Pictures of Scotland: Fisheries Museum

[Kaa]

In the town of Anstruther, East Neuk, Fife, Scotland, there is the Scottish Fisheries Museum. It maintains an interesting collection of boats, among other things.

One of these boats is Reaper, a 70-foot Fifie type, built in 1901. She's a sailing lugger and spent most of her life being a herring drifter. Her crew was eight men and a boy.

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm161/kaa_photobucket/20080528_0086_S1.jpg


Here is what her deck looks like

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm161/kaa_photobucket/20080528_0072_S1.jpg


That's a detail of her spar and the main mast

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm161/kaa_photobucket/20080528_0074_S1.jpg



Another boat that's still afloat is White Wing, a 33-foot Baldie. Built in 1917, she was used for line fishing.

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm161/kaa_photobucket/20080528_0068_S1.jpg


Kaa

[Kaa]

The Museum also has some boats indoors. The biggest is the remnants of Research, a 78-foot Zulu, built in 1903 -- one of the last sailing drifters built.

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm161/kaa_photobucket/20080528_0112_S1.jpg


There are various dinghies

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm161/kaa_photobucket/20080528_0105_S1.jpg


... a racing Dysart Yawl Jim -- 17 feet, built in 1901 at the cost of 12 pounds :-)

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm161/kaa_photobucket/20080528_0118_S1.jpg


And a very recent boat -- a Shetland Ness Yoal, built in 2000 by Ian Best

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm161/kaa_photobucket/20080528_0130_S1.jpg


View from above

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm161/kaa_photobucket/20080528_0134_S1.jpg

Kaa

[Duncan Gibbs]

Nice! Thanks for posting your shots. One question: What is a Shetland Ness Yoal?

[The Bigfella]

Great stuff. Thanks

[Kaa]

One question: What is a Shetland Ness Yoal?

Tsk, tsk :-)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoal

Kaa

[Duncan Gibbs]

One learns something every day!

Thank you Kaa! :)

[PeterSibley]

Thanks Kaa !

[Larks]

Not to be confused with "yoall" as in "yoall been fishin' ave ya'?"

Thanks for the pic's Kaa. Bye the way, did yoall try any of the single malts whilst there? I'd love to do the Malts cruise one day.

[C. Ross]

I've enjoyed your Scotland picture posts. Beautiful.

Stupid non-sailor question: on Reaper, why do the masts have such different rake?

[ROCKPORTMARINEPURCHASING]

very interesting and enjoyable pictures.

[Clan Gordon]

Why do the masts have such different rake ...?

This opposing rake was common on the Scottish herring luggers, of which the Reaper is the largest seagoing survivor, and the Research the ONLY survivor of the large class of Zulus.

Main reason is to get the sail area more TOWARDS the middle of the boat, while respecting the desire to keep the masts AWAY from the middle (working area) of the boat.

The foremast was lowered aft at sea while lying to the drift nets (that is why the mizzen mast is NOT on the centreline) - and since it weighs around 3 tonnes, it is also handy to have it raked aft to begin with.

The mizzen mast is stepped at the aft end of the herring hold - any further aft and it would be in the cabin.

Having said all that, I personally feel that the forward rake on the mizzen mast is too much, and the boat would look better with less of a forward rake on that mast.

[Don Olney]

Thank you.

[C. Ross]

Thanks Clan Gordon, and again Kaa.

I love the WBF for stuff like this.

[Lew Barrett]

Thank you Kaa.

[vincent]

real nice boat, thanks for the picture
is this museum having a homepage address?
sincerly
vincent

[Clan Gordon]

Hi Vincent

You can find out a little bit more about the Reaper at the museum web site.........
http://www.scotfishmuseum.org/reaper/

Some nice pictures of another large Fifie (but not lugger rigged) here....
http://www.theswan.shetland.co.uk/imagecat/index.html

And something about a smaller (but older) Fifie here.........
http://www.caithness.org/history/wickheritagecentre/isabellafortuna/index.htm

And some interesting info about the Zulus here..........
http://glennmci.brinkster.net/zulus/zulus.html