Paper short abstract:

This paper presents the ideas of how to reactivate three coastal communities based on their local culture historical conditions.

Paper long abstract:

Han Herred Havbåde is a grassroots initiative based on the cooperation between Lildstrand, Thorupstrand and Slettestrand located at the North West coast of Jutland in Denmark.

The 3 coastal communities have had a different development in the recent years. All of them have a history as places for sea trading back to the Viking Age, and after that they have all been fishing communities along with places for tourism. But in the last 15-20 years the coastal fishing has been concentrated at Thorupstrand. At Slettestrand the last fishing boat left in 1999 and in 2006 the remaining fishing boats at Lildstrand were sold.

A long side the privatization of the fishing industry – see Thomas Højrups paper – Han Herred Havbåde was founded in 2007. The interest is focused on repairing old Danish klinkerbuild/klinkercraft sea boats from the west coast, making them seaworthy again, thus contributing to the preservation of coastal knowledge.

At Slettestrand the old boats are being rebuilt and the stories about the whole fishing culture are told. A brand new shipyard and a house for presenting the story and the culture of the coast has been build. The restored fishing boats are coming out at the sea again because many volunteers are working with the project.

Han Herred Havbåde has several dimensions – one of continuing and developing the handicraft of the clinker boatbuilding, one of repairing and building new clinker sea boats to the fishermen, one of reactivating the coastal communities and one of developing a sustainable coastal culture.