History

A bit of history

Jensines history

Jensine ex "The seven sisters" - is Denmark's oldest sailing ship, built in 1852 by J.W.Riis in Aalborg, but with south Funen design ("The Frigate Jutland" is 8 years younger). A cutter of 14.5 load or 32 gross tons.
"Jensine´s" first authentic measurement documentation is issued in Aalborg the 25th April 1853, with corrections the 2nd May and we can follow her through, amongst other things, the Registration of Danish Commercial Vessels, which has existed since 1864. This register states that the ship was built in 1852.

A canvas sailing cargo ship

As "The seven sisters" -Jensine was, the island Læsø´s largest sailing ship in 1853 and she remained in the northern part of Jutland until 1864 sailing cargo. The longest period she remained registered in a single place was from Langeland - 1864 until 1918. In the south of Fuenen the ship was sailed by three generations of ship´s masters from the same family. For 37 years Niels Sørensen was the master who sailed the "old tub".

Modern times

Jensine tried to comply with the demands of time. In 1924 she had a motor installed and in 1948 a new wheelhouse and steering wheel - but it didn´t help.
Old, worn-out and mouldering Jensine was sold in 1944 to Oluf Chr. Olsen, who used the ship mainly for transhipment of freight from ships in Aalborg Harbour to harbours further inside the Limfjord,
With "Indeed -Ole", which was the nickname of the last ship´s master, Jensine´s long era as a freight ship was finished in 1960.
Since Jensine was finished with freight transport there were big plans made by several of the owners who had started restoration, but all gave up - however…

Name change to Jensine

In 1918 "The Seven Sisters" returned to The Limfjord. On this occasion she changed her name to Jensine, named after the Master Alfred Hansen´s wife Jensine. In the beginning voyages with cement was a certain source of income.
In the preserved account books for Jensine during the period 1918 until 1939 a tendency towards short voyages can be traced. The freight routes became fewer and were further away from the home harbour, while the earnings were less. The "sparrow of the seas" disappeared.

Restoration

In a somewhat neglect state and laid up in Copenhagens Harbour, The Ships Clan bought Jensine from a second-hand dealer for d.kr. 10.000.- in 1970.
She arrived in Haderslev Easter 1971 and restoration work was immediately started. An optimistic statement to the press said "That now it only depended upon raising d.kr. 50.000,- and volunteer working manpower for a couple of years - then Jensine will be ready to go on her first voyage."

We learned our lesson

No working diagrams existed so as far as possible all the work on Jensine was carried out according to the known traditional period.
New keel and keelson. New timber ribs are inserted where there was room and there are also set several hundred meters of new planking - where it was necessary. The main rail and bulwark-stanchions have been replaced. New deck beams, new deck, new hatch, new half deck, new cabin top, and new sky lights, new mast, and rigging. New tiller, new bowsprit. The stern has been changed and much more replaced and improved. The motor was rejected by The Ships Inspector´s regulations and was replaced with a used 90 HK Caterpillar.
When the new sails were to be sewn, the oldest photographs of Jensine in sail were studied very minutely. An expenditure of about d.kr. 300.000,- and almost 6 years passed before Jensine was again ready to sail. The next step was accommodation and fitting out under the deck.