SIMPAN iceboat

[aukepalmhof]

The old mail boat route, between Grisslehamn on the Swedish coast to Abo (Turku) Finland, crossed the Aland Archipeligo. The distance is 265 kilometres,including the 149 kilometres over the water. There was a widespread organisation to keep the
mail delivery service going and in the beginning the skilled fishermen of Vaddo handled the mail and ferried passengers. From 1821 onwards however the service was dealt with by the Civil Service.

To enable the fishermen to carry out the service throughout the whole year they were obliged to create a type of vessel suitable for conditions arising from the high seas and ice found in the Aland Sea. The boats were named “Isbatar" (iceboats) and it is said that the first iceboat was built in 1785 by Matts Andersson (1753-1835). The boats were pointed atboth stem and stern and the keels were rounded. The hulls were covered with plate towithstand the impact of ice and sea and had a longitudinal lath on each side. At first they were small enough to be handled by two to three men.
One of these boats, may still be seen in the Postal Museum in Stockholm, her name is SIMPAN" - in English, "BULLHEAD" and she was built in 1849 of pine, with stem, stern and keel of oak. Her main dimensions were as follows:-
Length 5metres, breadth 1.80metres and depth 0.84 metres. The keel is iron shod, partly for skimming over the ice, the hull is tarred outboards and painted inboards row-locks and three pairs of oars, the longest being 4.75 metres - three thwarts
transversely and three thwarts aft. The inside of the hull is covered with cork and at the stern there is a black plate bearing the name "SIMPAN" in yellow letters. The mast is 5.75 metres long with mainsail boom and gaff, a foresail and a sprit for cross sheeting. She has also a rudder with tiller. Items of equipment carried are:-" anchor, grappling iron, ice-saw, ice-axe, icehook, ice-hammer, ice-pick, boat hook, steel chain, painter and four watertight kegs for carrying the mail, bearing the inscription - "Kongl. Svenska Postverkert" (ROYALSWEDISH POST OFFICE.)
In open water the boats were propelled by oar or sails were hoisted. If the ice was so weak that it wouldn't take the weight of the boat, one man sat at the stern and stamped on the ice whilst the others pulled the boat forward by means of the boat hooks. If the ice was strong enough the boat was pulled by ropes, some of the men however would be required to balance the boat t as it travelled on its keel along the ice. This was done by fastening two booms at thwartships for the couple of crewmen to hang on to. If the ice was smooth and the wind in the right direction, the sails would be hoisted and vessel would then become an ice-yacht. Even this meant the men would have to balance the boat and furthermore would result in some real hard running for them!

These trips were very risky, especially in the winter months and many boats, together with their crews, were lost. From 1870 the mail service was taken over by steam ships and in 1875 all iceboats had been sold, except the "SIMPAN."

Finland issued a stamp illustrating this vessel, September 9th 1938 for the 300th
Anniversary of the extension of the Swedish Postal Service to Finland.

Source ww.shipstampsociety.com Page 12
Finland 1938 1¼M sg327, Scott216