Sailing the "Oselvar" - Oselvarseiling

Sailing the Norwegian traditional wooden boat "Oselvar", at Storebø, Austevoll, a small island community southwest of Bergen. With no keel, center board, or ballast weight, balance is carried out by moving your body around to counteract the force of the wind. The Oselvar is the national boat of Norway, and was rewarded the UNESCO Best Safeguarding Practices - 2016. It is the only traditional wooden boat with a racing class in the Norwegian Sailing Federation, which races by the rules of the International Sailing Federation (ISAF). The Oselvar is raced both with a sprit rig and various sized bermuda rigs.

[@BobLinton]

What a beautiful place to sail! Thank you for sharing.

[@fredrappley6960]

I love watching this video, especially in the winter, it reminds me of sailing my faering.

[@matsopp]

***** Not yet,...

[@matsopp]

***** On a second thougth, there is a video of me and my own oselvar færing boat (sail no. 150) at this link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eqXagJ14Ztuhbqs

[@davidcarlson7305]

Beautiful sailboat! I'm on the west coast of the US, but my family on my mother's side is from Holsnoy & Fjelberg.

[@matsopp]

Halsnøy and Fjelberg is not far from where this video is recorded, about 28 nautical miles (50 km) along the fjord system to the south.

[@Captain_Bartolo]

This typ of spriet rig is beautiful 🌬️🌬️🌬️⛵👍

[@BigFiveJack]

Beautiful, Beautiful! I have zero sound from this video, and I ask, is that what everyone is experiencing?

[@matsopp]

The video is made without sound or any overlaying music.

[@joemarchessault868]

I want to travel to Norway and go sailing with you sometime! I did a lot of sailing in the earlier years of my life, and I want to do much more sailing before I get old. We may be in Sweden next year, so we could spend a few days in Norway for sailing!

[@matsopp]

Joe Marchessault You are welcome any time for a sailtrip with the Oselvar.

[@bradleyproductions8719]

Is this all wind power I'm a little new to this stuff

[@matsopp]

+Bradley - Not sure what you mean. If you ask if the boat on the video (the "oselvar") is moving only by wind power, the answer is yes.

[@Za-CAMNEM]

Отменно... Жаль только, что нет звука

[@annabelclarke2810]

Hello Matsopp! How can I get in contact with you directly? I am hoping that you may be able to help me with access to an Oselvar for filming purposes. Many thanks

[@matsopp]

Please leave some clues for me and I'll contact you,,,,

[@annabelclarke2810]

my email is [e-mail]

[@gavin3488]

you may want to delete this soon...

[@kille-4B]

I have an Oselvar for sale in Denmark.

[@kris4783]

man can you explain to me whats the difference between an oselvar and a faering ?

[@tadasdovii8262]

Full modern rig and aluminium on this hull???!!! Stop drinking or using somthing else.

[@matsopp]

The oselvar boat type (faering, sixaering or larger hulls) has an unbroken line that goes more than 1000 years back. Before iron nails used as clinkers for the hull planks, the planks were sewed together by wood fibers. A little bit more than hundred years ago, galvanized iron nails was introduced, and more recently copper nails since they last longer than iron in seawater. The hull was originally impregnated with wood tar, but in the last hundred years oil and varnish has been more common. Similarly, the boat was first rowed, that at some point a square sail was on a centrally mounted mast was introduced. Again, the mast shifted forward, and a jib and mainsail emerged (the sprit rig). The sail fabrics has also changed from wool to cotton to plastic (darcon, mylar or kevlar). All these changes show the evolution of the oselvar as new materials and inventions appeared, but without compromising the properties of the hull as it moves through the water. It has made the oselvar more effective as a sailboat. The oselvar is now the only traditional boat that is an own regatta class in the Norwegian sailing federation. This helps preserve one of the uses of this unique and rare boat type, and the knowledge of how to sail it. The modern alumina rig and sails enhance the sailing properties, making it more attractive to people involved in other regatta sailing. Thus, it is a gate to a regatta tradition that goes back to 1871, and much further back when considering the build and use of this boat.

[@tadasdovii8262]

@@matsopp i understand evolution, but why not make it plastic then if use your logic? Alominium riging have nothing to do with word - traditional. Maybe after 300-500 years totaly outclassed aliuminium mast will be called "classic", but it stil have nothing to do with 1871

[@matsopp]

@@tadasdovii8262 Maybe it will be carbon fiber mast in the future, but if you make the hull in fiberglass, you change the building tradition of the boat. Alumina mast don't do that. The materials and rig is currently defined in the class description of the oselvar as a regatta boat. I do not think that plywood or plastic will be accepted in the hull, because that breaks with the building tradition. With plastic or plywood, it will be a completely different boat, not only for the eyes, but in any other aspect, with very different properties in the sea and waves. Except for oil, varnish and the metal in the nails, the building tradition hasn't changed. Your reaction to the modern sail rig is only related to your expectations of how this traditional boat should look like. Remember, originally in the tradition, these boats shouldn't have a sail rig at all.