Trolle

Trolle

Faroese Áttamannafar from Svinøy, 2000

Trolle was built at the Museum boatyard for our School Service and for taking Museum visitors on boat trips. Faroese boatbuilding traditions were strictly adhered to while building Trolle. The School Service wanted a boat of a size and quality similar to the áttamannafar Blakman. However, instead of building an exact copy of Blakman, the Museum's Faroese boatbuilder, Hanus Jensen, chose to build his own design of áttamannafar, while retaining Blakman's excellent properties. A detailed comparison of the two vessels reveals differences that illustrate the variation of local boatbuilding traditions. The planks in the bottom of the boat - the flábord - are angled more horizontally from the keel on Trolle than on Blakman. The keel on Trolle is also somewhat shorter than on Blakman, but as the two boats have the same overall length, the bow and stern on Trolle are more raked. Trolle is therefore more stable and a little faster when tacking. This is an advantage as it can be impossible to bring the bow of a long-keeled boat back into the waves if the boat has come to lie across heavy breakers.

Trolle was built by rule of thumb and by eye, without designs of any kind. Building Trolle was also rather special because it was part of the training of one of the apprentice boatbuilders at the Museum boatyard, Pernille Voss. Hanus Jensen built Trolle's starboard side while Pernille Voss built the port side. This traditional Faroese boatbuilding method provides simultaneous training and supervision.

Trolle has two masts. The main mast is rigged with a low lugsail, the upper "triangle" of which can be reefed so that the sail becomes a small square sail. The mizzenmast is rigged with a small spritsail. The oars, however, are the main means of propulsion.