Historic Boats Float Again at New Shetland Museum & Archives
Five historic boats from the internationally important maritime collection of the Shetland Museum and Archives have been winched into position in their new home - suspended up to 14 metres high inside an impressive new three-storey-height Boat Hall.
Specialist contractors Riggers UK made the journey from Cornwall to Shetland – literally from one tip of the UK to the other – to oversee the delicate boat hanging operation for the Shetland Amenity Trust project. They travelled to Shetland by road and sea for two days bringing specialised equipment for the task.
The star of the Boat Hall is the last surviving example of an original Sixareen – an open fishing boat directly descended from Viking boat design, and recognised as the ultimate development of the traditional Shetland boat. She sits at floor level so that visitors can see her at close range, but ingenious engineering enables the craft to be wheeled away into the adjoining boat shed to allow the full floor space of the Boat Hall to be used for functions. The other five boats, including a fourareen and motor boat, are hung at stages above the Sixareen, with the racer Barracoutta at the top, suspended with rigging as if in full sail.
Elevated viewing platforms on each of the floors of the main galleries give the visitor a series of exciting and illuminating views of the Boat Hall and suspended boats from each level.
Boats have been vital to life in Shetland, both for fishing and transport. Shetland has also been important in the development of the racing boat, while a renewed interest in Shetland’s boating heritage has meant that traditional types are again being built. The Boat Hall traces the history of the Shetland boat from its Viking roots to the present day, and is supported by a series of displays and interactives in other parts of the museum, and by a wealth of source materials available in the state-of-the-art Archive facility. Other boats from the collection will be permanently moored in Hay’s Dock, and boats undergoing restoration will also be open to the public in the Boat Shed.