The Toftevaag (Viking name) was built in 1910 by Lars Sjo
Olaia Halsnoy on the island - in the village also called Toftevaag - at the
mouth of the Hardanger fjord on the west coast of Norway. It was built as a
sailboat, as can still be seen in the narrow lines of the hull.
Made with pine Norwegian, was built in the traditional Norwegian espiches
still using wood instead of metal nails, many of which can be seen even in the
hull. There are no original plans of the boat and that the custom was that the
captains sculpture model of a boat of his dreams from lacual the master
carpenter in the village got the dimensions and curves of the frame.
The first owner, Johannes Silseth, what used to sail for fishing herring
networks wheel.
Fjordos leaving the Norwegians, the Toftevaag izaba candles in the North
Atlantic towards the Shetland Islands in northern Scotland. There was then a
large international fleet following the herring by the North Atlantic and North
Sea coastal transhumance entailed a real set of women where the ships were to
develop and market the fish. The typical Toftevaag path led him from here to
Iceland and then back to Norway.
Beginning in 1930, was renovated as a boat "market" leading businessmen and
goods between the fjords, from Stavanger to Trondheim. The captain was then
Johannes G. Tofte and the cook was Bjarne Tofte.
When the Second World War began, the Germans seized the boat and used it to
transport riders from Bergen to an airfield on the island of Askoy. It also
sailed to the North Cape. Jemelo Toftevaag of a boat after rescuing a
shipwrecked Germans, to escape towards the Shetland Islands fooling them with a
magnet to deflect the compass needle
After the war, was released and bought it Vintertun Johannes, who restored it in
1958, again using it for fishing.
In 1964, another fisherman, Sigvart Egeland, bought it and installed an engine
Grenaa a semi-cylinder and 60 horses. Based on the Rekefjord was devoted to
fishing by shrimp trawling in the North Sea. During these years, sailed to
northern Norway, after the North Cape, on the Baltic Sea, the North Sea to
Iceland, and even Britain.
In 1979, Jack Ramberg specialist equipment from Norway, bought it and returned
to his boat rigging original respecting absolutely every detail. This work took
him 6 years in Arendal, and from 1985 was devoted to the charter by the
Norwegian coast, Denmark and the North Sea.
During the'60s, the conversion of the fishing fleet in the Nordic countries
meant the sad end for the last surviving ships DDE was the great work of sailing.
Afortunadaamente, governments of these countries provided DDE restoration of
such vessels by associations as Alnitak.