Ruth

In 1946, Captain Viktor Luik bought the Ruth from Jüri Kaudla, (who organized the voyage of the Dagmar). Välis-Eesti newspaper reported the boat departed Göteborg for Durban, South Africa, on August 6, 1947. There is no information about what kind of boat it was or how many passengers were on board. The Ruth added passengers in Denmark and crossed through the Kiel Canal, stopping in Hamburg, Germany, where it picked up additional people, including Senta Grunzig, Luik’s future wife. Leaving Hamburg, the boat was intercepted by a British naval patrol boat and detained for five days in Cuxhaven, Germany. The Danish passengers, who apparently had escaped from a prison, were removed.

The Ruth made stops in Portsmouth, Brest, Coruña, Lisbon, Huelva, Cadiz, Tangier, Rabat, and Casablanca, spending about a week in each port. Captain Luik then decided to start transporting goods between some of the same harbors, which some passengers opposed. When three people went ashore in Casablanca, the captain simply sailed off, stranding them in the French Protectorate of Morocco. Captain Luik and Senta Grunzig’s journey ended in Venezuela, after passengers who had boarded the boat in Spain hijacked it. Viktor Luik remained in Venezuela for the rest of his life. The fate of the Ruth is unknown, but the boat did not reach South Africa.

Known crew and passenger:
Captain Viktor Luik
Senta Grunzig