Weekend Write-In Story Collection

Zonder Zorg

In 500 words, imagine what happens when a ritual is disrupted. Written for the Weekend Writing prompt "Ritual", 15-17 January 2016.

Some thoughts on my barge.

The Relaunching

My skûtsje had been launched in 1908 in Gaastmeer, Friesland. Whether at the time the ritual bottle of Champagne had been broken over her bows to appease Neptune, I don't know. In her dossier of papers, I could find no photos or descriptions of any ceremony that might have accompanied her christening as Nieuwe Zorg.

The name seemed odd to me when I bought her and was told that Nieuwe Zorg means New Care or New Worry. This was a common theme in naming ships at the time in the Netherlands; they were often a big investment and making them pay was a matter of great concern. Skûtsjes were working barges, and the family lived aboard in small quarters in the stern. The whole family participated in the operation of the small business.

The design of the skûtsje had evolved in the 1850s from the tjalk, which traces its design back to the bijlander in the seventeenth century, which itself dates to about 1500. The bijlander was a shallow-draft full-rigged ship designed to trade near land, thus its name by land.

The tjalk evolved as a barge of narrower beam and shallower draft to more easily navigate canals. It was primarily a sailing vessel, essentially a gaff-rigged sloop. To counter the press of the wind, they had leeboards instead of keels. Winches were used to lowered these in deeper waters and to raise them in the shallows. When there was no wind, the family donned harnesses and pulled the barge along the canal.

Many of the lakes in Friesland were too shallow for larger tjalks, so skûtsjes evolved as nimble barges to navigate these and the narrow canals. Its design made it a great sailing vessel, and often impromptu races would arise as two or more made their way across the lakes. Soon this became sport and small competitions were organised. Now there are two leagues, each with annual multi-race championships. These are followed in Friesland more seriously than football.

I didn't purchase the skûtsje to race, but rather to live aboard in comfort while cruising and exploring the 44,000 kilometres of European inland waterways. After taking possession in September 2012, we did a month-long meandering cruise from Aalsmeer, Noord Holland to Harlingen, Friesland to do a major refit. She was a hundred and four years old and her previous refit was thirty-seven. She was dated and tired. We completely gutted her to a bare, empty hull of riveted iron.

Complete new engineering was installed: engine, generator, central heating, plumbing, electrical. For creature comforts, the design began with the dishwasher and filled-in from there. It was home, after all.

The refit was completed mid-May 2013 and she needed relaunching and rechristening with her new name, Zonder Zorg. This means Without Care or Carefree, which better suits her new role.

She was poised in the launching ways and I had the bottle of Veuve Clicquot. I popped the cork, poured glasses of Champagne and toasted her. Be damned the bottle-smashing ritual.