The Sjekte of Stavern

摘要

One of the most notable populations of traditional motorsnekker can be found in Stavern, about two hours south of Oslo outside the city of Larvik. Stavern has the largest single fleet of snekker (called "sjekte" in this region) in Norway. At the height of summer, some 60 traditional sjekte tie up in the town's canal. The beautifully maintained boats are a well-deserved point of pride for the locals. They are unique among Norway's snekker not only in their number but also for their particular design and construction details. A true Stavern sjekte has no foredeck or windshield; it retains the fishing layout featuring two thwarts and a wet well/bench forward of the engine box, and U-shaped sternsheets aft. But the most distinctive design element is the "stavernsdekk" up forward. This removable deck consists of carefully fitted planks running fore-and-aft between the two thwarts and on to the bow. Historically, it provided a platform for hunting tuna as well as clear space to lay out the harpoon and gear. When not fishing for tuna, the decks served as a staging area for lobster pots. Today an intrepid two of the Stavern fleet are still hauling pots during the October-to-December lobstering season, but for the rest of the fleet, the decks are more often used as an excellent platform for summer sunbathing.