The Dronthiem

By Nate Hathaway

For the past two seasons of heavy engagement through youth programs, adult lessons, apprentice training and Free Fridays, we’ve struggled to put a name to what the Twins are. We often get into a lengthy bit about how they were designed by this guy Nigel Irens and how they were built at the ‘Shop and something-something-something about Scottish fishing vessels. I had even reached out to Mr. Irens to try and thank him, share how much we enjoy the boats, and learn a little more about their lineage. However, the reply I received didn’t answer my questions about where the design of the Twins hails from. I was still grasping about in the dark for some clue.

UNTIL NOW!
Well, yesterday at least.

A young fisherman from Donegal, Ireland started messaging one of our social media accounts asking us what the heck a Dronthiem was doing in Maine. I gave him the rundown of what I knew and then he started sharing all sorts of cool black and white photos (below) showing how the boats were used until the 1960s before engines were added. He sent some great shots of Dronthiems with different rigs, many involving a stubby bowsprit and a variety of sprit/gunter/schooner/ketch/sloop variations. Ironically none of the pictures show them as yawls despite some precedent for colloquially being known as, well, just ‘Yawls’.

Even more bizarre and auspicious is that these originally Norwegian-made boats - thought to be named for the Norwegian town of Trondheim and imported to the north and northeast coasts of Ireland during the mid 18th century before locally made versions started cropping up in the early 19th century - are thought to be related to the Mackinaw boats of the Great Lakes.

The Dronthiem

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