The North Sea Region is steeped in maritime heritage. Mercantile and naval vessels have been sailing the area for centuries, helping shape our coastlines through the construction of ports, dockyards and other shipping infrastructure. Unfortunately however, this important history is being eroded as new developments spring up along waterways and harbours. Spatial planners aspiring to regenerate the land regularly overlook the historic legacy of the sea. The results of this include the shortening of slipways, a lack of dredging, pressure on traditional boatyards to reduce noise, and the removal of port facilities such as wharfs and moorings.

The North SEAfaring partners believe this sanitisation of the distinct maritime character of towns and landscapes leads to cultural impoverishment of communities. As such, they are committed to working with spatial planners to devise ways of incorporating historic features into regeneration programmes.

Transnational cooperation is central to the development of North SEAfaring, where partners, from around the North Sea, have a practical in depth knowledge of the challenges being faced, and are able to help and support each other in the development of solutions to problems and planning for the future.

In the past national borders normally set the limits for where actions could be taken. But threats to maritime heritage and trends in society in an increasingly globalised world do not respect such borders. If changes and improvements are to be made to the region then we must take action together. This is now a possibility after seven countries around the North Sea have come together with the European Commission and set up the North Sea Commission, which provides funding for effective cooperation.

Within this context, the central aim of the North SEAfaring project is to raise the status of maritime heritage in regional and national spatial planning strategies.

To facilitate this North SEAfaring is involved in supporting the maintenance of existing wooden boats and structures, both for the transnational sharing of traditional skills and crafts and to act as a vibrant focus of the living heritage, which attracts public and professional attention to the programme.