Thesixareen orsixern (Old Norse:sexæringr;Norwegian:seksring meaning "six-oared") is atraditional fishing boat used around theShetland Islands.[1] It is aclinker-built boat, evolved as a larger version of theyoal, when the need arose for crews to fish further from shore. The first of the sixareens were, like the yoal, imported fromNorway in kit form until the mid 19th century, when increasing import duty made it more cost effective to import the raw materials and build the boats in Shetland.
The sixareen was so named because she was crewed by six men, each man rowing a single oar, unlike the yoal where three men rowed a pair of oars each. The size of a sixareen was about 25–30 ft (7.6–9.1 m) overall, with a beam of 7–8 ft (2.1–2.4 m). The boat carried a square sail which was used when the wind was favourable, however in light winds or in a head wind the crew could row for many hours to complete their journey. Fishing trips usually were over three days, with the boats making two trips each week when the weather permitted.
As with the yoal, all the parts of a sixareen have names, which are usually found only in theShetland dialect, although many of the names are derived from theold Norse language. The names of the parts listed here include the English name and where possible, the Norwegian name.
There are six separate rooms, or sections in a sixareen: Thefore head where sails and tackle were stored, thefore room, themid room where stones for ballast were placed, theowsin room which was kept clear forowsin (bailing) out water using anowsekerri, theshot room where the catch was stowed, and thekannie where the skipper sat at the helm.
The compartments in the boat were separated bytafts on which the crew sat,fiskabrods under the tafts which stopped the catch and fishing gear from shifting between rooms, and bybaands, the frames to which the boards were fixed.
The boards, named from the keel upwards, were theboddam runner, thehassen, the first and secondswills, thelaands (four boards), and thereebin, the upper board, inside which thewale or gunwale was fixed. At the bow and stern the boards were fixed to thestammerin before attaching to the fore and aft stems. Thereebin was additionally strengthened by the breast hook orhinny spot where it met thehorn at the top of the stem.
While the yoal was used for inshore fishing, and seldom ventured more than 10 mi (16 km) from land, the sixareen was used to fish up to 40 mi (64 km) from Shetland. Because of this, and the unpredictable nature of the weather in northern waters, the loss of boats and lives was high. The worst losses were on 16 July 1832 when 17 boats and 105 men were lost in a severe gale, and again on 21 July 1881 when a sudden and violent summer storm claimed 10 boats and 58 men, mostly fromGloup, in the north ofYell, in what became known asThe Gloup Disaster.[2][circular reference]
Although it is not clear when the last sixareens were built for fishing, it is likely to be not much later than the late 1880s, by which time it was seen that larger boats were the way forward for the local fishing industry.
Two sixareens were built in the 20th century. In the 1980s Duncan Sandison ofUnst realised that the sixareen was very much a boat of the past, as there were none left in Unst. With the help of a group of volunteers, after 800 hours work, theFar Haaf, a replica sixareen was completed in 1988, but was destroyed by a hurricane which swept the isles in 1992. AnotherFar Haaf was built and launched in 1993. It now occupies a special enclosure outside the Unst boat haven. Another sixareen, theVaila Mae, was built in 2008 for theShetland Museum in Lerwick, where it can be seen on the water during the summer months.
