It promises to be an immensely exciting event.
To quote from the Telegraaf:
"Sneek staat nog steeds bovenaan in het klassement, al vormt Earnewâld meer en meer een groot gevaar. Maandag nog won dat skûtsje met overmacht en werd Sneek derde.
Gisteren hadden de skûtsjes een rustdag."
To translate that passage:
"Sneek is still at the top of the class, although Earnewâld forms an ever greater threat. Monday that skûtsje triumphed, and Sneek was third.
Yesterday the skûtsjes rested."
By any standard, this is far more thrilling than ninety nine percent of the Olympics. Other than Yuri van Gelder being a drunken beast and getting banned, there just isn't much there.
The skoochie, skoocher, or skoochah, is an elegant sailing vessel used on the coastal waters and lakes of Friesland province for generations. Racing the skoocher is a manifestation of traditional skillsets and local pride.
No performance enhancing drugs are involved.
Length: 12 - 20 metres. Beam: 3 - 4 metres.
Draught: 1¼ metres.
Per Wikipedy: "Skûtsjes binne boud fan de 18e iuw ôf oant likernôch 1930. De lingte bedroech 12 oan 20 m. De breedte hie ferbân mei de ôfmjittings fan brêgen en slûzen yn it fargebiet en wie trochstrings 3.5 m, maksimaal in meter as fjouwer. De boaten wienen boud om te silen en hienen oarspronklik gjin motor."
And: "Ofhinklik fan it seizoen waard meastal dong, terpierde, ierdappels en oar bulkguod laden."
Because of bridges and locks in the region where they were used, their dimensions were necesarily limited.
Essentially, a skûtsje is a type of tsjalk. Other variants of this boat are: Beurttsjalk, Boltsjalk, Dektsjalk, Fryske tsjalk, Grinslanner, Hektsjalk, Hollânske tjalk, Iseltsjalk, Koftjalk, Paviljoentjalk, Skûte ("scootie").
And the a-typical Súd-Hollânske tsjalk.
Nowadays ('tsjintwurdich') such vessels are no longer the workhorses of commerce and long distance hauling. But they are fondly remembered.
By the way: Spellcheck did NOT like this post.
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