Denmark, spidsgatter heaven

Every harbor, every boatyard, every sail club has them! Spidsgatters, the pointy-ended, double-ender designs that captured my heart like they have so many others all over the world. They were developed as a racing class in the 1930s, evolved from North Atlantic fishing boats but with cabins and very tall masts. Today, the term covers many varieties of double ended designs and they were everywhere I visited in Denmark this month. Designs included gaff-rigged open boats still in use in club sailing programs (at least 3 hauled out and ready for winter maintenance at Frem and KAS this month); racing class boats (Bel Ami and Skarven in the yard near KAS); unclassed beauties (countless boats from Gilleleje to Dragor and including Svendborg, Walsted Boatyard and the Danish Yacht Museum in all range of condition) as well as fiberglass models used for both fishing (no mast) and cruising (with mast and with or without motor). Ancient in concept these beautiful double enders contine a tradition of sea-going people all over the world (think dug out canoes, Viking ships, Inuit kayaks). The Danish word for harbor is Havn and every time I followed those signs, I was thinking "heaven".

International search for Danish Spidsgatter history

Sitting in the opalescent light of a fall morning in France, I can't help but pause from my writing to watch the dew from the night shimmer one last time as the mid morning breeze shakes it from the waving grass blades. Since dawn, there've been a dozen emails to Denmark, two to the US and three back from DK confirming appointments as strangers become friends in my search for Pax' history. Today's email uncovered an elder boatbuilder from Samso who may remember the boat and a man north of Copenhagen who remembers her from his time on the junior sailing team at KDY (Royal Danish Yacht Club). He sailed with the two daughters of the first owner on record in Denmark, so far.

There are many changes to Pax since she was in Denmark.

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