Summer in Büsum. People are strolling along the promenade, eating fish sandwiches and the first people are having a cold beer in the harbour canteen. Young and old sit on the benches in front of the small harbour basin by the lighthouse, lean against the pier and admire a small collection of historic vehicles alongside the colourful fishing boats. One stands out. It is perfectly varnished, the planks made of wood, the sails red like in the old days. The stern is labelled "Forelle von Kollmar".
It is the harbour's newest treasure. An old Büsum family member, if you like, that has found its way back to its home harbour. The boat is in full splendour. The long tiller with the dragon's head, the coral blocks on the mast, the metre-long jib boom. The sheets are hanging on the nails, the halyards dangle above the sunken brass portholes. It smells of history, of bygone eras.
A man with short hair and a fine beard is standing on deck: Malte Fohrmann, the first chairman of the Büsum museum harbour. At just 29 years old, Fohrmann is probably one of the youngest people in charge of a task that is as noble as it is anachronistic. The association's statutes define it as follows: "The acquisition, restoration and preservation of historic watercraft and the presentation of traditional ships as floating and travelling exhibits."
A piece of contemporary history of North German seafaring tradition
They already have an old gaff cutter, a disused motorised lifeboat from the sea rescue service, an anchor gallery and a faithful replica of the first Büsum lighthouse. And now this masterpiece. Fohrmann is visibly proud of the latest addition, which already has so many years under its belt. The boat is a piece of contemporary history, a monument to North German seafaring tradition.
"But where to start?" says Fohrmann, and respect resonates in his words. For good reason. The "Forelle", the ship he is standing on, is more than three times as old as he is. It knows the currents, the hard bottom of the mudflats. It knows the sands on the Lüchtergrund, the whispering of the tideways, the gurgling of the Elbe. The ship has lived and laboured, trembled and tugged. A little warhorse under sail, whose greatness can only be understood by travelling back in time.
When Hans Schülke from Büsum commissioned the cutter from the Dawartz shipyard in Tönning over 90 years ago, he didn't have an elegant crack in mind, no cosy cabin and certainly no enjoyable summer cruises. The new boat should only be good for one thing: daily work at sea. Schülke can be seen in an old photo. He is wearing a troyer and a skipper's cap, his face beardless and striking. It is the time between the two world wars - and Schülke is a shrimp fisherman on the North Sea.
Single-handed crab fishing
His "Forelle" enters the water in 1932. The sturdy boat is ten metres long, just under three metres wide and has a shallow draught. A ship designed for the special features of the Wadden Sea. It has to be shallow enough to cross between the dry sandbanks. Seaworthy enough to defy the fierce westerly winds. And it has to sail fast enough to come back in with the last tidal surge so that the catch can still be sold for a good price at the pier.
The boat also has to be able to do this: pick up up to 400 kilograms of crabs, withstand the pressure of full nets and, if possible, be tamed single-handedly. The North Sea fisherman Schülke can be seen in another photo from the old days. The boat is just leaving the harbour, a mighty fishing net hangs from the mast - while Schülke stands alone at the helm.
The boat had two jibs at the time, one forward and one aft. The deck is purely for working, there is no cabin superstructure. Instead, fishing gear is stowed everywhere. Fish boxes stand around, and the spars and spreaders are lashed down. An 18 hp engine propels the "Forelle" out to sea, this proud shrimp cutter, which bears the registration "BÜS 85" on its white-painted snout and whose captain is after the "gold of the North Sea".
English-style cutter
The hunt for sand shrimp is considered one of the oldest cultural techniques of North Sea fishing. Business on the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein began to pick up in the middle of the 19th century. Industrialisation set in, people wanted fish and nutritious food, and demand grew, especially in the cities. After crabs had long been used as animal feed in agriculture, the shellfish became increasingly sought-after. The fishermen can look forward to a good income - but hard work awaits them.
The typical shrimp cutters of the time were rustic vessels. Gustav Junge from Wewelsfleth was one of the pioneers who, shortly before 1900, designed a type of ship specifically for the German mudflats. His cutters were modelled on the English smacks, single-masted sailing ships that were developed for the English navy in the mid-18th century: easy-to-operate and extremely seaworthy speedsters that were soon also used for fishing.
The cutters have a wide stern and are equipped with a foresail, a jib and a jib. A tiny cabin is provided at the bow, a simple shelter for a maximum of two men. But there is hardly any time to rest. Net in, net out. Navigate, tack, jibe. With the tide constantly breathing down your neck.
Development of the cure
The ship itself also has to pull like a plough horse. It drags the keitel through the sea, the large net bag without wings, which pulls with tonnes of tensile force. The harness is considered the forerunner of the modern trawling net, from which the typical beam trawl developed - especially for catching crabs. This has a boom, a sledge and up to 40 rollers strung together, which are pulled across the mudflats like a gliep to flush out the crabs and lure them out of the sand.
The trawls are up to ten metres wide and are held in place by a heavy crossbeam. The net itself measures a good twelve metres in length, with the catch finally landing in the cod-end, the finely meshed end of the net. It takes sheer muscle power to haul this in. There is only a hand-operated winch on board. And as soon as the first load of crabs is on board, the raw delicacy lands in an iron cauldron on the foredeck. The animals still have to be cooked at sea.
For almost ten years, Hans Schülke sails out into the mudflats to earn his daily bread. After that, his tracks disappear - but not those of his ship, which still bears the name "Forelle". In 1941, a certain Hans-Albert Jakob-Schülke, presumably a fisherman from the family, took over the ship.
"Trout" in times of war
Dark years followed. By August 1943 at the latest, the "Forelle"'s measurement certificate was also stamped with the swastika - many fishermen on the coasts were conscripted and had to subordinate themselves and their boats to the navy's military service. According to "Directive No. 16", the aim was to prepare for "Operation Sea Lion": the capture of England.
At the time, Büsum was home to one of the largest fishing fleets in the North Sea. Numerous exercises took place off the coast. As the Büsum archivist and contemporary witness Kurt Winter reports, 75 of 91 cutters took part, including the "Forelle". While other cutters were ordered to Dunkirk until the end of the war, Schülke's ship was assigned to the "Borkum harbour protection flotilla", now with the identification "D 55 K Nebelträger". The North Sea and its islands served as a defence wall against the Atlantic, and Hitler had bunkers built, trenches dug, shelters and positions erected. The North Sea coast as a defence system.
The "Trout" survives the war. And is allowed to fish again. In 1952, the Eiderstedt sailor Willi Unbehaun takes her over, and in 1956, the crab fisherman Günter Gericke from Tönning. Under Boje Meyer junior as the next owner, the boat takes part in the Tönning fishing fleet's cutter regatta in the summer of 1958. They sail for the Blue Ribbon of the Eider. The "Forelle" crossed the finish line first in her group.
From workboat to leisure boat
The small cutter has almost 30 years of hard service under her belt when life becomes a little more cosy: in 1960, the ship becomes private property. The owners extended the cabin and had a superstructure added to the deck. The "Forelle" is fitted out with forward berths for sitting, a beautiful galley and bunks for sleeping: two in the saloon, plus a proper forward berth.
It was a time when sailing was slowly finding a wider audience and leisure boats were increasingly being used as tour boats. The old North Sea barge may not be an elegant cruiser or a sleek yawl with long overhangs, but it is certainly an experienced wading vessel that can now fearlessly carry children and cones through the waters. In short, the "Forelle" is now a pleasure craft.
It is not known who exactly explored the North Sea and possibly the Baltic Sea with the pretty cutter in the years that followed. Since 2010, however, a family in the Hamburg area has been taking care of the shrimp cutter. The interior from the 1960s is being restored and the technology overhauled. The ship is being given a new mast, new sails, running and standing rigging are being replaced. And: paint, paint, paint. Malte Fohrmann: "The family must have put all their energy and love into the ship, the boat shines in every nook and cranny." They have even installed a stroke counter to check how often the bilge pump starts. "That shows the dedication with which the boat was last operated."
The "Forelle" returns to Büsum
In autumn 2022, however, the "Forelle" will once again be up for sale. There may be private reasons for this, but perhaps the effort involved in maintaining the ship so meticulously will ultimately be too great. The museum harbour's boat builder, Carsten Buchholz, and a few others from the Büsum association take a look at the boat on the Elbe. Without really knowing what to expect. Then the big aha moment: the ship is immaculate and beautiful. Then there is the unexpected history of the cutter. Without question: the old "Forelle" absolutely has to return to her home in Büsum!
Fortunately, a donor is found who makes the purchase possible. Unselfishly. Out of pure attachment to the coast and the dear ships. The sellers from the Elbe have only one further condition: The very good condition of the cutter must be maintained! "A point of honour, that's what we're all about," says Malte Fohrmann, "keeping the old ships in good shape."
The crossing cruise will follow in May 2023. From Seestermühe on the Elbe back to Büsum, in one go with the tide. However, the journey takes place under engine power. The wind is weakening and they are determined to get the hardy shrimp cutter home quickly. Alongside the old lifeboat "Rickmer Bock" and the historic gaff cutter "Fahrewohl von Büsum", the club's third ship now enters the harbour.
Welcome party for the "Forelle"
On Whit Saturday there is a party down by the beacon. In honour of the old lady. Willi Bruns, her new skipper, is present. Thorsten Bohlmann and Volker Schlegel as secretary and crew member. Treasurer Andreas Schemionek is there, along with a whole bunch of other enthusiasts. The Büsum Museum Harbour Association has around 500 members. And even if there is ultimately a hard core that looks after the ships and sails them, this is a minor sensation in this day and age. The old cutter is "tu Hus" again and is soon to be renamed the "Forelle von Büsum". On the bow, finally, the former identification: BÜS 85.
At the beginning of July, however, a kind of maiden voyage for the club is once again on the agenda: setting sail for the first time and steering the "Forelle" under full sail across the North Sea on the doorstep. Fohrmann, skipper Bruns, the boat builder and some of the crew are on board. The sun is shining and a light westerly wind is blowing. Prepare the mainsail, hoist the two headsails. Clear the halyards, lead the sheets through the wooden eyes.
Despite the conversion in the sixties, the "Forelle" still has many original details from the early days: the massive blocks, the sturdy bulwark. The sea railing supports, which are simply pushed through the gunwale and secured with a split pin. Underneath: a clear path to flush crab remains and fish guts from the deck. All water drains away unhindered through the scuppers.
A cutter that has not lost its lust for the sea over the years
The men head out, the engine - a 25 kW diesel from the sixties - chugs comfortably along. Then the mudflats lie in front of the bow. The manoeuvres still need to be practised, setting the gaff stop, hoisting the mainsail with the mast slides. But soon the sails are up, the jib is inflated and the engine is silent. The "Forelle" sails, glides across the water.
She quickly picks up speed, heels only slightly and performs splendidly. As if nine decades have not passed over the ship, good times, cruel times, ninety years in which the cutter has never forgotten how to sail and the desire for the sea. On the contrary.
Anyone sitting on board on this day, watching the boat on the wind and its keepers, might get the idea that some ships have a thousand lives. The trout Büsumer Art is one of them. North Sea type, not to be killed.
Technical data of the "Trout from Kollmar"
- Shipyard:Dawartz, Tönning
- Year of construction: 1932
- Total length:14 m
- Width:2,96 m
- Depth:1,35 m
- Weight:10 t
- sail area:58 m²
- Machine:25 kW
Preserving the old: the museum association
24 citizens of Büsum founded the association on 7 June 2001 and took over harbour basin I from the municipality. This "ole Hoov" was then converted into a museum harbour. Not only are historical ships presented, but the importance of a fishing harbour is also illustrated by many typical objects and facilities from the last two centuries. In addition to the "Forelle", the former motor lifeboat "Rickmer Bock", the fishing cutter "Fahrewohl", built in 1912 at the Wewelsfleth shipyard, and the "Margaretha", built in 1911, are already moored here. On land you can see historic anchors, fishing gear and an old pier light. Info under Museum harbour Buesum.de
