Norda
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''Norda'' is a wooden sailing vessel that was commissioned in 1928, originally used as a
research vessel A research vessel (RV or R/V) is a ship or boat designed, modified, or equipped to carry out research at sea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel but others require a dedicated ...
in
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
. It served as research vessel,
fishing vessel A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to fishing, catch fish and other valuable nektonic aquatic animals (e.g. shrimps/prawns, krills, coleoids, etc.) in the sea, lake or river. Humans have used different kinds of surface vessels in commercial ...
and is now a
yacht A yacht () is a sail- or marine propulsion, motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a ...
.


History


Research vessel

The vessel was commissioned in 1928 by MIR (Polish Fishing Institute). It was built in 1928 to order of in the Andersen Shipyard in Frederikssunde,
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
. It was christened ''Ewa'', inspired by the names of daughters of both Professor
Michał Siedlecki Michał () is a Polish and Sorbian form of Michael and may refer to: * Michał Bajor (born 1957), Polish actor and musician * Michał Chylinski (born 1986), Polish basketball player * Michał Drzymała (1857–1937), Polish rebel * Michał Hel ...
and Dr Franciszek Lubecki, two distinguished scientists and maritime researches pioneers.Micinski Jerzy, Polish Special and Auxiliary Vessels 1920 - 1939, in the serie Gdansk Maritime Museums Proceedings Vol. II, Wydawnictwo Morskie Gdyni, Gdansk 1967. p. 168. MIR owned another vessel that was almost the same: a few months earlier they acquired another cutter '' Starnia'', which was also used for finding new fishing grounds and fisherman’s training. Both vessels played an important role in the development of the sea fishery industry in Poland. The classical
hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...
of the cutter, with straight bow and spoon shaped stern, was built from oak. The ship was built as a sailing vessel with an auxiliary motor. The propulsion system was composed of a two-cylinder Tuxham engine of 64-76 hp and ketch rigged gaff sails. The GRT was 29 ton and the NRT was 10 ton. The total area of the four sails was 160 m2. Under deck there was space for a crew of five, four scientists and laboratory. When already in use as research vessel, a wheel house was built on the aft deck. The cutter was commanded by Jan Lemke until 1936. In that time ''Ewa'' sailed the Baltic and was used for research expeditions organized by scientists form MIR, The Department of Economy and Organization of Fishery in Bydgoszcz, The Sea Fishery Laboratory form Hel and departments of the Scientists Laboratory of Farming from Puławy. In 1932 those institutions were united in the maritime base in Hel, which was also the home harbour or Norda at that time. Those expeditions contributed to recognition of fishing grounds at the Baltic Sea and development of polish sea biology and ichthyology. After six years of intensive exploitation ''Ewa'' had to be renovated. In 1939, during inspection at the Fishery Shipyard in Gdynia, it was ascertained that the hull had been seriously damaged (rotten) and the cutter was qualified to be destroyed. At that time Antoni Budzisz from Gdynia became interested in her. He bought the cutter from MIR and adapted her as a fishing boat. ''Ewa'' was being overhauled and the damaged parts of the hull were exchanged.


The German occupation during World War II

The overhaul was unfortunately interrupted by the Second World War, but later it continued and it was finally completed in 1942. The overhaul was done in such way that the masts were cut and a more powerful motor was the only power source. The cutter, at that time named ''Putzig 2'', was used as fishing boat with the base port in
Władysławowo Władysławowo (Kashubian language, Kashubian/Pomeranian language, Pomeranian: ''Wiôlgô Wies'' vʲɞlɡɞ ˈvʲɛs ) is a city on the south coast of the Baltic Sea in Kashubia in the Pomerelia region, northern Poland, with 9,363 inhabitant ...
. Leon Budzisz was her
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
. Leon was a cousin of Antoni Budzisz, who died during the war. According to Mr Jerzy Budzisz, son of Leon Budzisz, the vessel was called ''Anne Marie'' between 1941 and 1945. On March 3, 1945 the cutter was confiscated and used by a group of Germans to escape from Hel to
Köln Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
. The around 100 persons that escaped with Putzig-2 were mainly soldiers and postmen.


The swan-dance in Communist Poland

In 1946, she was traced down and brought back Gdynia. The General Sea Fishery Inspectorate assigned former ''Ewa'' to The Community “Rybak”, and she was renamed to ''Wła – 17''. Leon Budzisz became once more her captain. After Community was closed down this same Leon Budzisz bought the cutter, and used it as a fishing boat till 1955 when he had to sell her due to financial problems.the daily Dziennik Baltycki, December 9, 1994 The cutter was bought by The Community “Gryf”. In 1958 the next overhaul had to be made. At that time the cutter was already deprived of sailing equipment and the spoon shaped overhang on the stern. Till half of the 1980s the boat, renamed to ''Zag-9'', was being exploited by two individual ship-owners. The base port was
Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...
,
Górki Zachodnie Górki (meaning "hills") may refer to the following places in Poland: Greater Poland Voivodeship *Górki, Kalisz County in Greater Poland Voivodeship (west-central Poland) *Górki, Koło County in Greater Poland Voivodeship (west-central Poland) ...
. Later they decided that it was not worth it to make another repair of the hull.


Rebirth and new life

On July 1, 1986 the old cutter was bought from the fishermen Zygmunt Krukowski and Krzystof Klarwacki by Stanislaw Konopka. Later he would start the rebuild together with Grzegorz Wozniak, who is geographer by the profession and sailor by passion and the owner of tourist office “Nord”. The price was 15'000 old Polish Zloty; this is now (due to the high inflation that followed) about the price of one bread. The new ship-owner decided to rebuild the cutter as a sailing yacht so the boat was towed to Puck, where it was put out of the water and moved to the fishing harbor. In 1986 the hull and the used-out motor were dismantled. From the original vessel only the backbone, ribs and planks from underwater part were left. After that the hull was rebuilt in a slightly changed shape. The boards were made two planks higher along the side of the hull and four planks higher at the stern. Under the wooden backbone (keel) a six meter long, a I-shaped steel ballast beam was fixed. In 1990 the newly rebuilt hull was transported to
Jastarnia Jastarnia (, ) is a resort town in Puck County, Pomeranian Voivodship, northern Poland. It is located on the Hel Peninsula on the Baltic Sea. It is a popular Polish seaside resort and small fishing port. The place was mentioned as "Osternese" in ...
were the reconstruction of the yacht was meant to be finished. Unfortunately the construction company did not fulfill the contract. The hull was this time transported to Gdynia and placed on the embankment of Yacht Club “Stal” from which the shipowner was a member. The last stage of the reconstruction lasted until October 1994. The interior was finished by boat builder Leszek Fryzkowski supported by the ship owner Grzegorz Woźniak. The sailing plan has been designed by Jan Młynarczyk and consists of two glued spruce masts – 19.5 m main mast with wishbone boom and 17.5 bezan mast, and five sails with total area of 160 sq m . The masts were made by the boat builder Franciszek Lewiński. Under the deck there are a technical
forecastle The forecastle ( ; contracted as fo'c'sle or fo'c's'le) is the upper deck (ship), deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or, historically, the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters. Related to the latter meaning is t ...
(with chain locker, diesel and storage), three berths for 3 persons, heads, a shower/wet gear room, a quite a big saloon with, a galley, a navigation cabin, an engine room and 3 berths for the crew. The yacht is equipped 110 hp Delfin motor built in 1978. The nine-year effort resulted in a two-masted, classical yacht, which was named ''Norda'' (the word for the onerous, north winds in the local Kaszubian language). The length of the ketch including bowsprit was then 19.5 m. The vessels gained her first certificate still as ''Zag-9''. On March 3, 1987 the newly rebuild yacht got its name ''Norda''. In 1995, Grzegorz Wozniak became the sole owner of the yacht, and in 2002 he changed the registration to
motorsailer A motorsailer is a type of motor-powered Sail, sailing vessel, typically a yacht, that can derive power from its sails or engine, independently from each other during moderate seas or winds. A motorsailer may have a sail-to-engine power ratio in ...
, as this had less strict regulations for the crew compared to a sailing vessel. The safety card of 2004, mentions only one owner: Grzegorz Woźniak, and another home harbour:
Gdynia Gdynia is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With an estimated population of 257,000, it is the List of cities in Poland, 12th-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in the Pomeranian Voivodeship after Gdańsk ...
. ''Norda'' was sold on December 31, 2004 to Philippe De Brouwer. who continued to restore ''Norda'' with original pieces: equipped both the mast-foots with pinrails, added some antique details to the interior, and even installed central heating and a woodstove. Smaller changes and repairs also resulted in a longer bowsprit. The LOA is now 20.5m, and ''Norda'' is again sailing the Baltic Sea, visiting many of the places where it sailed about 80 years ago and that it did not visit ever since.


Today and future

At the end of 2014, G.Weston and A.Graf, co-founders of WestOnBoats, became Norda's owners.


Construction

''Norda'' is a wooden sailing
cutter Cutter may refer to: Tools * Bolt cutter * Box cutter * Cigar cutter * Cookie cutter * Cutter (hydraulic rescue tool) * Glass cutter * Meat cutter * Milling cutter * Paper cutter * Pizza cutter * Side cutter People * Cutter (surname) * Cutt ...
built in
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
in 1928. It is a construction with double ribs, and with 2 inch molded wooden planks on the outside. The complete hull structure, the underwater planking as well as part of the deck constructions are still original. Only a steel keel is added under the wooden keel, to provide more counterweight in order to add higher masts and more sail. Its sail plan is wishbone ketch. * construction year: 1928 * shipwarf: Anderson, Frederikssunde (
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
) * GT: 46,40 ton * NT: 13.92 ton *
LOA , also called loa, are spirits in the African diaspora religions, African diasporic religion of Haitian Vodou and Dominican Vudú. They have also been incorporated into some revivalist forms of Louisiana Voodoo. Many of the lwa derive their iden ...
: 19,49 m * width: 5,43 m * minimal
freeboard In sailing and boating, a vessel's freeboard is the distance from the waterline to the upper deck level, measured at the lowest point of sheer where water can enter the boat or ship. In commercial vessels, the latter criterion measured relativ ...
0,70m * draught: 2,85 m *
motor An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gene ...
: PZM Puck (Delfin), UE 680/193, 121 kW, at 2200tpm, 6 cylinders, construction year 1979 *
sail area A sail is a tensile structure, which is made from fabric or other membrane materials, that uses wind power to propel sailing craft, including sailing ships, sailboats, windsurfers, ice boats, and even sail-powered land vehicles. Sails may be m ...
: 170 sq m * crew: 2 to 30 * maximal number of passengers on deck: 40 * number of berths: 2+3+3+4+1 = 13 * number of masts: 2 * number of sails: 5 * comfort: 2 heads, 1 shower, 1 gas-cooker with 4 burners, central heating and wood stove, hot and cold water


Art

* ''Norda'' inspired the famous artist
Henri Seroka Henri Seroka (born 1949) is a Belgian singer and composer. Although he began his career as a singer, he is known mostly for his compositions, especially film music, and for composing Belgium's official song for the 1984 Olympic Games.Wangermée, ...
to compose a CD of relaxing music * Wieslaw Wilk painted ''Norda'' (painting entitled ''Norda'') * Norda was the location of two editions of the TV serial ''Święta wojna'', with main artist Krzysztof Hanke.


See also


More information

* Official website: http://www.westonboats.com * Tall ship's fan: http://www.tallship-fan.de/index_e.htm * The daily ''Dziennik Baltycki'', December 9, 1994 has also a good description of the history of Norda.


Other mentionings on the web

* in the Zlot Old Timerow: http://www.zlotoldtimerow.pl/pages/_MKK3111.htm * on the website of the daily Gazeta: http://www.sport.pl/sport/1,78990,5657507,Norda_swietowala_w_Gdansku.html * in blogs: ** http://kulinski.gdanskmarinecenter.com/art.php?id=826&fload=1 ** http://facetmorski.bloog.pl/id,2622250,index.html#form


Footnotes / References

{{Reflist, 30em Tall ships of Poland Research vessels Individual sailing vessels 1929 ships Fishing in Poland