The Inventory Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in the Netherlands contains ICH of which the communities, groups or individuals involved have written a safeguarding plan. Those plans are reviewed by an independent review committee. Every three years an evaluation of the safeguarding takes place.

Description

In the first two weeks of the northern construction holiday, the Sintrale Kommisie Skûtsjesilen (the Central Skûtsjesilen Committee) organizes the SKS championship: a series of 11 sailing races with skûtsjes. Skûtsjes are historical cargo ships that were built between 1900 and 1931 at one of the shipyards in Friesland. The competitions are sailed in a fixed historical order at various towns and villages in the province of Friesland. Each village and town has its own interpretation of the competition day. The participating skûtsjes sail with their follow-on fleet from village to village. Each follow-on fleet has a ship that serves as the 'mother ship', this ship plays a central role for each participating skûtsje. The skippers of the skûtsjes come from old skippers' families and are often still involved in (inland) navigation. The public, totalling some 400,000 people, can follow the races from the shore or from their own boat on the water.


The SKS races are sailed under the own SKS competition rules and the judging takes place as laid down in the SKS Handbook. In addition, the racing skûtsjes must meet the requirements as laid down in the originality regulations.


On the Friday evening before the first race, the draw for the shore start of the skûtsjes at the Feanhoop and Earnewâld is held in Grou. For this occasion, the skippers cap of Fokke Wijkstra is retrieved from the Fries Scheepvaartmuseum. The tickets are drawn from the cap. The final race is a fortnight later on the Sneekermeer Lake, after which the champion is announced. The final prize-giving will subsequently take place on the Start Island in the party tent, after which there will be a closing party.


The individual races are organized by autonomous local race committees. In addition to the general SKS Racing Rules, they also use local racing rules. These are necessary to organize the race on the specific competition water.

Community

As an umbrella organization, the Sintrale Kommisie Skûtsjesilen has the task of ensuring that the competitions run smoothly. To achieve this, various other parts of the SKS are active alongside the participating skûtsjes and race committees. The race jury ensures that the races are conducted according to the rules, while the Zeilraad provides an independent review of the decision of the jury in case of an appeal by a skipper. Using the SKS Handbook, the Amels Commission ensures that the skûtsjes comply with the originality requirements. In addition, the Minwaarrii (foul weather committee) advises the local race committees on whether or not races should be held in bad weather. There is also an owners committee that takes care of exploitation and financial support of skipper and crew.

History

Because there was little freight in the summer, the need arose in the mid-19th century for recreational sailing with the cargo ships during this period. Because skûtsje skippers succeeded each other for generations and the familymembers were generally close, family ties were strengthened during these sailing events. This led to competitions, of which innkeepers soon took over the organization. For example, they organized a competition during an annual fair. However, they also had a commercial ulterior motive: the pub / hotel became the epicenter of the competition day. Not only the route discussion and prize-giving took place in the establishment, but the cozy after-party as well.


In the course of the years, the emphasis shifted more and more to the competition element. Skippers and crew asked local sailing clubs to organize the competitions and the competitions were given a more or less fixed order.


After World War II, when the commercial use of skûtsjes decreased further, some people with a far-sighted view stood at the cradle of the SKS. This umbrella organization provided structure to the organization and the regulations. Over the last 20 years, media attention has gained momentum. In addition to the regional media, national and international media, such as TV and film, as well as newspapers, have been paying more and more attention. The character and atmosphere in the fleet changed with this increasing attention, the crews experienced more and more pressure.

Safeguarding

  • Once a year, a sailing camp is organized for children to teach them how to sail with flat-bottomed boats ('gws schouwen'). In this way, the basis of flat-bottom sailing is laid.
  • Prospective crew members come on board of a skûtsje at a young age where they start as "ranja (lemonade) boy or girl". After that, they grow into, for example, the position of boards man.
  • In connection with the requirements set by the Safety Region, there is regular consultation with them. In these consultations, the problems of the SKS are disclosed and a satisfactory solution is sought for both parties.
  • The SKS board consults with the local authorities annually to untangle the logistical knot of the organizing fleet. Together, all those involved make a planning schedule in the spring.
  • Because skûtsjes are historical ships, if necessary there is consultation between the Ministry of Environment and Transport and the SKS board.
  • During the races, the skûtsjes are followed by a large fleet of interested people. All these ships must be given a berth on location in the evening. To deal with this problem, a skipper and crew representative has been appointed within the SKS board to consult with local parties, such as harbor master / local and provincial government, to resolve this issue.

Contact

Sintrale Kommisje Skûtsjesilen
Drachten
Website